With the prices of vintage t-shirts soaring we’re pitting some heavy weights against each other in an all-out, no-holds-barred…civilized vote by vintage t-shirt aficionados.
Beatles Butcher
The true origins of this relic are unknown. Its controversial artwork is derived from the infamous Beatles Butcher album that was released in 1966 and subsequently pulled from shelves because of widespread complaints. The original banned albums are worth a small fortune and this tee is arguably even more scarce. Is it an extremely rare record store promo? Or one of the earliest examples of bootlegging? Either way it’s a vintage artifact.
Brand: Vee-Kay
Age: 43
Price: $20,000
Transcelestians
This badboy could be the most rare Star Wars collectible, on any planet. Alledged to be a crew t-shirt when filming began for A New Hope, aka Star Wars aka Transcelestians (the working title). This is such obscure Star Wars trivia that when this working title is Googled, there are no results…seriously, try it. Said to be owned by Ben Burtt, the four-time Academy Award-winning sound technician who got Darth breathing heavy.
The jury is still out on the origins of this t-shirt but you can find out more about it here.
Jimmy founded Defunkd in 2004 when he started selling vintage t-shirts online. 20 years of experience later and he hasn't looked back since. Actually, he looks back all the time given he's a sucker for nostalgia. For more, check the history of Defunkd and Jimmy's Expertise.