Vintage T-Shirt Collective
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Such a Lovely Shirt, Such a Lovely Shirt
June 17, 2008 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
Each week we feature an interesting vintage tee that’s currently on the eBay auction block.
Description: Vintage 1979 Eagles Tour Jersey
Measurements: Pit-to-pit: 18.25″ Rear Collar to Bottom: 23.5″
Sold by: stormcrow-vintage
What the Seller Says: Original Eagles concert jersey from their 1979 the long run tour. Faded, buttery soft and thin. Faint stain at the bottom of print, two tiny dot stains at the top and a pea-sized hole on the back.
What We Say: This is Eagles Hotel California-COOL, not Eagles When Hell Freezes Over reunions-LAME. If it actually fit me I might forget about their post-1980s apocalyptic meltdown.
Final Price: $40.56
Don’t Lose Your Shirt Buying Vintage Levi’s Jeans
June 16, 2008 by Jimmy J · 3 Comments
In 1936, Levi’s began producing jeans with a red tab on the rear pocket and the ‘E’ used in the spelling was a capital. After 1971 it became lower case. “Big E” jeans regularly fetch between $500 to $1,500 on eBay. If rare and expensive is your bag, then don’t get too hung up on case-sensitive tags. Levi’s were patented and first produced in 1873 and they sold for more than 60 years without a red tag.
In 2001 a vintage pair of Levi’s jeans went for $46,542 on eBay. Who would pay such an amount? Well, the Levi Strauss Company did. Apparently they didn’t have any of their own stock left from 1880, so they bought them back… and most likely put them in a warehouse beside the Lost Ark.
Click here to view the most expensive pairs on eBay right now (including one for $10,000!) or scroll down to see what’s currently on the auction block.
So where to begin? Familiarize yourself with the features on Levi’s jeans that will increase their value. Click on the underlined terms below for a targeted search on eBay.
- “Selvedge” can be found by flipping the leg inside-out to see how the seam was constructed. If there’s a strip of surplus material, you’ve got selvedge. If the white portion of that selvedge has a very thin red thread down it, even better. Just because you have selvedge doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a “redline.”
- Rivets are those little metal tabs that lend corner strength to areas like pockets. In most Levi’s jeans you’ll see the rivets on the outside corners of the pockets. If they aren’t visible from the outside, look inside. And if you notice they’re flat metal backs, you have jeans with “hidden rivets.”
- Seam construction – less seams means more $. The earlier vintage Levi’s primarily used “single stitch.”
- As far as color goes, indigo and two-tone are usually more sought after.
Here’s a snapshot of the Levi’s currently being auctioned on eBay:
[phpbay]vintage levis jeans, 24, “”, “jackets poster”, “”, “”, “”, “”, “”, “”, “2″, “levisphp”, “4″[/phpbay]
Top 5 Thrash Metal Band Tees of the 1980s
June 15, 2008 by Jimmy J · 5 Comments
We’re inaugurating our top 5 list with a bang by covering some good old-fashioned hardcore thrash metal. You know, just like momma used to make. This isn’t a list of whose music is better; rather, who put out a better array of vintage t-shirts that could seriously harm a small child (while also putting a dent in their college savings account).
Click on the band’s name or photos to view their current vintage t-shirt selection on eBay.
1. SLAYER Value:$100-$750
Satan is very proud of Slayer’s merchandising. Death, dismemberment and other horrors of hell depicted alongside their blood-dripping logo usually intertwined in a pentagram. These guys make Motley Crue’s so-called Satanic image look like a unicorn ride through heaven.
2. MEGADETH Value: $50-$400
It’s definitely a close call between Slayer and Megadeth. A slight edge goes to Slayer because of the prices they fetch – thus we can assume they are more rare. Most of the artwork on Megadeth shirts is far more graphic, disturbing and in higher resolution. They also get bonus points for having an evil mascot named “Vic Rattlehead.” He’s basically thrash metal’s Ronald McDonald – and that’s just darn good evil marketing.
3. METALLICA Value: $50-$250
Metallica could have been #1. With famed horror artist Pushead on the team, they put out some pretty bad-ass skull and bones designs. The problem is that they started releasing shirts that weren’t the least bit demented, and re-issued their old shirts. Shame on them.
4. ANTHRAX Value: $50-$200
Named after a disease that kills livestock – Anthrax was responsible for putting the speed in 1980s metal. The shirts weren’t really all that disturbing. They had more of a cartoonish sense of humor sometimes complimented by curse words. Bonus points for free publicity resulting from the post 9-11 anthrax mail terror scare.
5. EXODUS & NUCLEAR ASSAULT (TIE) Value: $25-$125
Both played with a toxic/nuclear theme so we thought they deserved each other. Exodus showed flashes of cartoon horror brilliance, while Nuclear Assault played on our paranoia of the bomb being dropped.
6. Dishonorable Mentions
Sacred Reich, Overkill and Kreator. And if the ’90s counted – Testament. As far as the most consistently disgusting graphics? Cannibal Corpse takes the human flesh cake.
Check out our last interview with The Godfather of vintage heavy metal t-shirts or for more information on vintage t-shirts visit our homepage.
Going Once, Going Twice, Going Broke
June 14, 2008 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
Every two weeks we scour through eBay’s past auctions and report which relics are fetching the big bucks. Even more reasons to raid your granny’s closet.
- Hawaiian Shirt: 1940s hand painted Kawaihau $6000.00 sold by: on*the*ameche
- T-shirt: 1950s Mad Magazine $449.00 sold by: rosamond07
- Button Down/Polo Shirt: 1980s Ralph Lauren cycle $716.00 sold by: power24540
- Pants/Jeans: 1950 Levi’s big E $895.00 sold by: sinaloacow
- Hat: 1940s Helm’s Bakery drivers cap $1326.99 sold by: michaelsteel
- Shoes: 1979 Nike Waffle II $585.00 sold by: ogsshoehead
- Dress: 1970s Paco Rabbane chain sequin $1723.00 sold by: cdkeurope
- Jacket: WWII A-2 flight jacket $1550.00 sold by: aviationetc
View previous mens vintage clothes auctions.