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Cut sleeves and split necks (Harley/3D Emblem content)

Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 6:25 pm
by bodhi
Hey guys, wanted to get some general opinions on what one might call "modified" or "personalized" vintage t-shirts (cut sleeves, collars, etc).

An old biker I work with just gave me a small stack of 3 Harley-Davidson 3D Emblem/Holoubek t-shirts All three of them have the sleeves cut off (cleanly, but still). 2 of the 3 also have their collars cut out and are notched in the center.

One (the one that still has a collar) is a fairly sought-after "hawg" design, the other two I've never seen before but are pretty badass. Besides the cuts, all three are in pretty good vintage shape, some fading and print wear.

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I'm curious to get some opinions on how much you think this sort of "personalization" might affect the value of otherwise pretty sweet shirts. I tend to think that (for most vintage tees), this sort of damage would be death. For certain biker and rock tees, though, I think this might not necessarily kill 'em (and may even save someone who likes this style from the guilt of cutting up an otherwise intact tee :) )

Feel free to comment, I'd love to hear some other stories of you finding what would ordinarily be a show-stopping piece that brought along with it a bit of self-inflicted "baggage".

Re: Cut sleeves and split necks (Harley/3D Emblem content)

Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 7:40 pm
by jimmyj
Usually kills the value unfortunately. You should still do ok with the hog one - because it's a popular design. But I find sleeveless are always a way tougher sell...especially DIY sleeveless. :cry:

Re: Cut sleeves and split necks (Harley/3D Emblem content)

Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 1:03 am
by waxandthreads
Of course, their value remains high when modeled on a beautiful woman. Check out American Archive. Consistently maxing out through nice presentation.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... true&rt=nc

Re: Cut sleeves and split necks (Harley/3D Emblem content)

Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 5:15 pm
by jimmyj
Very good point. We made a run at ladies DIY in '05 and the Harley DIY stuff always did really well. Until we got a warning from their brand manager to cease and desist using Harley tees for our reincarnations. She was nice about it I remember - didn't go VeRO on us, contacted us directly.

Take Wax's advise and model it on a lady for max potential and please post here for our enjoyment.