A post on Game Used Forum recently spoke of a misrepresented 1984 Giants road jersey, ID'd as a Will Clark, although the year/number pairing was of Jack Clark. The jersey was not game worn and not even team issued, yet something fooled the seller into thinking it to be a gamer. Based on the eBay photos of this and one other jersey, it looks like something thought to be confined to one year may actually exist in (at least) two.
Collectors who have read my writings on this site may recall my mention of tagged 1983 Wilson salesman's samples. These jerseys bear proper Wilson chain-stitched box tagging, but no other tagging elements (set, player number, NIC) and usually have a visual aspect that is not consistent with game jerseys of the era (often no NOB and no spacing to accommodate one).
That's what I believe this Clark jersey is. The jersey has no NOB plate, and never had space for one. There is no player uniform number on a tail strip tag. While legitimate Giants 1984 jerseys also exist with just a boxed year tag, one notable tagging difference is in the location of the Wilson tag. Normally found on the tail above the strip (or box) tag, this Clark replica has it in the collar...not correct for 1984 Giants gamers.
The same seller also offered a similarly flawed 1984 Tigers home knit of Lance Parrish. Lik the Clark, the Wilson tag is affixed in the collar when it should be in the tail. Like the Clark, it has no NOB nor a place for one. And, like the Clark, tail tagging is just a chain-stitched boxed 84...on a style that should be strip tagged "84 1" or "84 2" and also bear a box tag with an inventory number. The Parrish is also offsized, even more so than the Clark (the Parrish is a size 40).
My conclusion: The Wilson tagged salesman's samples evident for a while from 1983 apparently also exist for the 1984 season, as well.
