Last Updated on July 12, 2023 by Ch Daniel
Want to learn how to spot fake Air Jordan 1s that are out there on the market?
Scared of getting scammed?
We’ve created the most comprehensive legit check guide for the Nike Air Jordan 1.
Here’s the quick poster on how to authenticate Jordan 1 shoes – but do scroll below for side-by-side pictures!
You can check if your Air Jordan 1 are real by looking at the tongue tag: if the text is waving, the shoes are fake.
Let’s have a deeper look.
Fast answer: The fake Jordan 1 pairs always have their tongue label’s text waving instead of straight.
The highlighted points show some quick giveaways for the thinner font, but the most important one is the “CHINA” text comparison.
What do you have to look after when we’re referencing poorly-printed text?
Worth mentioning as well is that this is a high-quality replica, thus wavy text does not occur as often as we’ll see soon — but even so, you can notice the aforementioned details.
Why do these errors happen on fake pairs? These elements are where the replica manufacturers will compromise.
Let’s move on to another comparison.
Over here, the wavy text we’ve mentioned earlier is a glaring flaw on the counterfeit Air Jordan 1.
Let us draw these lines on top of the comparison to help you understand better.
Please note that this flaw is hard to spot when wearing the Jordans.
Top-tier replicas sometimes get this thing right so it’s not the most reliable tell.
Nonetheless, it might save you minutes when authenticating since the large majority of fakes are not from the top-tier category.
Let’s look at a second example:
Check out other Air Jordan 1 High legit check tutorials: Travis Scott AJ1 High, Union AJ1 High, Dark Mocha AJ1 High.
Something replica creators seem to not get right is the overall shape of the sneaker, making it too bulky.
Let’s look at a second comparison:
Not sure whether you have a fake Jordan 1 pair? Let our experts help you decide definitively whether your pair is the real deal or not.
As you will see in the pictures below, fake manufacturers manage to replicate 90 to 98% of the logo right, but there are some shortcomings.
The “J” and “O” are not completely separate on the fake Air Jordan 1. Whereas on the authentic AJ1 example, there is definitely spacing between the two.
And here’s one of the most important things on how to spot the fake Nike Air Jordan 1:
Pay attention to the spacing between these “wings” elements on the fake logo. Notice how there’s less space between elements on the authentic pair.
On top of that, the fake elements are less defined (showing fuzzier lines).
This is a very common flaw for the fake Jordans! For instance, you’ll always see the fake Air Jordan 1 University Blue pairs with this flaw as well.
However, the most glaring flaw here is: the “wings” elements are too close to each other.
So close that they’re touching and sometimes even overlapping.
If there’s one thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to telling real vs fake Air Jordan 1 logos, it’s this: the original shoe must have a high level of precision and detail.
This used to be a very common flaw in the past but it’s been majorly fixed.
A quick mention:
If in doubt, we recommend double-checking the steps we’ve explained above this line.
Here’s something else we want to point out:
Keep an eye out for this flaw on the Air Jordan 1 Pine Green as well. They’re pretty common with this issue on the toe box!
In the middle of the sole, you will be able to spot the NIKE logo.
Since this is a universal guide for any Air Jordan 1, we won’t analyse the text of the label per se, since it ranges based on what edition you’ve got (or looking to get).
However, we want to teach you how to spot inconsistencies.
Notice how the “8” uses a different font on the fake Air Jordan 1 box label, since:
The second thing we’ve highlighted is not necessarily the BLACK/STARFISH-SAIL and the BLACK/VARSITY RED-STARFISH text.
In the next comparison, we’re going to have a look at the NIKE AIR logo found on the exterior side of the aforementioned tongue tag.
This is also noticed on the rest of the swoosh: pay attention to the fuzzy lines on the exterior edge of the swoosh.
In other words, on the right side of the AIR text.
This is often noticed on the fake Jordan 1 Bred Banned colourway.
Fake Air Jordan 1s have a strong smell of glue, suggesting it was made in a replica factory. You’ll see fake Jordan 1s smelling like chemicals and lots of cardboard, for instance.
An authentic pair doesn’t necessarily have a smell. Though, you’ll instantly notice a fake pair if it smells a lot like chemicals.
In a rush? Here’s a quick summary of the steps we’ve shared today:
If you have any doubts about the authenticity of your Air Jordan 1s, get in touch with our experts at LegitCheck today. We can easily help you work out whether you own real vs fake Air Jordan 1s.
Air Jordan 1s are basketball sneakers produced by Nike, in collaboration with legendary basketball star Michael Jordan, under the Air Jordan brand.
The Air Jordan 1s were the first line of sneakers launched for the Air Jordan brand. They were created in 1985 for use in Jordan’s basketball career, during his Chicago Bulls era. Because of this, they’ve become one of the most iconic sneakers in the world.
Many different types of Air Jordan 1s have been made over the years. A lot of these have become collectible due to the iconic nature of the shoe, and the rarity of some of the more valuable variants of the Jordan 1.
For example, the Jordan 1 Retro High Travis Scott has an asking price of +$1,400 on StockX. While appearing retro in style, these shoes were created in late 2019. However, the unique design and low supply has led to these sneakers becoming incredibly collectible since their release.
With StockX listings commanding +$30k for original 1985 Air Jordan 1s, these shoes are easily one of the most collectible ever. Whether you’re a collector or just love wearing them, ensuring to legit check Air Jordan 1s is important when purchasing them.
As with any other high-value collectibles, Air Jordan 1s are incredibly susceptible to counterfeiting and fakes. This is why it’s important to legit check them, and to make sure you’re knowledgeable about the differences between real vs fake Air Jordan 1s.
Checking straight away to ensure that your newly bought sneakers are real Jordan 1s is crucial., Realising too late means that you can’t potentially file a dispute with the marketplace or payment processor you bought them from.
Buying sneakers from reputable sellers and official stores is the best way to ensure that you’re not going to be scammed beforehand. Still, making sure to legit check Air Jordan 1s wherever you’ve bought them from is incredibly important, as a reseller may have missed a fake.
Unsure about how to legit check Air Jordan 1s? Want to make sure that they’re real with a full certificate of authenticity? LegitCheck is the best and easiest way to make sure you don’t get scammed by fake Air Jordan 1s and other fake sneakers and collectibles.
It’s crucial to ensure that your knowledge is up to date before making any large collectible purchase, as you don’t want to be scammed by any bad-faith actors. With this guide, checking your Air Jordan 1s for basic signs of counterfeiting is simple.
However, the best way to ensure that your collectible sneakers are real is with Legit Check. Instead of having to worry about whether you’re checking correctly, we can easily ensure that you’ve received the real item that you’ve paid for.
Our expert team is knowledgeable and swift, helping you have the sanctity of mind that your collectibles are in fact legitimate. Plus, we offer top-tier services such as certificates of authenticity and the Legit Check Club, where you can subscribe monthly to save throughout our site.
The process is simple: send us pictures of the pair you want legit checked and we’ll come back with a verdict in 24 to 48 hours (sometimes even faster).
Thank you for reading this,
Ch Daniel and Ch David