Four things give a jersey away: the crest, the number font, the tags and the cut. Work through them in order and you can place almost any jersey in a team, a league and a range of seasons.
The crest version dates a jersey faster than anything else. Teams redraw their logos every decade or two, and each version belongs to a known run of seasons. Compare yours side by side with the archive entries for that team.
Number style, stroke width and the way the nameplate is sewn all shifted over time. A single-layer number with a stitched-on nameplate reads very differently from a modern heat-pressed twill.
This is what narrows an era down to a single season. Manufacturer, size format, country of manufacture and the fabric code on the hem tag are the details collectors use to date a jersey precisely.
Browse the league pages and team jersey histories, find the design that matches your crest and cut, then read that entry's notes for the seasons it was worn.
Good photos make every comparison easier — and they are what you will want on hand if you ask another collector or a shop to weigh in.
Shoot the front chest straight on, close enough that the crest fills most of the photo. Crests carry the most identifying detail.
Daylight near a window beats flash. Harsh glare on glossy twill hides stitching and colour.
A flat jersey on a plain surface reads far better than one on a hanger or worn.
After the crest, photograph the neck and hem tags — that is what narrows an era down to a season.
Usually you can narrow it to a range of seasons from the crest, logo version and number style. Pinning it to one season almost always needs the neck and hem tags, which the dating guide covers step by step.
No — and no photo tool honestly can. Authenticity comes from tags, stitching, sizing and provenance inspected in person. The real-versus-replica guide shows exactly what to look at.
Work from the league page for the closest era and the manufacturer guide. The archive grows continually, so it is worth checking back.
No. Everything on this site is free to read, with no sign-up. An account only matters if you want to save jerseys to a collection.
Send photos and what you already know through the contact page. Messages are read by the site owner — there is no automated analysis and no promise of a turnaround time.
Still stuck? Send us the photos and what you know about the jersey.