So...The original seller (eBay user who sold them to the user I bought them from), made the assertion I expected he would...They are "tour issue". And I guess I will admit I believe it. I have shown them to a handful of people who are extremely familiar with Titleist irons, and the consensus seems to be that they are real...
@newtogolf
, I guess a "custom order" set will lack serial numbers on every club except for the 6 iron, straight off the rack sets will have serial numbers on every iron.... and supposedly "tour issue"...i.e. built on the tour van/ custom built for a team titleist pro on the lower tours/built for a club pro, tend to lack any serial numbers..
@StrayCat
...The clubs came with wrap grips which I can't stand so they will be coming off soon, and I plan to check and see what exactly the initials/dates are on the shafts.
Most importantly I guess is the fact that the feel off the face/ball flight/feeling of toe misses and thin shots, is exactly what I remember authentic 712s feeling like when I demo'd then a year or so ago off the rack...So I've come to the conclusion that fake or not (hopefully not haha), they still feel good and produce the shots I expect, so I am happy enough. And can't beat the price, they are practically mint.