Champion Pro Cut Jerseys – Avoiding Fakes

Again, let me preface this post by saying that I do not collect Champion Pro-Cut jerseys. Counterfeiting is way too rampant since the price-points are so high. As mentioned in my previous post, there are two types of fakes/counterfeits, blatant and subtle.

53 thoughts on “Champion Pro Cut Jerseys – Avoiding Fakes

  • August 19, 2019 at 2:37 pm
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    Hey man!

    I was hoping you could help track down some John “Hot Rod” Williams jerseys. I work for the agency who represented him before he passed and I am looking for some jerseys for his son.

    Reply
    • September 7, 2019 at 6:04 am
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      Hot Rod jerseys are hard to find, but they pop-up every now and again on Ebay…both early 90s Cavs and mid 90s styles. Let me see if anyone I know currently has one (and is willing to part with it).

      Reply
  • September 19, 2019 at 7:12 pm
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    Salut ! Hi !

    Couple of months ago, I left you a comment to get your advice about a Sonics Ray Allen jersey I’ve bought on eBay.

    The comment was still pending moderation last time I’ve checked but I can’t find it anymore. I don’t know if you’ve deleted it or else. I saw you’re active again on your blog, so, sorry to try again…

    The jersey I’m talking about is this one : https://imgur.com/a/z2LmbnC

    I’ve been told on reddit that It must be a fake one, but some people there were saying it look real as well.

    I know it doesn’t not match to any game played jersey (I can’t find any picture of it) though it’s very close from the Sonics gold alternate one but in green. To me, the quality seems nice, the tags are there as well, the sewing is very clean. Well, I would appreciate to get your thoughts !

    Thanks

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    • August 7, 2020 at 2:01 pm
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      Sorry for the delayed response. Unfortunately you have a fake. Allen didn’t join the Sonics until the second half of the 2002-2003 season. Champion stopped producing jerseys after the 2001-2002 season as Nike and Reebok had the licenses. In fact, Champion lost the license for the Sonics after the 2000-2001 season…Reebok had the Sonics license starting in 2001-2002. So starting in 2001-2002 Champion could only make replica Sonics jerseys and after that season Champion was completely out of the jersey game.

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  • October 22, 2019 at 8:18 pm
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    Hi thanks for all this invaluable info! Can I just ask, regarding the back tags (tag at back of neck collar), am I right in saying:
    – Team Issued/Pro-cuts: will NOT have back tags
    – Authentics will them
    – Replicas will have em

    And from reading your info, there’s actually no way to tell whether a jersey is Team-Issued or just a Pro-Cut, is that right?

    Thanks man!

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    • August 7, 2020 at 11:06 am
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      Thanks for checking out the site. You are correct regarding neck tags…Pro-Cuts/team-issued/game worn do NOT have them, but both authentics and replicas do (mass manufactured for the retail market).

      As far as telling a pro-cut from a team-issued/game worn…assuming all the measurements and tagging match up, there is no way to tell. You would need some sort of authentication at that point. Without authentication you should assume it’s a pro-cut.

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  • November 14, 2019 at 12:20 pm
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    I have a jordan jersey that is dual tagged, with no champion logo under the nba logo. The tags are size 48, and the champion authentics tag to the left. I can’t find an exact version online, any ideas on where to look?

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    • August 7, 2020 at 12:58 pm
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      This would be fake. Starting in 1997-1998, any authentic Jordan Bulls Jersey would have been made by Nike as they had the license for the Bulls (Champion could only produce Bulls replicas starting in 1997-1998). The way you describe the tagging it sounds like how Champion tagged their authentics starting in the 1998 season. So definitely a fake…I’ve seen similar fakes before

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  • March 14, 2020 at 12:00 am
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    Hi! I love your site! I

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    • August 7, 2020 at 1:18 pm
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      I’ll have those team galleries up by end of year. Slowly getting them all curated and posted. Thanks for checking out the site and keep checking back in!

      Reply
  • March 17, 2020 at 11:39 am
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    Hello
    I have a Michael Jordan pro cut jersey that matches everything on the page the jersey is from the 96-97 season. I was told that it had been game worn I realize that there are companies that might validate but my main question is the fabric tag has numbers written in pen and the jersey has been washed the number is either 28 or 82 written on it had faded through, I have been in possession of the jersey for at least 14 years. I was told at one point that champion writes on the fabric tag but for what reason?

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    • August 7, 2020 at 1:54 pm
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      Champion wouldn’t write on the tag, but the equipment department might if it’s a carry over jersey from a previous season. But assuming it’s a true 1996-1997 jersey with gold NBA logo, then it couldn’t be a carry over. So not really sure without seeing photos of the jersey.

