The Ultimate 1980s Vintage Iron Maiden T-Shirt Gallery
Iron Maiden tees have long been one of the gold standards of vintage t-shirts. Through the many peaks and valleys of the vintage t-shirt market, they have retained their value, and in many cases steadily increased over the years.
Why Are Iron Maiden T-Shirts so Valuable?
This is partly due to a loyal and ravenous fanbase, and the fact that they’re still touring. And of course, nostalgia is a huge driving factor. Most importantly though, they had a unique approach to t-shirt merchandising and designs. While they did print mass quantities of certain designs, they also created specific designs for their destinations, that were printed in far fewer quantities, making them far rarer than a typical tour t-shirt. Maiden would often create a shirt specifically for a tour in a country, like Japan or it could even mean a specific city, like New York.
And of course, they have the most popular metal mascot in Eddie, aka Eddie the Head, who is by the hardest working mascot in the metal biz.
Enjoy this feeble attempt to document the endless array of brilliant vintage Iron Maiden t-shirts from the 1980s aka the golden age of heavy metal.
Big thanks to Michael Pellegrini at MaidenSkinware and Stephen Voland for sharing some of their collections with us.
Vintage 1980 Iron Maiden T-Shirts
As far as we know, these are the first Iron Maiden tour t-shirts. It’s likely also the first appearance of Eddie on a t-shirt. Please let us know otherwise should you own something earlier than these.
Vintage Iron Maiden 1980 Autumn Tour T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini
Tour Dates: November 21 to December 1st, 1980
Vintage Iron Maiden Women in Uniform 1980 Tour T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael PellegriniTour Dates: November 21 to November 30, 1980
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers Tour T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini
Tour: Killer World Tour, February 17 to March 15, 1981
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killer World Tour Jersey
Tour Dates: February 1981 – November 1981
UK, Europe, Japan, North America
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers T-Shirt
Tour: Killers, February 17, 1981, to August 15, 1981.
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers World Tour T-Shirt
Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden World Tour Maiden Japan Jersey
Reads: “This is dedicated to all the headbangers, earth dogs, and metal merchants around the world. Thanks for making this world tour 1981-1982 such a success. Eddie”
Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers Japan Eddie Samurai T-Shirt
Tour: Killers 1981, Japan Shows: May 21, 22, 23, 24
Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Japan Tour T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini
Vintage 1982-83 Iron Maiden Number of the Beast Tour Camouflage Jersey
Tour Destinations: USA, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Norway, Yugoslavia, Canada, Austria, Finland, Japan.
Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Texas Camo Sleeves T-Shirt
Tour Name: The Beast on the Road 1982
Texas Dates: August 13 – 18
Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Number of the Beast T-Shirt
Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden The Beast at Reading Camouflage Jersey
Tour Destinations:
August 19th El Paso, Texas
August 28th Reading, England
September 3rd Long Beach, California
Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden The Beast on the Road World Tour Jersey
Tour Destinations: UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia, Japan
Vintage 1982 Beast on the Road World Tour Camouflage T-Shirt
Reads: “The cutting edge of heavy metal.”
Vintage 1982 Beast on the Road Europe T-Shirt
Vintage 1982 The Beast in New York T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden Remember The Alamo Texas Tour Jersey
Reads: “Brain Damage in Texas”
World Piece Tour, Texas: July 16-27
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden Onslaught Quebec Sleeveless Tee
Tour Dates:
06/09/1983 Flag of Canada Montréal, Quebec, CanadaVerdun Auditorium
07/09/1983 Chicoutimi, Quebec, CanadaGeorges Vizina Centre
08/09/1983 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Colisée Pepsi
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden New York Jersey
Reads: “Brain Damage at the Garden October 8, 1983 New York City, NY”
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece Tour Jersey
Tour: World Piece May 1983, to December 1983.
Reads: “The Beast on the Run”
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece T-Shirt
MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini
Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece Sweatshirt
Tour: World Piece Tour Part 1, May 2 – June 12, 1983
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave Aces High Jersey
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden World Slavery Powerslave Sleeveless T-Shirt
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Aces High Camouflage T-Shirt
Tour Name: World Slavery Tour
Dates: August 9 – December 21, 1984
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Behind The Iron Curtain T-Shirt
Tour: World Slavery Tour, Eastern Europe, August 9 – 19th, 1984
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave T-Shirt
Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave Eddie Sarcophagus T-Shirt
Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland
Vintage 1985 Texas Slavery Tour Jersey T-Shirt
Image courtesy eBay/Stompbox Records
Tour Dates: February 23 to March 7, 1985. Beaumont, Houston, Waco, Dallas, San Antonio, Lubbock.
Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden World Slavery Tour Hawaii T-Shirt
Tour Date: 1985-03-31 NBC Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, US
Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden California Invasion Tour Jersey
Tour Dates:
1985-03-14 to 1985-03-17 Long Beach
1985-03-20 Fresno
1985-03-21 San Francisco
1985-03-23 San Diego
1985-03-26 San Bernardino
Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden New York Eddie Luvs Noo Yawk T-Shirt
Tour: Word Slavery, January 17-24 1985, Radio City Music Hall
Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden 4th of July California Tour Jersey
Tour: World Slavery California: July 3 – July 5
Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden Florida “Arrive Alive in 85” Tour Jersey
photo: eBay/The Vintage Clubhouse
Tour Dates:
02-12-85 Jacksonville, FL
02-14-85 Ft. Myers, FL
02-15-85 Miami, FL
02-16-85 Lakeland, FL
Vintage 1986 Iron Maiden Phantom of the Opera T-Shirt
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour California Jersey
Reads: “No, we’re not an English rock band…We’re really rocket scientists from Leytonstone.”
Tour Dates:
1987-02-13 Arco Arena, Sacramento
1987-02-14 Orange Pavilion, San Bernardino
1987-02-16 to 18 Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles
1987-02-21 Arena, Oakland
1987-02-22 Selland Arena, Fresno
1987-02-24 Sports Arena, San Diego
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere in New York Jersey
Reads: “Meadowlands Arena March 28, 1987, Madison Square Garden April 2, 1987”
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour 1987 Pyro Pete Crew T-Shirt
Reads: “No Job Too Big, No Fee Too Big”
Peter “Pyro Pete” Cappadociaone is a pyrotechnics expert who has set up a stage with Gun & Roses, Metallica, KISS, Ozzy Osborne, and The Rolling Stones.
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Vice is Nice Florida Tour Jersey
Tour: Somewhere on Tour Florida: January 16-18
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour T-Shirt
Tour: Somewhere on Tour, September 1986, to May 1987.
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Stranger in a Strange Land Texas Jersey
Tour: Somewhere in Time/Somewhere on Tour, Texas Shows: 8
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour Local Krew T-Shirt
Vintage 1987 Somewhere in Time/Tour Bootleg T-Shirt
Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland
Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Dressed to Kill in Chicago Tour T-Shirt
Reads: “Chicago Mutants Rule Massacre at Rosemont Horizon”
Tour: Somewhere on Tour, March 11, 1987
Vintage 1988 Iron Maiden Aces High Monsters of Rock Bootleg T-Shirt
Reads: “Monsters of Rock Donning Park 1988”
Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Jersey
Tour Dates: May 1988 to December 1988
Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Monsters Tour T-Shirt
Tour: 7th Tour of a 7th Tour, May 1988 to December 1988
Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Local Killer Krew T-Shirt
Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland
Vintage 1988 Iron Maiden California Tour T-Shirt
Tour: Seventh Tour of Seventh Tour, California shows: June 5 to 12
To be continued…