Guide to 1999 4s

[philrunnings]

Hi there.

I am a new member, but a long time browser of this website. I am just recently able to afford to purchase shoes such as Jordan's. As such I do not wish to spend my money only to receive shoes that are not authentic. At this point in time I am in the market for the 1999 retro of the Air Jordan 4 in both colorways and was wondering if someone(or multiple people) could educate me on how to identify legitimate pairs from fakes.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to contributing and participating on this site.

 

[bombbiggidyphil]

When you find a pair you could post them in the Legit/Price Check forum. ....looks like you have.

As far as IVs go...:

A quick check of the shoe tag can tell you (same goes for other Jordans from this era). -Font is important...familiarize yourself with the font -the date found below the barcode on most fakes won't touch the barcode where as it will on authentic pairs -the information itself can be off. ........Just by looking at the tag on the pair you posted in Legit Check I can tell they're fake.

The cut of the tongue and netting on either side is also off on many fakes. The tongue will often be misshapen and either too big, but more often, too small. The netting can also be misshapen.

Below the Nike Air tab on the back of the shoe there is usually a bump/lump. Most of the time you won't see this on fakes.

The Nike Air itself can be a sign. I've seen many fakes where it was simply painted on....which obviously isn't correct.

The basic cut of the shoe will generally look off. Not to mention cheap materials.

On cement IVs from that time period the splatter pattern (call it what you will) will often be too bold and infrequent. The shade of cement grey used can be darker then it should be. (In general, colors can be off when dealing with fakes.)


Just spend some time familiarizing yourself with authentic pairs and you should be good to go. Hope this helps.

 

[clong7]

Bombiggityphil has a great guide above but I would suggest Until you familiarize yourself with how to tell if they are fake on your own I would look for specific pairs that you are interested in buying and posting them in the Jordan Brand Legit/Price Check Forum:

http://niketalk.com/f/7366/jordan-brand-price-fake-checks

but just as a general rule on 4's that were made before 2004. The netting should line up with the wings. Should be almost perfectly parallel. As well, there should be a heel bump towards the bottom of the shoe.

 

[bip roberts]

Since you are new to older pairs, be forewarned that there's no guarantee that '99 ivs are going to hold up if you wear them. It's kind of hit or miss.

 

[philrunnings]

Thank you all for the information. I did know that 1999 IVs might not hold up if worn BIP. What did CLong mean by the netting lining up with the wings though? I've heard about that before, but I'm not sure what exactly they're talking about. Like what part of the wing is supposed to line up with that part of the netting?

 

[mjt26]

The netting should be at a slant, like the wings. Current retros have the netting almost straight up and down, not in line with wings.