Comments on: Can You Spot a Fake Vintage T-Shirt?

By: Jimmy J

Jimmy J — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:02:34 +0000

For sure to be sold for top dollar – the screen printing process is not a simple process – there would have to be a consistent and higher payoff. If you’re duplicating from a print, it’s a lot of work to create the screens for each specific color. That’s why screen printers don’t like to bother with small orders, because the set up is very time consuming.

Duplicating stuff that doesn’t sell well would be like counterfeiting $1 bills.

However if it’s a t-shirt printing machine that prints one offs and doesn’t require any screens – complete done in 10 minutes, they might be more willing to experiment, but the end product is far less convincing.

By: Travis

Travis — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:00:33 +0000

Hey, is it more common for a dupe t-shirt to be sold pricey or sold cheap? I bought a Sheila E. shirt of which I’m suspicious (good condition, no tag), but got it so cheap (under $12 plus shipping) that it doesn’t make sense that they’d go to the trouble. Or does it?

By: frank

frank — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:26:32 +0000

wow, Mr. Frankly came out of the woodwork as well! All of the vintage heavyweights gather here- I can’t hang at the same lofty heights, but to quote the Warriors, I “rumble anyway”.

Yes, I think you’re right on in terms of that timeline for the black tag for sure. Those blue tagged ones are up there with old Russels and Champions on my Keep For Myself list.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:30:46 +0000

My guess is that the second one is fake and the first one is real.

By: Shankly Mr Frankly

Shankly Mr Frankly — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:24:02 +0000

Hey Frank. I don’t if this will help you with your timeline or just be redundant of what you already know but…I have had some 1990 shirts with tan screen stars tags (maybe just leftover 1989 stock that they printed on) and some 1989 shirts with the black screen stars best tags.

p.s. in 1990, “best” became slang for “worst”….or at least “sub-par and bulky”.

By: Jimmy J

Jimmy J — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:23:36 +0000

I estimate the Screen Stars Best tag surfaced somewhere between 90-92?

By: frank

frank — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:41:51 +0000

VP, i dig those blue tagged Screen Stars to the maxx, too, and can barely hide my disdain for the black taggers in my listings. I wonder when exactly they switched tags? because it seems like they changed their manufacturing process at the same time. I’m trying to piece together that timeline…

By: VintagePimps

VintagePimps — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:25:37 +0000

# 2 is semi-legit vintage, although it has one of the worst tags ever made (Screen Stars/Best). The material on these shirts is usually not soft at all, and not very visually stimilated on the eye. These tags and material came a LONG way from the blue Screen Stars tag of the late 1970s. I count these kinds of tags in my dreams.
So back to the fakes on ebay. My advice, only buy from trusted certified vintage sellers (ShirtswithBalls,VintagePimps!, Hattrick, SmithandPooter and my main man Defunkd to name a few). And there are a few.
Nothing worse than getting a fake vintage tee in the mail after a week of waiting. Nothing.

By: Straight Gangsta Mack

Straight Gangsta Mack — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:15:46 +0000

Those pit stains do look crazy wack funky, but that evenly faded and slightly smaller print is just plain wack!

By: Ricky

Ricky — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:22:47 +0000

Those pit stains look legit.