Category: Tees

You can always expect a storm when a vintage t-shirt sells for an exorbitant price. Back in 2011, it was the Led Zeppelin backstage pass t-shirt that sold for $10,000 on eBay. A decade later it was the Grateful Dead t-shirt that fetched $17,640 during a Sotheby’s auction. In 2020, the $6000 Disney Aladdin Genie t-shirt sent the most shockwaves through the vintage t-shirt community. It was sold during a pioneering Instagram live auction, hosted by Chris Fernandez, of 1980 Something Co. The $6k Genie sale happened during a perfect storm of factors. There was a raging pandemic that shut ... Read more

Resurreccion is a Mexico-based bootleg t-shirt that was formed in the early 90s. But it’s far more than just a typical bootleg operation given they were determined to create a lasting brand. The designs were original, big, and painstakingly printed. Rather than scouting out dirt cheap blanks, they mostly used ones they smuggled from the United States or bought shirts that didn’t pass the quality control. Resurreccion occupies a unique space in the vintage t-shirt universe, which is obvious given its value in modern times. According to Jesus at @vintagewitchfinder, someone shelled out $3000 for a Dragon Ball Z Resurreccion ... Read more

A previous article explained why a torn t-shirt tag could indicate the print is a bootleg. It’s no surprise that bootleggers preferred printing on budget t-shirts, and a torn tag can indicate a factory second, or reject, that bootleggers would buy at discounted prices. But what other types of tags are a red flag for a bootleg tee? Bootleggers were mostly nickel and dime operations that wanted to make some quick cash, but they were also very aware their inventory could get confiscated. With that in mind, you can bet they wanted to spend as little as possible on their ... Read more

It’s important to note that I’m focusing on bootlegs that are actually vintage, so at least 20 years old. This has nothing to do with modern bootlegs that feature counterfeit tags like the ones showcased in our fake tag archive. Those are meant to be vintage knock-offs, while vintage bootlegs are two decades old, often feature original artwork, and are generally accepted by the vintage community. In the mid-2000s I connected with a gentleman who was a concert merch manager in the 1980s and 90s. He had thousands of vintage t-shirts in storage – and we partnered up to sell ... Read more

This is a gallery of the rarest and most expensive t-shirt relics from the company formerly known as Blue Ribbon Sports. It all began in 1972 when Nike made t-shirts for the Olympic trials – and the company’s founders were hot-pressing runner’s names on the rear of the tee. The rest, as they say, is history. Nike started as footwear company, tees weren’t initially on their radar, so keep in mind many of their t-shirt designs from the 1970s had yet to feature Nike tags, which became a staple in the 1980s. Some values are based on sales, others are ... Read more