TEAM AIR FORCE 1 VOL. 6 AKA STOP PM'ING US

[stuntman mike]

my goodness. the af1 has strayed so far from its' ancestors.

 

[kvn]

Don't know much about them, got them off the bay last year I think. Just cleaned them up, was planing to repaint, but decided not to. Might just unyellow the midsole. Was the font on the back of these common? Font looks different to me, but can't find many original pairs on google (just through a quick search)

 

[bip roberts]

my goodness. the af1 has strayed so far from its' ancestors.

I know, right. Personally, I like the early 90s pairs the best - even better than the earlier pairs. On the 80's pairs, it's almost as if the upper is too far "sunk" into the mid sole. The early-to-mid 90s pairs have uppers that sit atop the midsoles. They look more upright, generally.

Kind of hard to explain, but I think you know what I'm trying to describe.

Don't know much about them, got them off the bay last year I think. Just cleaned them up, was planing to repaint, but decided not to. Might just unyellow the midsole. Was the font on the back of these common? Font looks different to me, but can't find many original pairs on google (just through a quick search)

I wouldn't re-paint them, just un-yellow the midsole.

Yes, that font is common - and it's slightly different from the upper case two-level "NIKE AIR" on later pairs.

I could tell that they were 80's from the shape and tongue - but the 82 production date is inside the shoe, so it was from the first run. The AF1 dropped originally in 1982, but then it disappeared until 86/87, when it came back out in Baltimore. So, there are some minor differences in the fonts and all that from the first batch in '82 and then the first generation of re-releases. Then, it all switches up again, subtly, in the early 90s and the shape differs,the font on the back gets a bit thinner, the tongue sits differently, etc. ...The other thing I haven't really thought about is - when did Nike start stitching "NIKE AIR" on the back as opposed to just printing it? ...My educated guess is 1993, but I'm not certain. Then, Nike starts moving away from the NIKE AIR on the back and integrates the Nike Air with the swoosh in the middle on the heel tab. The two style run concurrent for a while, until the all caps fades away, though it randomly will pop back up on a random pair here and there even into the late 90s.

91

92

93 (note heel tab is now stitched)

94 - 95: this is the golden age of canvas (91-93 was the golden age of the high IMO) But the canvas pairs don't use the caps logo. We also see the launch of mids in 1994, but they don't really use the CAPS logo either. The regular highs and lows do some of each

96 - now we start to see jewels, which basically don't use the caps. But, some pairs here and there use it still.

97 - you would think it's phased out by now, but randomly it still pops up.

This tab starts popping up too - and was used pretty sparingly, but is around in the late 90s. Also, they make one random pair of canvas jewels.

98 - still not dead.

And, then, this is where you have to love Nike - another totally random quirk - a pair of canvas mids using the CAPS in 1998. This is weird for three reasons. One, they don't use this logo on canvas. Two, they don't use it on mids, Three, this is very late for them to be using it all.

(pardon my socks LOL)

...The history of this shoe is infinite and unlike that of any other shoe, and that's what makes it the best. You can't just read this on a blog and walk around thinking you know everything - and that's why even when AF1s blew up, it was only a small swath of the full catalog that got the mainstream going nuts. Most people don't really have the love and appettite for learning (and humility to admit you need and accept teaching) to really love the AF1 correctly and completely. That somewhat protects it from the beasts even if the light were to turn around and shine back on the model. And, that's just how I like it!

 

[g to tha t]

Thoughtful posts as always BIP.

Anyways, my recent addition that I got from NT'er Ruffin51 a while back. My first pair in three years...

 

[bip roberts]

Thoughtful posts as always BIP.

Anyways, my recent addition that I got from NT'er Ruffin51 a while back. My first pair in three years...

Beautiful.

There are probably only a handful of one-piece-box pairs that I still really want and don't have - both of the yellow jewel lows posted recently are on that list.

goldenrod jewel low
white lemon jewel low
Grey and royal embroidered swoosh lows.
Green jewel lows - pebbled version and suede version.
navy nubuck with yellow embroidered double swoosh
caro nubuck, obsidian double swoosh white outline
white pebbled leather double swoosh, carolina outlined in obsidian
Lemon twist
navy pebbled mid that is like the best leather ever - solecuts has a pair. So does Shawn.
reverse lemon twist jewel pair - white upper, scream green sole, navy jewel swoosh - ****zle has a pair.

There are a few other pairs I'd be happy to add - but that's the bucket list. Everything else on the bucket list comes from the two-piece box era.

 

[1nedeep]

^awesome post bip

nike air whether printed or stitched has gotta be my favorite backtab...it just fills it in so nicely imo

Thoughtful posts as always BIP.

Anyways, my recent addition that I got from NT'er Ruffin51 a while back. My first pair in three years...

jeez! hurts more because those are probably my size too...very nice pickup tho

 

[kvn]

Bravo bip! Thanks for the lesson bro!

 

[ervinshoes]

I have 2 pairs of all white lows from 2000 that have the capital letters.
One is an all white jewel, the other has the regular leather swoosh...
both have block letters on the heel tabs. Those were the latest I've seen with caps.
There were also all whites from 2000 with the standard lettering and swoosh.

