A good reproduction and a genuine original can look identical in a listing photograph. Held in the hand they are never the same thing. Here is what we check on every shirt before it goes into the Vault.
1. The crest
On an original from the 1980s and 1990s the crest is almost always embroidered, and the stitching has real texture you can feel with a thumb. Reproductions tend to use a flat print or a thin heat-pressed patch. Look at the edges: an embroidered crest has slightly irregular outer stitches, a printed one has a hard clean edge and sometimes a faint square of adhesive around it.
2. The fabric
Every era had its own weave. Late 1980s shirts are heavier and more matte. Mid 1990s shirts often carry a jacquard pattern woven into the cloth rather than printed on top of it. Hold the shirt to the light. If the pattern disappears when the fabric moves, it was printed, and it is probably not from the period it claims.
3. The labels
Neck and wash labels changed format constantly, and manufacturers were consistent within a season. The font, the material, the number of lines of care instructions and the position of the size marking all have to match the year. This is the single most common place a reproduction gives itself away.
4. The sponsor
How the sponsor was applied matters as much as what it says. Some eras used woven appliqué, some used screen print, some used flock. A screen printed sponsor on a shirt from a season that used woven lettering is a red flag, however good the artwork looks.
5. The product code
Most manufacturers printed a product code on the wash label. That code corresponds to one specific shirt in one specific season. We check it against known genuine examples every time. If the code does not exist, or belongs to a different kit, the shirt does not get listed.
What this means when you buy
Every shirt in the Vault has been through all five checks in person. If it did not pass, you never see it. That is the whole point.