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    • August 7, 2020 at 1:42 pm
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      Well, there was no “Allen” who played on the 1995-1996 or 1996-1997 Pistons, so that right there tells you something. Also gold logo was only for 1996-1997 season, and during that season the Pistons had the updated uniform design.

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  • May 18, 2020 at 9:21 pm
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    When is the article on dream team i jersey coming?

    Reply
    • August 7, 2020 at 9:41 am
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      Thanks for checking out the site. I finally got the Dream Team gallery posted. At some point I’ll crank out an article. So keep checking back!

      Reply
  • May 23, 2020 at 12:36 am
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    Hey great site
    Im looking for black barkley Suns champion jersey but its way too hard (I live in France), I was hoping you Can Hello

    Reply
    • August 7, 2020 at 11:44 am
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      Ebay has lots…just have to find someone who will ship overseas.

      Reply
  • May 30, 2020 at 11:31 pm
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    Absolutely love the blog!

    I’ve had a Shareef Abdur-Rahim 1998-99 pro-cut in storage forever. The inside material tag states 100% Polyester, but am I correct that in 98-99 there was no body length description on the inside?

    Thanks!

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  • June 7, 2020 at 2:24 am
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    Hi there, I am sure every basketball jersey enthusiast will join me in greatly thanking you for this invaluable info!
    I would really like to know all the differences between the period authentic Champion retail issue 1992 Olympic Dream Team jersey and the team issued jersey. I know the obvious diff that the retail didn

    Reply
    • August 7, 2020 at 11:43 am
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      Thanks for checking out the site! Champion never made an Authentic version of the 1992 Olympic jerseys, only replicas. Anything you see on the market is a fake.

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  • July 12, 2020 at 9:50 am
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    I bought a khalid reeves Charlotte jersey 1995-1996
    Everything is perfect but the nba logo inside stitching got me like if is not a authentic Jersey ..i would like to sent u a picture…..but everything else is good…

    Reply
    • August 7, 2020 at 11:28 am
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      Since Khalid Reeves played only like 20 games for the Hornets, Champion never made a Reeves Hornets jersey for resale. In fact, they never made any Khalid Reeves jersey either replica or authentic. So you would have to have a dual-tagged ProCut jersey, and at that point, its most likely fake unless it was team-issued or game worn

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  • August 31, 2020 at 12:07 pm
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    Could you tell me why some Champion authentics have a double jock tag (not the extra length tag that procuts/gamers have but) while other Champion authentics do not? Some have a champion logo jock tag + a size jock tag while others have only the size jock tag.

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    • August 31, 2020 at 2:45 pm
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      For the 1998-1999 season, Champion added the second jock tag to their Authentic jerseys (the NBA Authentics tag that says “Designed Exclusively for the Athletes of the NBA). With Nike and Starter now making Authentics for their respective teams, it was most likely added by Champion for increased branding. So any Champion authentics prior to the 1998-1999 season will not have the second tag, just the size jock tag.

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  • September 13, 2020 at 6:39 pm
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    This is such a great article and site. Thank you so much for it. I have two quick questions.

    I saw your answer to the response to the question regarding a Jordan Pro-cut w/ “fabric tag has numbers written in pen”. I have just acquired a 95- 96 one that has this as well. Any more new information or thoughts on this? Mine appear to be a “5” and a “4” on the tag, but its hard to tell.

    Also, I have a Ray Allen 96- 97 (rookie year) that has the Gold Logo on a patch covering the regular “RW&B” Logo that is stitched in. It’s jock tag says says “95-96”. So it appears to be a carryover from the season before used in 96-97. The only other Champion I have seen with these traits is an Allen Iverson who was also a rookie that season. Do you know any info on these carry-over jerseys with a cover-up anniversary patch?

    Any thoughts or direction would be helpful. Again, your rule.

    Best,
    Andy

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 2:44 pm
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      You have to keep in mind the before David Stern became commissioner in 1982 (I believe) the NBA barely had any merchandising and made like no money. When Sand-Knit took over the licensing for all NBA uniforms in the mid-80s, they lost money because no one was buying NBA merch. So not only did uniform designs remain stagnant during that time, but teams carried over jerseys year-after-year until they could no longer be repaired. Sand Knit eventually had to abandon their license like two years before there contract was up because they were bankrupt, and thus Champion came in. The first year Champion had the license in 1990, a lot of the jerseys were carry over Sand Knit jerseys that Champion just switched the jock tags out on…Champion didn’t have the capacity yet to create all the game used/team issued gear (shorts, jerseys, warm ups) so they relied on Sand Knit still. BUT, with Champion came some marketing dollars…and of course Champion go lucky to come on board right when the Bulls dynasty was building and sports apparel was taking off (Starter, Chalkline, Logo Athletic, The Game,etc). Finally teams, with the help of Champion, started changing their uniform designs (Nets tie-dye, Sixers falling star, etc) and you started to see alternate jerseys as well. Nonetheless, there was still carry over from year to year if a teams design didn’t change. And it makes perfect sense that for the 1996-97 50th anniversary season (when the logo went gold) that they would carry over jerseys and just sew the gold logo over the normal NBA logo. They should have changed out the jock tag though to reflect the season

