Jordan 1 Pine Green Real vs Fake: 2018 and 2020 (2.0)
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To tell a Jordan 1 Pine Green real vs fake, first confirm which Pine Green you have from the style code, then check the hourglass heel, the Wings logo, the toe box, the heel stitching, the Swoosh, the tongue label and finally the size tag and box label. Compare each detail with a genuine pair of the same release, because a good fake passes most checks and fails one or two.
The photos in this guide compare a genuine and a fake 2018 Pine Green, the pair with green overlays, a sail side panel, a black Swoosh and a black collar. In each photo the genuine pair is on the left and the fake on the right.
Table of Contents
[ open ]Pine Green 2018 or Pine Green 2.0?
Two Air Jordan 1 Retro High OGs carry the Pine Green name, and each has its own style code. Read the code on the size tag before you compare anything:
- Pine Green, 2018 (the pair in this guide): 555088-302, Pine Green, Sail and Black, released on 22 September 2018 at $160.
- Pine Green Black, or Pine Green 2.0, 2020: 555088-030, Black, White, Pine Green and Gym Red, released at the end of February 2020.
The two pairs differ in color blocking and materials, so a detail that differs between a 2018 pair and a 2020 pair is a release difference, not a sign of a fake. Compare a 2.0 only with a genuine 2.0.
Box, Receipt and First Look
Start with what came with the pair. A receipt or order confirmation from a known retailer is useful context, but it can be faked or belong to another pair, so it proves nothing alone. Check that the retailer, date and product match the shoes.
A missing or replacement box is not a sign of a fake, because boxes are often lost or swapped on resold pairs. When the box is there, read its label against the size tag, as described in the box label section. For the checks every Jordan 1 shares, see our guide on how to spot fake Jordan 1s.
The Hourglass Heel
Look at the shoes from behind. Seen from the back, the heel of a genuine Jordan 1 High narrows in the middle and widens toward the collar and the sole, the hourglass shape. In this comparison the genuine heels curve in clearly, while the fake's heels run straighter and look more like a tube.
Wear and storage flatten the heel, so a worn genuine pair can lose some of this shape. Judge it mainly on unworn or lightly worn pairs.
The Air Jordan Lettering
The Wings logo on the ankle collar of a Jordan 1 High OG is stamped into the leather. It shows the words AIR JORDAN above a basketball with wings, and small TM marks. It has no Jumpman.
Start with the lettering. On the genuine logo we compared, the letters of AIR JORDAN are cleanly cut and evenly spaced along the curve, while the fake's letters look heavier and less evenly spaced. Authenticators also check how the R and the D of JORDAN join, though high-tier fakes now copy it. The depth of the stamp varies between pairs and softens with wear, so judge how crisp and even it is, not how deep.
The Wings and the Ball
Now look at the rest of the logo. Compare the feathers of the wings, the lines on the basketball and the logo's position on the collar flap. On the genuine pair in this comparison the feather lines are sharper and more separate, and the ball lines are cleaner.
The exact position of the logo varies a little with the shoe size and how the panel was cut, so a small shift is not a red flag. A logo that crowds the stitching or has blurred, merged feathers is a reason for a closer look.
The Toe Box
From the side, a genuine Jordan 1 High toe box is slim and slopes down toward the tip. A common fault on fakes is an over-inflated toe box that sits too high and looks too thick.
Check the perforations on the toe as well. On genuine pairs the holes are small and evenly spaced, and the outer row keeps an even gap from the seams. Toe shape changes slightly with wear and shoe trees, so compare with a genuine pair of the same release.
The Heel Overlay and Stitching
At the back of a Jordan 1 High you see the heel overlay, a strip of the side panel's color running across it, and a small vertical heel tab stitched down the middle. Look again at the heel photo above: on the genuine pair the green heel tab stands out clearly over the strip. Check that the strip sits at the same height on both shoes and that the stitching around the tab and the strip is even, with no loose threads or wandering lines.
Stitch length varies a little between batches, so judge how even and straight the stitching is rather than the exact length of each stitch.
The Swoosh and Stitching
On the genuine pair in this comparison, the Swoosh has a clean curve and a sharp, pointed tip, and the stitching along the side panel runs neatly beside it. The fake's Swoosh tip is shaped differently and the stitch line near its tail is less even.
Compare the Swoosh's length and how high it rises toward the lower eyelets with a genuine Pine Green, and look closely at the stitching where the Swoosh meets the side panel.
The Tongue Label
The woven Nike Air label on the front of the tongue is worth a close look. Compare the shape and spacing of the letters, the ® mark and the stitching around the label with a genuine Pine Green of the same release. Authenticators also check where the label sits against the rows of stitching on the tongue.
Print and weave weight change between factories and batches, so a label that looks a little bolder or lighter than a reference is not a red flag on its own. Look instead for letters that are misshapen, crowded or blurred, or a label sewn on crooked.
