Honestly I'm not sure. It was always my understanding that the original Northern Lights was a pure Afghani and that all the Nl1, Nl2, Nl5 etc were all crosses/hybrids. The stories that surround Northern lights conflict a bit and leave one to try to weave together the most likely story based on the bits you pick up here and there. I could have sworn I read somewhere thatit was Nevil who bread a pure afghani to pure norther lights to get NL1. It also seems like I read somewhere that NL1 was pure Afghani (Afghani (NL) x Nevil's pure afghani (Non-NL)male.
Of course like damned near everything else on the internet what I read somewhere could be: Mostly, partially, slightly or not at all true!
Popping the beans is what will tell the story. I plan on getting some of the 89NL and will push them up the line but I am working on a couple projects right now that I want to continue. So little time and space (and legal limit...) So many project ideas and seeds to pop I'll be dead before I could grow out everything I have. The one that picks up my torch is going to have a nice library to work with!