      Reply
  • September 16, 2020 at 6:26 am
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    Hi I have a white Jordan Jersey Chanpion Brand which may be pro cut and has the gold NBA logo but has a champion logo on the neck that says made in China, the stitching on the bottom is a size 46 and very long, there is another tag saying made for the Chicago bulls 94/95 season – anyway I can email you some pics, would appreciate your help.

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    • September 19, 2020 at 4:04 pm
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      Hi there. Sounds like a fake for several reasons. The Gold NBA logo was only on jerseys from the 1996-1997 season, when the NBA celebrate its 50th Anniversary. So the fact that it has the gold logo with a 1994/1995 season tag is a red flag. Also, the jersey would be made in USA. Champion never made any jerseys in China (Mexico, Puerto Rico and Korea were the only other countries they used to produce jerseys, but all Pro Cuts were made in the USA).

      Reply
  • September 22, 2020 at 10:29 am
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    Hi this stuff is great. I’m looking for the follow-up article on Overtime ProWear mentioned above but can’t seem to find it. Can we have a bit more info on Pro Cuts done by them? Does it mean basically they were able to do officially licensed Pro Cuts for anybody in the league at the time?

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 2:31 pm
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      They had pipeline into Champion to get Pro-Cuts for any team. You could then get them to customize with any player you wanted…BUT, the size most of the time didn’t match what the player wore on the court. So that is why they aren’t legit Pro-Cuts, and are more 3rd party customizations using whatever sizes they could get from Champion. However, they only offered every team/player option for like a season, then they just offered key players like Jordan. As far as I recall, those were true to player sizing and potentially already came customized from Champion’s factory.

      Reply
  • September 24, 2020 at 11:06 am
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    Hi! I was wondering whether you could help me… I have been offered a Rodman Bulls pro-cut (in red) but I am not sure whether it is legit or not. Size is 50 (no extra length) and Made in USA, it looks legit but I have not seen anything similar online nor on your list. Should I take it?

    Thanks!!

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 2:27 pm
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      I would have to know the year. I’ve seen game used Rodmans in 46+3 (Champion) and 50+4 (Nike). I don’t believe he ever were 50+0

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  • October 18, 2020 at 6:28 am
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    How often do you see the Bulls Jordan Red heat pressed 1990 Champion Jerseys size 44 come up for sale? I just bought an autographed one from someone that bought it action 30 years ago. Very high placement of the NBA patch like the image you show. Thanks!

    Reply
  • July 5, 2021 at 8:53 pm
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    Hello! Thanks for writing such an informational piece. I recently obtained a signed Karl Malone, white, size 50, 1993-1994 white champion pro cut. The seller I obtained it from was gifted the piece from Malones brother in law who claimed it was game worn. It shows some signs of wear and has some sweat marks on the jock tags, so I’m optimistic. But I guess my main question is, were there pro cuts made for this year? Is it likely it’s just a pro cut? I’m just not sure how common they were from that year and I’d love to find out if it’s potentially game worn (team issued) or just a retail piece. I’ve tried to photo match via Getty Images but the library isn’t very large from that season. Any help is appreciated! Thanks so much, take care.

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 11:44 am
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      You at least have a legitimate Champion Pro Cut Malone jersey since the sizing matches up with what Malone wore on the court that year. Determining game used is so tough and only a proper auction house can determine that (and even they aren’t 100%). But Champion Pro Cut jerseys weren’t prevalent yet at that time, other than for autograph purposes (Upper Deck)…so I would say it most likely is team issued at the very least.

      Reply
  • August 27, 2021 at 4:44 pm
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    Hi I need your help I have a procut pistons red grant hill from the 95/96 season everything is perfect except it

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 11:23 am
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      You have a fake (or at least a legit Champion Pistons jersey, but a 3rd party customized with Hill’s name and number). A legit Hill Pro-Cut from 95-96 would be a size 48+4, and it would be dual-tagged.

      Reply
  • September 8, 2021 at 9:23 pm
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    Hi there! Quick question – if the jock tag doesn

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    • May 7, 2022 at 11:20 am
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      To be a Pro-Cut it has to be dual-tagged, and the tag that has the season information would be stamped with extra length…and the size and extra length should correspond to the player. If no body length stamp, then it was a third party who took deadstock Champion jerseys and customized.

