Vintage T-Shirt Collective
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The Forum Informer
October 30, 2009 by Jimmy J · Leave a Comment
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.
Case Sensitive
August 6, 2009 by Jimmy J · 2 Comments
Every so often we feature an interesting vintage clothing piece that’s currently on the eBay auction block. Please inform us if you create or discover an auction we might like.
Item: Vintage 1950s LEVIS BIG E Jean Jacket
Brand: Levi’s
Sold By: Defunkd
What we Say: This Levi’s second edition 507XX jacket features all the bells and whistles, single stitch pockets, pleated stitching on front, the #17 on the back of the buttons, and what looks to be a yellow line down the white portion of the interior.
Yes, from time-to-time we toot our own horn, but only when when it’s something special. This is one of the rarer items we dug out from our ongoing hunt through a huge stash of vintage clothing bundles that have been in storage for 30 years. If you missed the promo video and information on this quest check it out here.
- More information on vintage Levi’s Big E jeans
- View the vintage corduroy jacket we featured previously.
Going Once, Going Twice, Going Broke
July 6, 2008 by Jimmy J · 3 Comments
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.
- Jacket: Vintage WWI Aero Type A-2 leather flight $3798.33 sold by: skinnielapels
- Jeans: Vintage 50s Levi’s 501XX Red Line $3012.99 sold by: rickykz
- Hat: Vintage 50s St. Louis Browns Satchel Paige worn $650.00 sold by: jamesbar3
- Shoes: Vintage 80s Nike Nite Trax silver $360.00 sold by: evelynamodifieddog
- Jersey: Vintage 70s Adidas Germany Jersey $338.00 sold by: kobesamurai
- Dress: Vintage Sex and the City Dress Lillie Rubin $1837.09 sold by: 4marvs
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.
