Chargers Jersey- Odd tagging?

[Eric]

Hey everyone

I was wondering if you could help me with a jersey listed on ebay.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS GAME USED JERSEY BILLY RAY SMITH

http://cgi.ebay.com/SAN-DIEGO-CHARGE...QQcmdZViewItem

Here is the tagging


First thing I noticed is the lack of a size tag.
1987 Chargers tagging looks like this


Then I noticed the style of Sand Knit tag. From what I can gather, at the latest this style tag could be from 1985, but the chargers didn't wear this style jersey then. they wore yellow numbers like this

Any thoughts here? Is this just a retail jersey with a couple of tags added?
Thanks
Eric

[commando]

Is that the typical way his name was worded on the nameplate? It looks like Billy Ray was the only "Smith" on the Chargers roster from 1987 through 1990. Maybe another Smith was on the team during one of the preseasons? Is this perhaps a preseason jersey?

[Eric]

pretty sure once he had b.r. smith on his nameplate, he kept it his whole career. might be mistaken though

[Eric]

here's a pic of his jersey from the early 90s toward the end of his career.

[jppopma]

When did the Chargers ever play in the NFC?

The one 87 Sand Knit exclusinve tagging shows National Football Conference. Not sure if this manufacture error could have anything to do with the other oddities or not.

[mvandor]

When did the Chargers ever play in the NFC?

The one 87 Sand Knit exclusinve tagging shows National Football Conference. Not sure if this manufacture error could have anything to do with the other oddities or not.

Good catch but that's on Eric's control sample from his collection I believe. Right, E?

[Eric]

Here's something odd- another 1987 chargers tag with n.f.c. on it- both of these are from common players

[jppopma]

Yes that's his control sample, or samples now. My point was just hat it shows more differences between the two.

My guess is that a small error like that on the tagging of the real games was never noticed. If it was noticed, would the team take the time and money to have them all replaced? Chances are all of the tags were printed with the error and all 87 jerseys will have the NFC error on them.

Now maybe it was a jersey from another year when the AFC was properly on the tag...then why would there be a 87 tag on it as well. While teams often will reuse the jerseys from one year to the next, they do not take the effort to change out tags when they do this. Maybe just a black sharpie to change the control numbers if any.

The second control picture does show a good point that the year tags on the sandkint jerseys can be in many different locations. I think that was just a matter of who sewed them on along the line.

I guess it comes down to a mix match between the year tag and the dating of the manufacture tag. Sorry I don't have ant other specifics on the Chargers jerseys from then.

[Eric]

Our good friend Lon Lewis sent me this interesting photo of Minnesota Vikings tagging.

[packerfan]

I too once had an 86 S.D. Chargers jersey that had the NFC Sandknit tagging on it. And as far as the two different tags on the 87 jersey, I think it's possible that the Chargers may have used older jerseys as needed and tagged them for the year used.