Going Once, Going Twice, Going Broke

January 12, 2012 by Jimmy J · 2 Comments  

Every few weeks we scour through eBay’s vintage t-shirt sales 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 Vain No Respect t-shirt sold for $699.00 by Stormcrow-Vintage
  2. 70s vintage Ramones t-shirt sold for $430.00 by strummer108
  3. 90s vintage Dying Fetus t-shirt sold for $300.00 by BSKF-VINTAGE
  4. 80s vintage Dead Kennedys Bedtime t-shirt sold for $300.00 by PuNKrEviVal
  5. 80s vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt sold for $262.00 by WyCo_Vintage
  6. 90s vintage De La Soul t-shirt sold for $249.00 blackrebelvintage
  • View a previous edition where a Keith Haring t-shirt fetched top dollar.


Doomsday Sale!

January 11, 2012 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment  

Earth, it was fun while it lasted. But facts are facts and now it’s time to pack it in. If you saw the movie 2012 you got a sneak preview into what will take place sometime this year. True Story. Doomsday-sayers haven’t been this certain of end days since 1999 and it’s increasingly difficult to continue ignoring their false predictions. It’s time to take heed because the last thing any of us want to hear while the world is crumbling under our very feet is “I told you so!”

We just broke the news of the pending apocalypse to our favorite sellers and they’re all panicking. As a result all of their merchandise is now on sale. Translation: total annihilation for all of us means big savings for you!

Click on the shops below, find a tee, “Add to Cart” then “Apply Coupon Code” to save!

Category: Sales


Mission ImBossible

January 10, 2012 by Jimmy J · 6 Comments  

Go check out MI:4 and you’ll notice a poly/cotton cameo by Bruce Springsteen. After aborting a mission inside the Kremlin Ethan Hunt sheds his disguise as a high ranking Russian official into a nerdy American tourist complete with glasses, a map and this Born in the USA tour tee.

But is it real or a repro commissioned for the flick? We’re definitely familiar with the design. And it has some true vintage qualities- ie the design fade and a stretched neck as if the tee had taken a pounding over the years. But like the world of Mission Impossible nothing in film making is what it seems.

There’s no reason Cruise couldn’t fit into a genuine vintage t-shirt – he’s not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger sized. But some stars have an aversion to wearing used clothing – Peter Fonda reportedly refused to wear vintage during the height of his career forcing costume designers to reproduce his clothes. Boo!

Check out what true vintage Bruce Springsteen Tees are available on Defunkd!

Category: Celebrities, Movies


Crazy Shirts

January 5, 2012 by Jimmy J · 1 Comment  


A comprehensive resource of defunct t-shirt labels manufactured prior to the year 2000.


Brand #26: Crazy Shirts

Circulation: Common

Era: Late 1960s-current

Information: Who knew an operation that started in a little Hawaiian shack in 1964 would grow in to 41 locations worldwide? They began as screen printers but Crazy Shirts went on to manufacture and print their own tees rather than just distributing blanks. Then they piggybacked the surfing explosion in the 1970s by reaching out to a global market via magazine mail order. Crazy Shirts quite frequently held exclusive licensing deals throughout their years, most notably Kliban Cat, which they still hold to this day.

Their colorful embroidered tags are a standout from other brands – and especially the smaller exterior tag sometimes situated on the bottom hem of their tees.

If you have any additional info on Crazy Shirts please comment below.

Have a photo of a tag design we missed? Please share it by clicking on “+image” below the comments field!

  • View the previous Belton brand.
Category: Brands


Who the F*ck is Nicky Panicci, Anyway?

January 3, 2012 by Jimmy J · 3 Comments  

Who cares? You should. Nicky Panicci is an L.A.-based collector of vintage clothing (among other things) who became the gatekeeper to the the rarest collection of vintage t-shirts in the world.  The relics were once the property of record entrepreneur, Charlie Blue, and former partner of Bill Graham (Filmore East, Filmore West, Winterland Ballroom,etc.) and concert promoter Barry Fey. Panicci acquired the 1800-piece collection after Blue passed away in 2001 and quickly realized the tees told a unique history of Blue and of rock ‘n roll.

“I had so many t-shirts that it was unbelievable. I separated them into categories, such as English Rock, American Rock, European Rock; or by venue, such as nightclubs, concert halls or stadiums. You name it… It was there and I had it.”

Charlie Blue was loved by many rock stars and their supporting cast because he facilitated their illicit desires. Prostitution, drugs, gambling and everything else record execs didn’t want to officially involve themselves with but knew rockers couldn’t live without. The Stones were among Blue’s biggest fans – they even made a shirt in honor of him (above) and Blue is rumored to be the inspiration for a few of their tunes. Despite catering to appetites for destruction, once the storm settled, Blue always made sure to neatly tuck away a t-shirt as a memento. If only these t-shirts could talk.

Once the collection was in Nicky’s hands (and quite often on his torso) he started photographing each piece for inclusion in his book, titled Vintage Rock T.

“I remember the first weeks of going through these t-shirts, recognizing that I had something nobody in the world had ever seen in one place, at one time. I knew it was an extremely special cache of historical artifacts that would tell the most incredible story, based on Charlie Blue’s life, just told by the t-shirt itself, almost saying no words at all,” Panicci explained.

As Nicky sold off doubles and scored record-breaking prices for a handful of his most prized pieces, word about his “Holy Grail of t-shirt collections” spread like wildfire through the community. With all eyes on his goods, Panicci alleges greed resulted in the hijacking of his original book concept (below) and photography by a well-known vintage clothing store based in NYC.

The mess that ensued can best be explained by the man himself:

“You know you’re doing something right when people steal your ideas. This book had nothing to do with What Goes Around Comes Around. I just sold them 250 of my middle-of-the-road t-shirts a year-and-a-half after I shot the book.

“While I was in there, selling them these shirts, I showed them the concept of the book that I had written, with Mike Rosen, who pinned the first Led Zeppelin interview for Cream Magazine, and wrote the book on Black Sabbath in 1971. They offered to buy a position on the cover of the book, which was never confirmed by me.

“I was in the middle of negotiations with various publishers, everybody wanted to do this book. I signed legal contracts regarding the 250 shirts that What Goes Around Comes Around bought from me, stating they were never to be used in book form – only to be used in print and/or resale. This was agreed upon, only to be reneged, which resulted in a legal battle, which eventually saw me as the victor.

“After all, when I walked into their office – and I kid you not – I had to explain 90-percent of who the rock bands were on these t-shirts to the owners of that store, such as Believe It or Not, Roxy Music, the sensational Alex Harvey band, Gentle Giant, Sweet and many more. They knew nothing, but now presented themselves as leading experts. This I found very humorous.

“At the end of the day, all I ever wanted to do was shine light on these beautiful t-shirts and the extremely unique career of Charlie Blue, one of the most beloved people in the record industry.”

In 2010, Defunkd broke the story on the record-setting $10k sale of an uber-rare Zeppelin back-stage pass tee (below.) But that transaction was specific to eBay – Nicky has surpassed that amount numerous times with private sales.

“I have set record prices that nobody has ever hit, reaching $16,000 for Mick Jagger’s Ritva Man goat’s head soup sweater, or $12,000 for a Tattoo You, signed Andy Warhol T-Shirt, just to name a few.”

And speaking of that Zeppelin tee? Panicci owns it, of course. He recently listed it on Defunkd for $10,000 but is willing to consider reasonable offers. It’s the first of many rarities that Nicky will be showcasing exclusively through our Collective.

Category: Interview