The vintage t-shirt Brand category is a valuable resource:

• chasemac breaks down the incarnations of the the Nike tag for VP’s.
• hermosavtg inquires about the origins of the 3d Emblem brand.

The What’s it Worth? section has a few appraisal requests:

• lord ched inquires about his Wallace & Gromit shirt.
• CRAZYBUBBA’s 1990s 3D Emblem Easy Riders Harley Davidson Tee.
• lord ched’s ed Big Daddy Roth Rat Fink t-shirt.
  

There’s some sound advice coming out of the eBay advice category:

• Frank and crew discuss the mysterious problems with shipping to Italy.

and there’s some vintage denim discussion in the vintage clothing forum:

• river inquires about Levi’s Sta-Prest jeans.

…That is all.

In this section we highlight the vintage shirts you simply must have in your poly-cotton arsenal. Some are hot commodities while others are speculation on a future trend.

Halloween Selection: Vintage Novelty T-Shirts

Looking for a last minute and inexpensive Halloween costume? There’s a vintage t-shirt for that. You want to experience the high of being a pilot or pharmacist? There’s a tee for that. Want to be the fan of a really bad team or have a slim physique with a nice rack? There’s a tee for that too.

Demand: Low-High

Price: $5-$5,000

Info: The novelty tee is a deceptive t-shirt design which mimics the appearance of clothing, skin, internal organs or bones.  The fad began to flourish in the early 1970s and was invigorated when rock tee designs followed suit. Countless new designs were released throughout the 1980s when printing and graphic innovations improved the realism of the effect. The fad fizzled quick while manufacturers were still trying to release the newest and greatest novelty design ever. The massive overstock was then re-purposed and customized for tourist shops and other related businesses. Eventually the novelty design found a niche amongst specific industries as promotional schwag, ie pharmaceutical or sports. In modern times these silly gems have became a staple in most collector’s closets.

HOT: If you want to spend an arm and a leg there’s the sought after 1970s  Love You Live Rolling Stones tee designed by Andy Warhol. The simple black and white design features the bands faces across a faux neck-tie.  Good luck finding it – the shirt is a limited print that was a promo party giveaway. Next in line is Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits t-shirt that has an over the shoulder gun holster. You’ll have better luck tracking this one down on eBay, but it wont come cheap. Due to rarity we don’t have photographs of either but if you’re curious they are featured in the Vintage Rock T-Shirts book we reviewed.

If you’re feeling a little more risque there’s the rare Seditionaries tee that features bare breasts. Just make sure they’re real because Seds t-shirts have been counterfeited as of late.  If you don’t mind dropping a few hundred bucks and wearing yellow the Neil Young suspenders t-shirt from his 1978 Rust Never Sleep tour makes regular appearances on eBay.

BUY LOW: Any shirt that isn’t rock related you’ll most likely score for the opening bid. The most classic and classy of all novelty designs is the tuxedo which has been an indie rocker favorite for years. The skeleton shirt saw a resurgence a few years back when Jake Gyllenhaal went skeleton in film Donnie Darko. Neither shirts will ever sky rocket in value but the savings from renting a tux alone makes it a wise investment.

View the previous Essential Selection: vintage lightning bolt t-shirt.

Every few weeks we scour through eBay’s vintage clothing auctions and report which relics are fetching top dollar. More reasons to raid your grandpa’s closet.

Click the links below to view the full eBay listing or the seller’s current inventory.

1. 80s vintage Metallica Metal Up Your Ass T-Shirt sold for $1000.00 by silverruins
2. 80s vintage Nirvana Sub Pop t-shirt sold for $999.00 by rockin_the_vintage
3. 70s vintage Velvet Underground snakeskin shirt sold for $400.00 by wyco_vintage
4. 90s vintage Alice in Chains Social Parasite t-shirt sold for $333.55 by ichihuahua67
5. 70s vintage Roxy Music logo t-shirt sold for $250.00 by wyco_vintage
6. 80s vintage Eric B. & Rakim t-shirt sold for $224.00 by stormcrow-vintage

eBay Seller: Stormcrow-Vintage
Years of Service: 6
Transactions: 3300+
Feedback: 100%
Policies: Guaranteed vintage -  return for any reason.
Motto: “We sold our soul for rock n roll t-shirts.”

Good ol’ Stormcrow-Vintage has been one of eBay’s most consistent and trusted dealers of genuine vintage tees for the past 6 years. They broke the vintage t-shirt seller norm by allowing returns for any reason, yes, this even includes sizing. Their slick practices have earned them a flawless feedback score and near perfect DSR record, an amazing feat, especially with the recent changes to eBay’s feedback system.

Stormcrow has a constant flow of vintage tees in both auction and fixed price format which usually number at least 250 at any one given time. They specialize in 1980s band shirts – all forms of rock, punk and pop. They definitely like to dabble in the dark side given their wicked selection of vintage horror film t-shirts.

Their highest priced tee is a rare 1989 Nirvana t-shirt at $999.00 and they start most of their auctions at one cent.

Check out some of their items below:

You should be a a fan of:

Defunkd Vintage T-Shirts and Clothing