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Date posted: August 15, 2010 By: Jimmy J

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


Brand #12: Sportswear

Circulation: Common

Era: Late 1960s to 1990

Information: Aside from their ever-evolving tag design and heavy circulation not much is known about Sportswear. I had to resort to advanced internet technology to discover more info. How? By inputting the RN# that appears on the first tag above (41253) in to the FTC database (a technique I learned from a post written by the savvy members of our forum.) That RN is registered to Granite Knitwear Inc. which I then plugged in to Google who connected it to another familiar t-shirt brand called CalCru.

If you have any info on Sportswear please comment below.

  • View the previous Anvil brand.
  • View the entire gallery of vintage labels.
Date posted: August 13, 2010 By: Jimmy J

A gallery of vintage video game tees and screen shots for the original joystick wielders.


Video Game T-Shirt #3: Pac-Man

Availability: Currently For Sale on eBay

Available to Play Online: Yes

Released: 1980

Platforms: Every platform in existence.

Gameplay: Waka Waka Waka Waka Waka Waka Waka Waka Waka. Go through a maze gobbling up Pac-dots and avoiding the ghosts: Blinky, Pinky, Inky and…Clyde? Use the four power pellets to make ghosts digestible, otherwise contact with them will cost you a life.

My mom ended up getting addicted to this game because they had a table top version at her place of work. She ended up buying me the Atari 1200 version and played it more than I did. It was quite common to come home from a hard day at school and find her playing it in my room.

“Computer games don’t affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.” – M. Brigstocke

Facts: Rumor has it in 1982 Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to an 8-year old boy congratulating him on his Pac-Man high score. A score that was only possible if he passed through the split screen mode (video below) which is caused by a programming glitch at the highest level. The very idea of this has caused a heated debate in video game circles because no player has ever demonstrated the feat is possible.

  • Check out and play our last video game t-shirt Centipede.
Date posted: August 12, 2010 By: Jimmy J

Defunkd’s exclusive collection of vintage t-shirts for sale at reasonably exorbitant prices.


Item #1: De La Soul, This is My De La Soul T-Shirt

Record: 3 Feet High and Rising

Year: 1989

Circulation: Rarer than a featherless Perdue chicken. Don’t believe us? Check eBay.

3 Feet High and Rising is my favorite hip hop album of all time. I purchased it on cassette and used auto-reverse on my deck to listen to it over and over. Pioneering rhyming with positive messages set to catchy melodies and beats topped off with a great sense of humor. 3FH&R is highly entertaining masterpiece that’s greater than the sum of its parts. And that’s saying a lot given each of its parts are little masterpieces themselves. Can you think of a song you didn’t like on this record? I can’t.

Brand: No tag

Measurements: 21″ (pit-to-pit) 28.5″ (rear collar-bottom seam)

Condition: This item is in good vintage condition.

Variables: Some fade on design, specifically on the front panel. Two very tiny holes: pin hole near left arm’s rear seam and a tiny fabric separation under rear collar. Some light marks on lower front visible above. Collar has lost some elasticity and form which isn’t noticeable when worn.

Price: $550.00 (includes expedited shipping w/tracking and insurance for U.S. and Canada)

Date posted: August 9, 2010 By: Jimmy J

Every few weeks we scour through eBay’s vintage t-shirt 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 Eurythmics revenge crew t-shirt sold for $331.25 by mrbob01
  2. 80s vintage Powell Peralta Bones skateboard t-shirt sold for $305.00 by dwill411
  3. 70s vintage Lou Reed Street Hassel promo t-shirt sold for $250.00 by mrbob01
  4. 80s vintage Grateful Dead concert t-shirt sold for $250.00 by lek_vintage
  5. 80s vintage The Adolescents punk t-shirt sold for $211.65 by stormcrow-vintage
  6. 70s vintage Queen freddie mercury t-shirt sold for $208.50 by wyco_vintage
  • View a previous edition where a Ramones t-shirt fetched top dollar.
  • View all the top performing men’s vintage clothes auctions.
Date posted: August 8, 2010 By: Jimmy J

Showcasing the vast vintage t-shirt arsenal of Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer.


Shirt #11: Slayer, All over print

Availability: Explore Vintage Slayer Tees on eBay

Year: 1991

Fact: In 1991 Slayer released Decade of Aggression to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.

Approximate value: $75-$150

Image Courtesy of: stormcrow-vintage

  • Check out the previous vintage Anthrax Among the Living t-shirt.
  • View all the t-shirts featured in our Big Four gallery.
Date posted: August 6, 2010 By: Jimmy J

maiden haven

A feeble attempt to document the endless array of brilliant vintage Iron Maiden t-shirts.


Shirt #37: Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter

Availability: Currently Available on eBay

Record: No Prayer for the Dying 1990

Approximate value: $75-150

  • View the previous vintage Maiden No Prayer t-shirt.
  • View the entire Maiden vintage t-shirt collection.