      Reply
  • September 14, 2021 at 5:45 am
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    Hi,

    This post reads like you’ve got more information about the Commemorative Edition jerseys (e.g. the numbers produced/players produced, etc.), but I’m not finding it on your site. Is there another place you’ve compiled that information for perusal? I’m trying to research those jerseys myself and haven’t turned up much information.

    Additionally, I’m curious about the prevalence of 92 Olympic and 94 FIBA procuts. I can’t seem to find anything about those, either. I’m especially interested in trying to find out how many for each player were produced.

    Hope you can help.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 11:18 am
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      When I finally get some free time again, I’ll post the Commemorative Edition gallery. As for Pro-Cut 1992 Dream Team Olympic, to my knowledge they don’t exist except for autograph purposes (and I don’t even think they are Pro Cut, I think Upper Deck just used authentics). Champion didn’t even release authentic versions for retail, only replicas. As for 1994 FIBA, I believe the same applies.

      Reply
      • June 1, 2022 at 9:12 am
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        Thanks for the response. I ask about the Olympic and FIBA jerseys because I have a FIBA Majerle (sz 46 +3, game cut), and wasn’t sure what the provenance was (not a chance it’s FIBA used, I don’t think). So, if I’m to understand your comment correctly, it’s likely a jersey that was distributed to UD to be autographed, but just – for whatever reason – never was?

        Thanks!

        Reply
        • June 8, 2022 at 11:43 am
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          Yes, it’s highly likely it was produced for memorabilia/autograph purposes and never signed. So it’s a legit pro-cut, but most likely not game-issued

          Reply
  • September 19, 2021 at 2:20 pm
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    Hi I have an official Shaquille Oneill game Jersey designed and tailored in 95/96 exclusively for Orlando magic.
    body length +4 size 54 blue with white pin stripes. Never worn. Brand new.
    Can you tell me what it might be worth and where I should try and sell it?
    Thank you in advance.

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 11:15 am
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      Nice, you have a legit Champion Pro-Cut Shaq jersey. I try not to assign value because it’s worth as much as someone is willing to for it. But Ebay is always the best place to sell because of visibility. Although lately Ebay takes a big chunk of the final sale price in fees, and they have given buyers a lot of power on the platform. So you have to make sure you are selling to a legit buyer who isn’t going to claim the item didn’t arrive or arrived damaged, because Ebay can just take those funds right out of your account. So always make sure to take lots of photos, even of the jersey in the packaging you are sending, and also make sure to get a physical receipt from the post office showing you shipped it (and I would even spend extra to insure it).

      Reply
  • February 6, 2022 at 12:44 pm
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    Hi

    I am clueless and in need of some help please. I got gifted a Vancouver grizzlies jersey when I was a child. There was a story of it being given to a royal family member and then had been gifted on to me. Is there anyway to authenticate it. I

    Reply
  • February 7, 2022 at 7:29 am
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    Hi all! I recently purchased a 1995-96 NY KNICKS JOHN STARKS AUTHENTIC PRO CUT JERSEY SZ 46 + 0

    It is not on the list and I have not seen another one online. Do you guys know whether Champion made a pro Cut for John Starks in that size?

    Many thanks

    Reply
    • May 7, 2022 at 9:53 am
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      Sizing seems off…Starks jersey sizes varied and I have seen 44+2, 42+0 and 42+2…but never a 46. A legit Pro-Cut would be the same spec that Starks wore on the court for the 95-96 season….which I believe was 44+2. It should be noted that most Champion Pro-Cut jerseys on the market are either fake or were made with deadstock jerseys by 3rd party vendors who had access to Champion’s manufacturing pipeline…so sizing doesn’t match up with player in many cases. Most legit Champion Pro-Cut jerseys went to companies like Upper Deck for players to autograph. The only Pro-Cuts that are 100% easy to verify are the Commemorative Collection jerseys

      Reply
  • March 23, 2022 at 1:08 pm
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    Hey, thank you for spreading your knowledge to those of us who do not know much about so many of these details. I am 45 and just started looking into collecting a bit, and my favorite player of all time is Charles Barkley (76ers jersey). I’d love to be able to find an authentic Barkley 76ers jersey, or even a legit replica,/retro, but can’t find them anywhere. Do you know why Charles doesn’t have any jerseys that are available at NBA.com or sporting goofs stores? Or where I can find one that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a bootleg/Erick Barkley jersey delivered, lol?
    Thanks,
    George

    Reply
  • June 17, 2022 at 9:02 pm
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    Is there any way to track down that Denver Nuggets Marcus Liberty jersey? I saw on Worthpoint that it last sold on Ebay in 2012 but I can’t find the buyer or seller info. It’s one of those last items I need to complete my collection and I’m *very* flexible on the price I can pay. I haven’t seen a ton of them floating around and I am willing to pay whatever the holder is asking. Any help or leads greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply

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