If the pair has a Nike Air tongue label, one of the things an authenticator compares is the ® after NIKE AIR. On fake Jordan 1 Highs, the R often touches the circle around it or ends in small hooks, while the genuine R stands clear. Compare it only with a genuine label from the same release.
The Size Tag
The size tag sewn inside the tongue or collar is the busiest label on a pair of Jordans. It shows the size in several systems, the country of manufacture, the style code, a UPC barcode, a short factory code and two dates. Nike has never said what the two dates mean. They are often read as the production window, but that is not confirmed, so treat them only as a rough check that they suit the release. Tags printed from around 2019 often add a QR code, and many genuine older tags have a barcode only. Counterfeiters copy genuine tags field by field, so a tag that agrees with itself shows the label is consistent, not that the shoes are real.
On a 2018 Pine Green, the tag should read 555088-302 and its dates should be plausible for a September 2018 release. A 2020 Pine Green 2.0 should read 555088-030.
Code checks that can expose a fake Jordan 1 Pine Green
No code can prove a pair is real, but these checks can expose a fake label:
- The barcode belongs to 555088-302 or 555088-030. The 14-digit number after "UPC" on the tag is Nike's barcode for one style code in one size. A fake label can carry a real Nike barcode that belongs to another colorway or size, and it still scans. An authenticator checks that the barcode is Nike's number for 555088-302 or 555088-030 in the size printed beside it.
- The tag and the box agree. The box label prints the same barcode with one leading zero instead of two, plus a small two-digit add-on. Ignore the zeros and the add-on, and the digits should match the tag. A mismatch is a question for the seller, not proof, because genuine pairs end up in other boxes.
- The QR code uses Nike's alphabet. The 13 characters printed beside the QR use the digits 0 to 9 and every letter except I, L, O and U. Nike's own QR server rejects any code that contains one of those four letters, and a fake tag can print them. A well-formed code proves nothing, because qr.nike.com sends every well-formed code, even an invented one, to the same Nike page and shows no result.
- The dates fit the release. On the genuine Jordan tags we have read, both dates fell before the release, the later one by two to five months. A first date after the 2018 or 2020 release is a reason to ask whether the pair is a restock, not proof of a fake. Some fakes copy genuine dates exactly, so plausible dates prove nothing either.
- The patent line is spelled right. Recent Nike tags end with "This product is covered by one or more patents: www.nike.com/patentsvirtualmarking". A misspelled line or a different address is one of the things an authenticator compares. Older tags may not carry the line at all.
You can type the style code, the barcode and the QR code into our free Nike and Jordan code checker to run the format and match checks, and our guide to what a Nike QR code and UPC can show explains each code in full.
The Box Label
The label on the end of a Jordan box repeats the shoe's details: the model name, the style code, the size, the colorway and a UPC barcode, and recent labels add a QR code. On a genuine pair in its own box, the UPC on the label matches the one on the size tag, while the box QR carries a different code from the tag QR. A second barcode sticker from a resale platform is normal, and so is a regional label on pairs sold in Asia. Box labels are the easiest part to reprint, so compare fonts and spacing only against a genuine box from the same release. A missing or replacement box is not a sign of a fake.
The label should show the same style code and size as the tag: 555088-302 for the 2018 pair or 555088-030 for the 2.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Pine Green 2.0 a fake version of the Pine Green?
No. The Pine Green 2.0, or Pine Green Black, is a genuine 2020 release with its own style code, 555088-030, and different color blocking from the 2018 pair. Compare it only with a genuine 2.0.
What is the style code of the Jordan 1 Pine Green?
The 2018 Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG "Pine Green" is 555088-302. The 2020 Pine Green 2.0 is 555088-030 in adult sizes. The code is on the size tag and the box label.
Do these checks work for the Jordan 1 Low Pine Green?
Only in part. A Jordan 1 Low has a different cut and no high collar, so the hourglass heel and collar logo checks here do not apply. Stitching, the Swoosh and the tag and box codes can be checked the same way against a genuine Low.
Is the shoe's smell a reliable check?
No. Glue odour changes with the factory, the age of the pair and how it was stored. A strong chemical smell is worth asking about, but smell alone proves nothing.
See If Your Jordan 1 Pine Green Is Authentic
For other Jordan 1 High colorways checked the same way, see our Air Jordan 1 Volt Gold and Air Jordan 1 Hyper Royal guides.
If you are still unsure after these checks, send clear photos of both shoes from the side and from behind, the Wings logo, the toe box, the tongue label, the size tags and the box label. LegitGrails authenticates Jordan from photos you upload, with results in under 30 minutes and a digital certificate with every order.
If your Jordan 1 Pine Green fails any of these steps, send photos to our Jordan authentication service.
