cammy collector
09-30-2008, 08:04 PM
I emailed Grey Flannel the following info. I got a response back saying
Dear Sir. I am going to forward your email to the winning bidder and I will let him make his choice. Thank you for the information.
Just wanted to make others aware of the situation. Please feel free to chime in with any additional information and by all means correct me if I've got any of mine wrong.
To whom it may concern:
I was recently made aware of the following listing that was part of last week's "Hall of Fame auction" I know how much GFC strives to obtain only the most authentic items for auctions. Simply put, while these shoes are authentic Nike Air Jordan's, they were NEVER "game used" by Michael. In the remainder of this email I will attempt to prove without a shadow of a doubt why this is so.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the NBA never allowed Michael to wear this colorway of shoes in NBA regular season games, and he wore them in only two preseason games in 1985. In his first preseason game in 1985 a representative from the league office contacted the Bulls to inform them that his new shoes violated the leagues "uniformity of uniform" clause. If he wore them again he would be fined $1,000. A second offense would warrant a $5,000 fine and finally the Bulls would be forced to forfeit games if he continued to wear them after that. Nike instructed Michael to continue wearing the shoes and they would pay each fine rendered thereafter. After just two games, with input from league Commissioner David Stern, Nike put forth plans to produce a primarily white shoe with a red swoosh (all of this information can be found in "Playing for Keeps" by David Halberstam and "Swoosh - The Unauthorized Story of Nike" by J.B. Strasser).
Secondly, as a serious collector of Air Jordan's I've gathered many pictures over the years of his game used sneakers, particularly the Air Jordan 1. There are several ways in which this pair differs from a legitimate pair. Normally the production number on the collar is followed by the suffix "FTPS" which stands for Feng Tai Player Sample, "Feng Tai" is the Nike factory where these shoes were manufactured. and "PS" stands for Player Sample, that these shoes are not meant for a general release, and only built with the specifications of a professional athlete (first picture attached). This seller consignee claims his "CH" suffix sets his pair apart from retail models, when in fact this just designates which factory in which they were produced (second picture attached of a pair of size 11's with this same suffix). Also, normally with this model the right shoe would be a size 13.5 and the left a 13, this due to the fact that one of his feet was larger than the other (third picture attached, a pair from another prominent auction house which included a personal letter from a former head basketball coach at the University of Maryland *note the difference in price as well*). Lastly, Michael has been quoted many times as saying he wore one pair per game throughout his career. No one can be sure as to the accuracy of this statement, but one thing is for sure; these shoes were not worn for only one game. The heavy use and scuffing suggests they were used for perhaps ten or more.
As you can see, this pair is no different from a retail pair and all indications point lead me to the conclusion that some buyer was scammed out of $3000. I hope you consider this information and do whatever is necessary to right the situation. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or comments. Thanks
-Mike Given
Dear Sir. I am going to forward your email to the winning bidder and I will let him make his choice. Thank you for the information.
Just wanted to make others aware of the situation. Please feel free to chime in with any additional information and by all means correct me if I've got any of mine wrong.
To whom it may concern:
I was recently made aware of the following listing that was part of last week's "Hall of Fame auction" I know how much GFC strives to obtain only the most authentic items for auctions. Simply put, while these shoes are authentic Nike Air Jordan's, they were NEVER "game used" by Michael. In the remainder of this email I will attempt to prove without a shadow of a doubt why this is so.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the NBA never allowed Michael to wear this colorway of shoes in NBA regular season games, and he wore them in only two preseason games in 1985. In his first preseason game in 1985 a representative from the league office contacted the Bulls to inform them that his new shoes violated the leagues "uniformity of uniform" clause. If he wore them again he would be fined $1,000. A second offense would warrant a $5,000 fine and finally the Bulls would be forced to forfeit games if he continued to wear them after that. Nike instructed Michael to continue wearing the shoes and they would pay each fine rendered thereafter. After just two games, with input from league Commissioner David Stern, Nike put forth plans to produce a primarily white shoe with a red swoosh (all of this information can be found in "Playing for Keeps" by David Halberstam and "Swoosh - The Unauthorized Story of Nike" by J.B. Strasser).
Secondly, as a serious collector of Air Jordan's I've gathered many pictures over the years of his game used sneakers, particularly the Air Jordan 1. There are several ways in which this pair differs from a legitimate pair. Normally the production number on the collar is followed by the suffix "FTPS" which stands for Feng Tai Player Sample, "Feng Tai" is the Nike factory where these shoes were manufactured. and "PS" stands for Player Sample, that these shoes are not meant for a general release, and only built with the specifications of a professional athlete (first picture attached). This seller consignee claims his "CH" suffix sets his pair apart from retail models, when in fact this just designates which factory in which they were produced (second picture attached of a pair of size 11's with this same suffix). Also, normally with this model the right shoe would be a size 13.5 and the left a 13, this due to the fact that one of his feet was larger than the other (third picture attached, a pair from another prominent auction house which included a personal letter from a former head basketball coach at the University of Maryland *note the difference in price as well*). Lastly, Michael has been quoted many times as saying he wore one pair per game throughout his career. No one can be sure as to the accuracy of this statement, but one thing is for sure; these shoes were not worn for only one game. The heavy use and scuffing suggests they were used for perhaps ten or more.
As you can see, this pair is no different from a retail pair and all indications point lead me to the conclusion that some buyer was scammed out of $3000. I hope you consider this information and do whatever is necessary to right the situation. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or comments. Thanks
-Mike Given