First of all, welcome to the group! We're happy to help out however we can! Let me take a shot at your questions.
Both of the jerseys in these eBay listings appear to be of-the-era authentics. This is from a time when there was no distinction between "on-ice authentics" and "retail authentics," so yes, either of these jerseys could've been worn on the ice, though the neck tagging could've been slightly different. I'll get into that later. Starter had some Indonesian "authentics" made, and I actually bought one and fought with a guy on eBay to return it. It was supposed to be a size 54, and all the tagging said it was, but it fit more like a 46. That's when some fakes just started popping up in the market.oharman wrote:1. Are they legit authentics of their era or are they fakes?
Mario played from 1984-85 through 1996-97, then retired, then came back 2000-01 and played through 2005-06 (source: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdis ... p?pid=3105). The Starter jersey listed is an air-knit material, which tells me it's a 1998-99 jersey (source: http://pittsburghhockey.net/penguins/un ... y-tagging). During this season, Mario was the team's captain, hence the "C." The Koho jersey could've been from 2000-01 or 2001-02, the first of which was Lemieux's comeback year, in which he was not the captain (he was in 2001-02, after Jaromir Jagr was traded), so I'd call the Koho a 2000-01 jersey.oharman wrote:2. Did Lemieux even wear either version of these jerseys?
There are pros and cons to each, from a collector's perspective. There's a rarity to a Lemieux jersey without a captain's "C." The Starter jersey has lettering that seems to be a bit off, and it's listed by an eBay seller who I believe letters his own jerseys. Many of his listings (past and present) seem to have letters that vary slightly from what the team used, though I'm a bit particular about that sort of thing. To me, the Koho lettering seems to be accurate while the Starter lettering is a smidge off. Pay close attention to the "E's" on the name bar and look for game-worn jerseys on the internet from reputable sources like classicauctions.net, gamewornauctions.net, and penguinschronicles.com. In the photos of similar jerseys, you'll also see some of the neck tagging variants between gamers and authentics, like the lack of a manufacturer's neck tag (here's an example of a 2000-01 gamer I have https://jeffshly.weebly.com/2001-02-koh ... nsson.html). To me, the lettering on the Starter jersey just seems to be a a hair off.oharman wrote:3. If you guys were to choose, which one would be the winner and why?
Now you're getting into the other aspects of your decision-making process. The Koho seller also has a jersey at the same price that includes that "C" if you'd rather have it. One is more expensive, but it fits you. Is this something you're looking to frame? To wear? And, oh yeah, the $130 price difference! I can't answer these questions for you. I don't know your situation, if $130 is worth the spend to you to get lettering that is exact, or if the Starter is "good enough." One thing I can address is the Ecuador thing. The Koho jersey has a tag in the neck that says it's made in Canada. This tells me it was made at the old CCM factory in Canada. Where are you seeing reference to Ecuadorian manufacture?oharman wrote:a. The starter is NWT but a size 54r that "should" fit based on measurements given and compared to my size 56 Edge 2.0
b. The KOHO is more expensive but used...and also made in Ecuador...(from reading on here, Ecuador was a real sourced location)
c. The KOHO is a size 56 and my fit better, but not sure how their sizing stacks up to Edge 2.0
d. Starter guy accepts returns...KOHO guy does not.
Feel free to reach out to the group here or to me on my website (link above) with more questions. Good luck and happy collecting!
the others I've bought have been quite good.