As BIP stated above, sometimes Nike would throw out complete randomness.
E.G. Here's a 2003 royal blue canvas mid, and all that it has on the back
is a lone swoosh. No letters at all.

 

[mrgmac]

Af1s have been hits and misses for a while now and some of them are nice some well not good i love af1s new to the older ones i dont single them out but i havnt bought any newer af1s in a year now just focus on the older pair but Nike need to get somebody that knows the AF1 legacy well come out with simple colorways like the 90s and early 00s material issues is like beating a dead horse with a louisville slugger i will continue to buy AF1s the newer ones just some

 

[bip roberts]

I have 2 pairs of all white lows from 2000 that have the capital letters.
One is an all white jewel, the other has the regular leather swoosh...
both have block letters on the heel tabs. Those were the latest I've seen with caps.
There were also all whites from 2000 with the standard lettering and swoosh.

As BIP stated above, sometimes Nike would throw out complete randomness.
E.G. Here's a 2003 royal blue canvas mid, and all that it has on the back
is a lone swoosh. No letters at all.

After I wrote all that out, I realized I forgot about the lone swoosh. There's a pair of black nubuck (I think) mids with a cream swoosh that has a lone swoosh too.

...Pretty sure I have those blue canvas mids.


2000 whites with the block caps, huh. Never seen those. I don't think I have any '00 whites. I have a pair of '98s, '01s, 03s. I may have 00s, but no all whites - what year was the pair with the embroidered swoosh and gum sole? I have those - beat beyond believe. Also, the all white NYCs with the clear sole - those we like '00/''01 too.

 

[bip roberts]

Af1s have been hits and misses for a while now and some of them are nice some well not good i love af1s new to the older ones i dont single them out but i havnt bought any newer af1s in a year now just focus on the older pair but Nike need to get somebody that knows the AF1 legacy well come out with simple colorways like the 90s and early 00s material issues is like beating a dead horse with a louisville slugger i will continue to buy AF1s the newer ones just some

The last pair of new AF1s I bought were the JD canvas pairs - and I regretted it immediately. One pair was worn for half a day - uncomfortable as hell. The other went straight to storage after that.

Before that, it was maybe a couple of the pairs from the varsity letter borough pack.

Before that probably the Workboots - that's the last pair I bought and didn't regret.


Anyway, I do ID a few pairs a year though - that's how I've decided to cope with the lack of quality AF1s.

 

[doodadeee]

The USA mids i just picked up also got the Swoosh alone. something different

 

[bip roberts]

Good call, doodadee. Forgot about that. Here's the black pair.

Any highs or lows with this heel tab?

 

[doodadeee]

damn BIP. i dont think ive seen that pair of mids before. black version of the chocolates. dope!

 

[bip roberts]

damn BIP. i dont think ive seen that pair of mids before. black version of the chocolates. dope!

FTR, these are not mine. Just had the pic saved on the computer.

And, that's what I thought too - look basically like black version of choco suedes.

 

[ervinshoes]

Those are actually bad camera pics of 1998 Obsidian/Mushroom.
Here are better pics...notice the product code matches.

I will try to take pics tonight of the 2000 lows with block letters

 

[bip roberts]

Those are actually bad camera pics of 1998 Obsidian/Mushroom.
Here are better pics...notice the product code matches.

I will try to take pics tonight of the 2000 lows with block letters

Thanks for the clarification.

All the while I thought this pair was black. I never saw better pics or the actual box tag.

They are much nicer as obsidian.

 

[doodadeee]

i thought it was black too. AND didnt even notice the stitched swoosh..makes these THAT much better.

Thanks for the info as always!

 

[g to tha t]

those mids look interestingly nice!

another pair of unattainable AF1's added to the list...

 

[bip roberts]

those mids look interestingly nice!

another pair of unattainable AF1's added to the list...

As much as anything may seem unattainable, I must say that even when I think of my bucket list, for most of them, I can think of at least one person who I know personally (well, at least converse with directly) who owns a pair. So, I guess I could obtain just about anything that has thus far eluded me, if I either paid through the nose, or offered up my own "unattainable" pairs for trade.

But, that's not how I really like to do things. Playing the game without the cheat codes is more fun. And, I never really like to trade rare gems that I only have one of because I don't really feel it gets me anywhere to make those kind of swaps - you just trade one hole for another, if you're a hopeless completist like me.

But, if I have doubles, I'm usually willing to trade things for what I want. I traded carotene jewels to kicks4eva. Hell, I traded doodadee DS OG Columbia 11s (and 2000 Space Jams) for AF1s. ...Now, who does that?

All that said, I can't say I know for certain a person who has those obsidian/mushroom mids.

 

[ervinshoes]

Not mine, just a pair I've only seen a couple times.

2000 Light Bone/Obsidian Canvas w/embroidered swoosh

Pretty sure these were Japan only.

 

[ervinshoes]

Here's another pic.

 

[verse001]

broke out some ID's today

Nike Air Force 1 ID Brainwreck by Tony Diamonds, on Flickr

 

[1nedeep]

question...what color laces did the 98 chocolates come with?

 

[bip roberts]

question...what color laces did the 98 chocolates come with?

Suede mids - standard, white flat laces.

2000 choco straw lows came with brown round rope laces.