Question regarding Team Issues

[WrathofAchilles]

Hello all, long time lurker first time poster. I'd like to think I learned a lot from everyone here when it comes to spotting fakes and the like with jerseys but I think I find myself stumped and so made a profile to ask all of you.

I recently bought two team issued NY Islanders jerseys when they were using the navy homes. A 58+ and then a 58. I expected them to be different in size of course but it seems the material are completely different.

The 58+ is very heavy, thick, has extra padding on the elbows and shoulders and feels like it can take a beating, (as I would expect from a team issue).

The 58 on the other hand has extra padding for the shoulders but not the elbows and the material feels lighter and softer, like it's a Retail Edge but I was under the belief they never made 58 for retail.

Could this be different years and thus different material change? Or did I get a fake?

I took some pictures and titled what is what here:

http://s777.photobucket.com/user/Wra7hofAchilles/library/Islander%20Team%20Issued%20Jerseys?sort=6&page=1

I did notice that the 58 has "Bubble Mesh" while the 58+ does not...but I am still confused. The last two pictures are a comparison of the material of the same sleeve of each jersey.

Thanks one and all for any help you can give me.

[LAK74]

Your jerseys are both real. The size 58 is the original Edge jersey (commonly referred to as the Edge 1.0), which was used at the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Due to various complaints by the players, the 1.0 started to be replaced for most teams with an updated, improved version not long after the start of the season, which was made of different materials and was larger in the arms and chest. This is the Edge 2.0, which is what you have in the 58+. You can read up about these changes in this thread:

http://forums.icejerseys.com/index.php?showtopic=3539&hl=%2Bedge+%2B2.0+%2Bthread

[Bobcat1988]

LAK74 nailed it.

To add a bit on, since your jerseys are new with tags, another way you can easily discern the difference between your jerseys is the codes they use. You'll notice on the tags that the numbers are slightly different. The code for 2.0 jerseys is 7287 while the 1.0 code is 7187. Thus, on your 2.0 (the 58+) sleeve tag, the code reads M7287... On your 1.0 (the 58), it reads M7187... For some reason, Reebok never changed the code on the neck tags, so they all read 7187 regardless of whether it's a 1.0 or 2.0.

[LAK74]

One thing I forgot to mention- since the Islanders started to switch to 2.0's during the 2007-08 season, your 1.0 was probably made in 2007. To verify this, check the back of the paper sleeve tag that says M7187, and there should be a sticker that has the date of manufacture. There may also be a similar sticker on the back of the materials tag inside the jersey. But despite the fact that the players dumped the 1.0 a long time ago, Reebok for years continued to make the 1.0's to sell to the public as retail authentics, and would not release 2.0's for sale. So even through 2010, you could only buy a 1.0 of that style at retail, so it was no longer really a true on-ice authentic. Even to this day, this problem has not been fully resolved, and many fans still can't buy current 2.0's of their teams, and even the 2.0's that are available are not too easy to find. A big reason why many jersey fans have been very disappointed with the way that Reebok has handled the retail authentic market.

[WrathofAchilles]

Thank you very much for your input! Wow I actually thought it might have been the other way around...(the 1.0 being the "heavier" one) and I can totally understand now why the players wanted the 2.0 over the 1.0.

And @ LAK74 I did notice the stickers on the back. I can't recall off the top of my head but I want to say one was a date of October 07 and another September 08.

Once again thanks a lot guys!