Are These Jordan IV's and V's OG Unicorns or OG Customs?

[trethousandgt]

So if you've been around a long while then you'll know good and well about these three shoes.

Over the past 20+ years photo's of these shoes have surfaced here and there and were documented in a book 'Trainers' by Author Neal Heard. Some speculate they are just OG customizations while others who know the seller -who's family is apparently one of the first in the UK to have a Nike Account- believe they are true one of one's given to him by Nike -note the lack of a red jump man stitched onto the tongue- and we all know Drake received a recent OVO friends and family release of the 4's. Here are the photo's, if anyone knows definitively please share otherwise Discuss.

 

[JRepp23]

The 4 model is an unreleased 89 sample. The 5 models appear to be custom color jobs.

 

[jordanhead718212]

Interesting

 

[el Chief]

Either way it’s interesting, as both customs and PE’s were neither a thing back in 90. I thought the only PE’s were the ones with the 23 on the side for the Boys and Girls club. Only 100 pairs I believe.

 

[JRepp23]

Only 100 pairs I believe.

Tell more plEASE.

 

[el Chief]

Tell more plEASE.

Have to get more info, but I remember from Pat’s old page that they were given away as prizes to kids from the Boys and Girls club. Want to say that Black Metallics and Grapes also received the same treatment. Notice how the font is different from the Fire Red pair.

From a quick google search:

Edit: it wasn’t Pat’s site, it was air-jordans.com which is sadly no longer around. That site had the best info on OG’s.

 

[ninjahood]

The 4 model is an unreleased 89 sample. The 5 models appear to be custom color jobs.

i say none of da V's are custom because there's no way to paint over a red Jump man to make it florescent yellow.

those IV's probably did release in Super low quality/unreleased but made enough of em to go around...

a lot of this is pre-internet age so da mythos of a lot of shoes were lost in da sands of time and had for not those Japanese Bibles would never have been documented.

what's da style/serial numbers say?

btw, those pics of decrepit kicks reminds me i gotta unload my ish sooner rather than later...

 

[ninjahood]

Edit: it wasn’t Pat’s site, it was air-jordans.com which is sadly no longer around. That site had the best info on OG’s.

someone should've foot da bill to preserve both those sites...

I swear Pat's Jordan section was so immersive, its still da only place online i can recollect that documented nuances between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd restocks of a sneaker.

like i tell people all da time that think im crazy.....da raptor VII's in 1992 were restocked numerous times throughout da year, and each time they looked completely different...Pat had pics of em looking like a 2012 pair all durabuck, a pair that looked like a 2002 pair, etc.

Jordan VI infrareds had exposed neoprene at da top of da tongue that would eventually separate, so da 2nd restock of infrareds came with kevlar/nylon material that covered da neoprene...Pat showed all of that... *sigh*

 

[lamekilla]

I’ve never seen the V’s before but the IV’s have been floating around for decades. I’m convinced they’re an F&F pair that have become urban legend status a la the Laker color Air Jordan 1’s. V’s could be the same way too. We still don’t know if the Black and Gold Air Jordan 1’s from those old retired jordan pics were an F&F or a custom fake. Needless to say questionable Jordan colorways have been a thing.

 

[jordanhead718212]

Man Air-Jordans.com was the GOAT site. Takes me back to middle school

The same people rebooted the site and called it Jordanism or something, but it didn't last long and it wasn't the same.

 

[el Chief]

someone should've foot da bill to preserve both those sites...

I swear Pat's Jordan section was so immersive, its still da only place online i can recollect that documented nuances between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd restocks of a sneaker.

like i tell people all da time that think im crazy.....da raptor VII's in 1992 were restocked numerous times throughout da year, and each time they looked completely different...Pat had pics of em looking like a 2012 pair all durabuck, a pair that looked like a 2002 pair, etc.

Jordan VI infrareds had exposed neoprene at da top of da tongue that would eventually separate, so da 2nd restock of infrareds came with kevlar/nylon material that covered da neoprene...Pat showed all of that... *sigh*

Pat's Air Jordan Page

 

[jshortt]

someone should've foot da bill to preserve both those sites...

I swear Pat's Jordan section was so immersive, its still da only place online i can recollect that documented nuances between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd restocks of a sneaker.

like i tell people all da time that think im crazy.....da raptor VII's in 1992 were restocked numerous times throughout da year, and each time they looked completely different...Pat had pics of em looking like a 2012 pair all durabuck, a pair that looked like a 2002 pair, etc.

Jordan VI infrareds had exposed neoprene at da top of da tongue that would eventually separate, so da 2nd restock of infrareds came with kevlar/nylon material that covered da neoprene...Pat showed all of that... *sigh*

THANK YOU! Nobody seems to believe me when it comes to the VII's. Aside from the laces, the 2002 retro was as close to the first drop of Charcoal VII as we have seen. Another little known fact is the very first run of Bordeauxs and Hares only had 2 lace holes on the ankle.

I also really wish we could've gotten at least ONE retro of the VI's with the stitched cover (braiding) around the tongue. That was a very nice touch back in the day.

 

[engineer]

i say none of da V's are custom because there's no way to paint over a red Jump man to make it florescent yellow.

those IV's probably did release in Super low quality/unreleased but made enough of em to go around...

a lot of this is pre-internet age so da mythos of a lot of shoes were lost in da sands of time and had for not those Japanese Bibles would never have been documented.

what's da style/serial numbers say?

btw, those pics of decrepit kicks reminds me i gotta unload my ish sooner rather than later...

