Sorry that I did not see this post earlier.
The jersey - even if it is labeled a "Salesman's Sample - is not an exact replica. There are some major issues with the jersey that would not make it a team-issued piece. The below comments are based on correspondence I shared with a Seller of a very similar Andrews jersey that appeared on ebay in December of 2006 and again in May of 2009 (same Seller). Please note that I would need to see the back of the jersey that falcons80 has pictured in the first post to see if it is an idenitcal jersey (and for #2 to be applicable).
1. Most important, the Falcons never used the style of neck collar seen on the Andrews jersey. Look closely at all of the attached photos. The collar was grey with a thin black stripe (trim) at the top. These jerseys can be confirmed from being from 1983 through 1987 based on the style and year tags. The Falcons actually first started wearing the particular collar seen in my photos in 1978 which was the first year they added the Falcon sleeve logo onto the red jerseys. My attached photos begin with two jerseys from 1983. That was the year Russell first started using the "eagle-head" red, white & blue "R" logo on the tail tag (as seen in the Andrews jersey). It was actually a "transition" year as the older "Russell Athletic" script logo (with the gold eagle-head "R" logo) were also still in use. The #59-Rade is a good example of a 1983 jersey with the newer style tagging; the #56-Richardson is a good example from 1983 of the older style Russell tagging.
2. The font on the nameplate lettering of the Andrews jersey is not correct. Look closely at the "R", "D", and "S" on the Richardson. Note how the inside portion of the letters "square off". This type of lettering is consistent with every Falcons jersey I have ever owned or seen from that era. On the Andrews jersey, the inside of the "R" and "D" are both six-sided, not the proper squared-off 4-sided style as seen in the lettering in all of the photo examples attached. The "S" on the Andrews jersey has a "rounded" look on the inside portion as compared to the "squared-off" look on my jerseys. Also, compare the cut of the "N" on the Andrews jersey compared to mine. The inside cut-out on both sides goes well beyond the mid-point of the letter while the "N" on the Andrews jersey meets just shy of the mid-point.
3. Every Facons jersey I have seen from that era has a numerical size (such as 48), not a lettered size (XL) as seen on the Andrews jersey. The only time I have ever seen a Falcons jersey with lettered tagging was briefly in the early 1970s when they wore a particular Sand Knit jersey style called "Sand Aire".
I also included a photo of a 1987 jersey of Stacy Bailey to point out that the Falcons switched styles that year by placing the bird logo inside the stripe, not above it. Also, note in the John Scully (#61) photos that some Falcons jerseys in that era had what appears to be thinner sleeve stripes and smaller bird logos when compared to other jerseys from that era. The thinner stripes and smaller logos were found mainly on jerseys with spandex sides.
I realize that the intent of the question revolves around the value of Salesman's Samples, but since BTPH mentioned that the Andrews jersey might be a team-issued jersey, I wanted to clarify that it is not for the various reasons mentioned above.
Hope this information is useful.
Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net
Always looking for Falcons game-worn jerseys, especially from 1966-1989.
Originally Posted by G1X
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