Presented here is arguably the most pristine pair of unworn Nike Air Jordan 1 (Chicago) ‘Player Sample’ basketball sneakers ever to surface in the hobby. The inner lining of each shoe is stamped with the important “850204-TYPS” coding. Also crucial is the fact that the left is stamped size "13" and the right is stamped size "13½". The “850204” number refers to the date of production, indicating that these sneakers were made in 1985 between the months of February (02) and April (04). The acronym “TYPS” stands for ‘Tong Yang Player Sample,’ which places these sneakers as ‘Player Samples,’ and that they were produced from the 'Tong Yang' factory in China.
These test basketball shoes were made in extremely limited quantities and were never available in retail sporting goods stores. Included are white and black laces and the original red-and-black Nike shoebox with cover. The box is marked “4280, Air Jordan, W/BLK/RED” and bears a size “USA 13” label. A key nuance to the authenticity of these sneakers are the mismatched sizes of 13 and 13½, as Jordan wore a slightly larger sneaker on his right foot (especially early in his career with AJ1's). Boxes containing both 13 and 13½ Air Jordan 1 sneakers were exclusively made for MJ, so these were never available to the public. Also of significance is the “850204-TYPS” coding, which aligns to both Jordan’s rookie season and a narrow window of ‘Player Sample’ production.
Examples of Air Jordan 1 “850204-TYPS” are extremely rare, especially in such immaculate, never-worn condition. The sneakers come with theor original shoebox, which remains in very good condition with minor wear from age and storage. You simply won't find a more "Gem Mint" pair of Air Jordan 1 Player Samples in the market!
Includes letter of provenance from Bob Wood, a longtime executive at Nike (1980-2012) who received these shoes in 1985 at the Nike Promo warehouse in Beaverton, OR.