I think they bleached the jumpman logos. You can tell because the embroidery is all disintegrated on the one shoe. That would definitely happen with bleach.

 

[sthebest]

someone should've foot da bill to preserve both those sites...

I swear Pat's Jordan section was so immersive, its still da only place online i can recollect that documented nuances between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd restocks of a sneaker.

like i tell people all da time that think im crazy.....da raptor VII's in 1992 were restocked numerous times throughout da year, and each time they looked completely different...Pat had pics of em looking like a 2012 pair all durabuck, a pair that looked like a 2002 pair, etc.

Jordan VI infrareds had exposed neoprene at da top of da tongue that would eventually separate, so da 2nd restock of infrareds came with kevlar/nylon material that covered da neoprene...Pat showed all of that... *sigh*

the reason for that is because the VIIs were produced in different factories. I believe they were produced in Taiwan and possibly China. The early Jordans were restocked throughout the year and were produced in different factories, which explains why the same shoe looked different from pair to pair. The 11s for sure had these inconsistencies too.

As for the 5s, i believe they are samples. There is no way to change the lace lock colors like that and no other shoe from Nike around that time had lace locks from my recollection.

The 4s are a sample, not a limited run. They’re probably salesman samples that they made in several different sizes to showcase to stores interested in stocking the next year’s Air Jordan line.

 

[SteveSteve72]

Oh man, I really hate that the mid-soles crumble like that. It makes me sad

 

[engineer]

the reason for that is because the VIIs were produced in different factories. I believe they were produced in Taiwan and possibly China. The early Jordans were restocked throughout the year and were produced in different factories, which explains why the same shoe looked different from pair to pair. The 11s for sure had these inconsistencies too.

As for the 5s, i believe they are samples. There is no way to change the lace lock colors like that and no other shoe from Nike around that time had lace locks from my recollection.

The 4s are a sample, not a limited run. They’re probably salesman samples that they made in several different sizes to showcase to stores interested in stocking the next year’s Air Jordan line.

Salesman samples were pretty much only made in size 9. They make wear-test samples in size 13.

Also, the lace locks on the 5s don’t look like they have branding so they could easily have come from somewhere else (like a jacket or something).

 

[engineer]

I also can’t figure out why none of these rare samples ever end up in the hands of someone that knows how to take a photo.

 

[trethousandgt]

UPDATE: I was able to speak to someone that knows the owner and confirmed that all the shoes are customized not any special release from 1989 & 1990. But that then brings to question now about the 4’s and whether that splatter colorway we’ve seen over the decades has been nothing more than a customized shoe or a legit sample? Btw the seller does have an amazing collection of footwear

 

[ferndaburn]

Sorry not to derail this thread but does any one have a link to Pats Rules or whatever it was called on how to store kicks? I have it printed somewhere but thought I would ask here first. I put a post in the retro section but I didn't get any responses yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[el Chief]

UPDATE: I was able to speak to someone that knows the owner and confirmed that all the shoes are customized not any special release from 1989 & 1990. But that then brings to question now about the 4’s and whether that splatter colorway we’ve seen over the decades has been nothing more than a customized shoe or a legit sample? Btw the seller does have an amazing collection of footwear

I think those are pretty well known samples of what the Black/Cement colorway was originally meant to be. Look at how the sockliner and parts inside the netting are a lighter shade of gray, that’s hard to customize even now.

 

[1978S]

I also really wish we could've gotten at least ONE retro of the VI's with the stitched cover (braiding) around the tongue. That was a very nice touch back in the day.

Pic or example of this detail? Can seem to picture exactly what you're talking about.

 

[ninjahood]

Oh man, I really hate that the mid-soles crumble like that. It makes me sad

puts em in perspective that eventually u got to get rid of em...

 

[ninjahood]

Pic or example of this detail? Can seem to picture exactly what you're talking about.

once upon a time when people actually expected Jordans to hold up during da rigers of a basketball ball game without disintegrating, Nike released 2 distinct versions of infrareds.

da 1st release (and ironically ever retro VI since) made da tongue with da neoprene finish exposed at da edges.

da problem with that is when you play ball and sweat on da
tongue, da neoprene absorbed da moisture like a Sponge and eventually degrade and detach...

so during one of da latter restocks (because back then Jordans didn't sell out because they actually were remade and replenished at stores) da situation was rectified and later batches or variants embroidered a nylon fabric over da exposed neoprene that reinforced da rubber tongue so it wouldn't come unglued from da back.

Nike/JB hasn't done that since though as all future iterations of Jordan VI's retain da exposed neoprene...i guess they're sturdier or bond better now.

 

[JRepp23]

Imagine if social media was around in the early to mid 90s. Glad it didnt btw. How many of these shoes that are talked about today would be looked at as fake. The VI as ninja has talked on, the VII with the two variations. Were there fakes in the 90s ? Or are they just legits under the same situations today?

 

[engineer]

Imagine if social media was around in the early to mid 90s. Glad it didnt btw. How many of these shoes that are talked about today would be looked at as fake. The VI as ninja has talked on, the VII with the two variations. Were there fakes in the 90s ? Or are they just legits under the same situations today?

Fakes started popping up maybe late 90s. Definitely not during the og 6/7 run. They were also terrible up until like 10 years ago so if there were fakes back then they certainly wouldn’t have passed for real.