Can You Spot a Fake Vintage T-Shirt?

I purchased both of these t-shirts on eBay from different sellers who had an array of vintage t-shirts up for auction. Based on how they were listed, described and photographed, I bought them under the assumption they were true vintage articles.

Ooooops! Yes, even me, the guy who authored three guides on how to shop for a genuine vintage t-shirt on eBay, got duped! How could this happen? Well, truth be told, the most important factor on determining if a shirt is genuine can only be done while it’s in your possession. Pictures, descriptions, and other methods can deceive even the most seasoned vintage veteran.

We’re currently hard at play in the Defunkd Laboratories creating a few tests you can perform at home to ensure that shirts you’ve purchased are actually real. “Of course they are!” you say? Don’t be so sure. Hell, I got burned. When the voting closes in one week, we’ll reveal the correct answer and the exact methods we used on these t-shirts to test them.

Now let’s see if you can succeed where I failed. Can you spot the fake? Before you log your vote, feel free to study up on our vintage t-shirt guides – there’s plenty of useful information there that can be applied directly to these shirts.

To level the playing field, both t-shirts were photographed under the exact same lighting conditions, neither have been retouched, brightened or altered in any way.

Shirt #1 is in near-mint condition. The print is bright and the tag is missing.

Shirt #2 has yellow stains. The print is faded and it’s tagged, “Screen Stars Best.”

Find out the chilling conclusion to the poll and the correct answer here.