Vintage T-Shirt Collective
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Going Once, Going Twice, Going Broke
September 29, 2008 by defunkd · 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.
To view the full eBay listing click the links below.
- Jacket: Vintage 1970s East West Leather Jacket sold for $3050.00
- Hat: Vintage 1800s US Army Civil War Kepi Hat sold for $730.99
- Shoes: Vintage 1980s Airwalk Maze Sz 11 Shoes sold for $510.00
- Sweatshirt: Vintage 1980s Powell Peralta Skateboard Shirt sold for $385.00
- Belt Buckle: Vintage 1976 Led Zeppelin Belt Buckle sold for $355.00
- T-Shirt: Vintage 1988 Harley Sturgis 3D Emblem Tee sold for $180.00
Rock Tease: The Golden Years of Rock T-Shirts
September 27, 2008 by defunkd · 5 Comments
I finally managed to get my hands on all the vintage t-shirt books published in the last few years. Truth be told, I would recommend any book that contains photos of vintage tees, even if it was scribed in crayon by a two year old child.
Title: Rock Tease: The Golden Years of Rock T-shirts
Meet the authors: Erica Easley graduated from Colombia University, worked at Warner Brothers, created ads at J. Walter Thompson and devoted much of her life to being a clotheshorse. Ed Chalfa owns a Portland’s largest and most celebrated resale shop, the Red Light Clothing Exchange. His collection of vintage rock t-shirts is worth over $30,000.
Number of shirts inside: 200+
Rating: 3/5
I admit the first thing I do when I pick up any vintage t-shirt book is furiously flip through it, taking in all the glorious photos, and this book was no exception. Over 200 of them, and plenty amazing designs even the vintage aficionado has never seen before.
Spectacular t-shirts aside, I found this particular vintage t-shirt book to be the most conservatively written amongst the bunch. It reads somewhat like a school text book or a university paper on the subject, which is kind of ironic given the creative subject matter, and, well, it’s cover.
The introduction is way too long. Although it contains lots of great information, I labored through it, always tempted to skip forward and start gazing at the tees again, or even stare at the cover one more time. Some of the shirt analysis feels a little too interpretive, almost like the authors felt as though they had to come up with something insightful about every design. I’m pretty sure they put way more thought in to some of these designs than the bootleggers did.
And if I had to waiver a guess, most of these comments were probably written more by Erica Easley than Ed Chalfa. Case in point – one of the comments written about an Iron Maiden tie dye shirt refers to their mascot as a “tweaked corpse with guns ablaze”. While a very good point is made about the rarity of a Maiden tie die, to Maiden fans, and most fans of vintage t-shirts, that “tweaked corpse” has a name. It’s Eddie and he’s the most iconic rock t-shirt mascot that has ever lived, and is well deserving of a book of his own. Not knowing this is a little bit of a rock tee faux pas, especially in a book devoted to the subject. Something tells me Ed Chalfa, possessing over $30,000 worth of rock shirts, and sharing the same name, is probably on a first name basis with Eddie.
The book does feature the most impressive amount of bootlegs designs of any of the books, which are just as much a part of rock tee history as the ones with copyrights on them. One of the bootlegs includes a shocking Ozzy Osbourne jersey with KKK imagery and a very good point is made regarding one of the downsides of bootlegging.
I recommend adding this book to your library.
Additional Vintage T-Shirt Book Reviews.
Mickey Mouse Trapped by Addiction
September 23, 2008 by defunkd · Leave a Comment
Each week we feature an interesting vintage tee that’s currently on the eBay auction block. Please feel free to link us if you create or discover an auction we might like.  Â
Description:Â vintage walt disney 1960s MiCKEY MOUSE t-shirt
Measurements: Pit-to-Pit: 16.5″ Length: 22″
Sold by:Â defunkd_vintage
What I Say: Apparently the late 60s were a tough time for Mick. Sure, his original heydays were far from over, but he was dealing just fine. He took the odd role in commercials and made public appearance in rural shopping malls. It wasn’t until he caught Minnie in bed with Jerry (of Tom & Jerry fame) that he went berserk. Cigarettes, booze, cartoon acid, and eventually smack. Sorry Walt, we know this shirt probably has you rolling around in your cryogenic grave.   Â
Final Price: $121.89
Iron Maiden Aces High 1988: Monsters of Rock
September 22, 2008 by defunkd · Leave a Comment
A feeble attempt to document the endless array of brilliant vintage Iron Maiden t-shirts.
Shirt #3:Â Iron Maiden Aces High 1988: Monsters of Rock Bootleg
Availability:Â Explore Vintage Maiden Tees on eBay
Tour Dates:Â 1988-08-20 Donington Park, Castle Donington, England, UK
Approximate value:Â $50-$150
View the entire series of vintage Iron Maiden t-shirts.
May The Best Mane Win
September 18, 2008 by defunkd · 6 Comments
eBay vintage clothing models are by far the funkiest models in the world. But lets face it, their faces never get the credit they deserve. Until now.
I declare a beard war. Click on the links, view their auctions, peruse their poses and then vote for your favorite below – poll closes on Friday September 26.
1. The model for drewkirk is sporting half-stache-soul-patch growth.
2. The model for princesvintage goes with the classic 5 o’clock shadow, or what ever time that is over in the UK.
3. The model for vintage_lovers gets creative with his clippers, tailored side burns, soul patch goatee fusion.
4. The model for americanarchive is a big fan of Santa Claus, Grizzly Adams and Just For Men.
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