Vintage Harley Davidson 3D Emblem Road Rebel Black Hills T-Shirt

This vintage T-shirt has undergone a meticulous in-person examination by an authenticator (James A.), who has concluded that it is an authentic, deadstock, 1988 "Road Rebel" Harley Davidson T-shirt in a 3D Emblem XL size. 

This garment is in deadstock condition and qualifies for platinum certification status.

This T-shirt is in very-fine/near-mint condition. The only flaws appear to be garment construction/print production-based.

The front of the shirt features art by 3D Emblem regular Matt Hamje. It features a hog riding a motorcycle and smoking a cigar. A rebel flag is flying behind him, and the Harley logo is prominently featured at the bottom right of the piece.

The back features artwork by 3D Emblem artist (and art director) Steve Mcdonald in X colors. The design celebrates the 1988 Sturgis Black Hills Classic with several elements, including a hog wearing sunglasses, a motorcycle, and Mount Rushmore. This art was often featured on the front of 3D emblem t-shirts, some of which have a copyright date of 1987.

This front/back print combination appears to be a lessor-seen variant. The back is typically blank or features a Harley dealer or related sponsor.

This item is VF/NM (very fine, near mint) deadstock.

The following factors contributed to this grade:

This t-shirt has never been washed and was stored well for over three decades.

After analyzing the item's construction, there are no issues with stitching on the collar, shoulders, arm, or bottom hems.

A stray thread above the inside collar originates from behind the tag seam. There's also one on the inside bottom hem, but both are simply the end of the stitch and pose no threat to the item's integrity.

There's a stable fabric bunch on the right arm near the arm hem.

The right arm, under-seam is stitched slightly off. Typically, they would line up, but it isn't significant enough to be of any concern.

Using a microscope, I have found fabric fuzz and stray threads on the base of the shirt, primarily on the lower front and back. Common fiber imperfections are more evident because of the black color. They pose no threat to the garment's integrity and are common in t-shirts that are fresh from production.

This item was neatly folded and placed in a plastic container for decades. As a result, the garment has (2) vertical fold lines that neatly border the print on the front and back. However, the lines are no longer visible when a gentle stretch is applied horizontally in these areas (see video), so they would likely not be visible should the new owner decide to wash the garment gently. As previously stated, we preserve deadstock items precisely as presented and don't attempt to correct wrinkles, creases, etc.

That said, in extreme lighting conditions, like in heavily lit our gallery photos, there may be ever so faint evidence of some fabric fading on the black on the front and back torso. However, under more normal lighting conditions, like in our video showcase, this can't be detected.

Additionally:

• The T-shirt is dark black, the print colors are bright (watch the video in the Photos & Video section for most accurate appearance.)
• The shirt has a smell that indicates it's brand new.
• There are no signs of any repair or restoration.
• The collar has not been stretched or warped, and the neck elasticity is optimal.
• Given this is a black deadstock shirt, dry rot is possible. Yet, there is no smell, fabric sheen or powder associated with dry rot. Further, I performed several tiny tugs on inside seam fabric, all were stable.
• The print is vibrant, with no evidence of any fade from light or sun damage.
• There are no holes, stains, blemishes, or seam separations.
• No signs of pilling.
• The print registrations are excellent, with no creases or ink errors. Given the complexity of these prints and the number of colors in use, slight registration issues among a color or two are not uncommon but difficult to detect. Both sides are within tolerance levels.

Color Profile: The front print likely features at least seven colors (red, yellow, brown, peach, blue, blue/gray, and hilite white) plus underlay. The back likely features seven colors (blue, yellow, orange, brown, peach, grey, and hilite white) plus underlay.

Print type: Screen, The front and back both feature 32.5 line halftones.

Given that a single company printed this t-shirt, we expect the print area on all originals to be identical. As an additional authentication data point, we've taken photos of the print measurements and included them with the secret photos attached to this certificate.

The print registrations are excellent, with no creases or ink errors. Given the complexity of these prints and the number of colors in use, slight registration issues among a color or two are not uncommon but difficult to detect. Both sides are within tolerance levels.

Most noticeably, on the rear print, the Harley lettering in white appears to be slightly "out of focus" when compared to other versions.

Interestingly, below the A, there's a blue border with a touch of brown, which seems to be consistent with several other versions we compared this to.

Color: Black

Construction: Tube Knit

Fabric: 50% Polyester 50% Cotton

Stitching Profile: 1,1,1 (single stitch on collar, arms, and single on bottom hem.)

Pit-to-Pit: 21" (53.34 cm)

Full Length: 29" (73.66 cm)

Left Shoulder seam to arm hem: 6.98" (17.75 cm)

Right shoulder seam to arm hem: 7.49" (19 cm)

Left Arm Opening: 6.89" (17.5 cm)

Right Arm Opening: 6.89" (17.5 cm)

(The right/left measurements above are from the perspective of the wearer's body)

Tag: 3D Emblem, Black, Nylon/Poly tag, Screen Printed with Yellow/Gold Ink

Size: XL

Fabric: 50% Polyester 50% Cotton

RN: 60533 (ASHMORE SPORTSWEAR, INC.,) Registered Circa 1977

Installation: Sewn-Under, well centered on the neckline. The tag is installed with an skew to the left.

Condition: The tag is absolutely mint, stiff, and crispy, another indication that this item is deadstock. The printing of this tag is nearly perfect. No fade/smudges typically happen after any type of wear or wash. Even mint tags often have some imperfections in the yellow printing.

The print on the tag is off-center horizontally, noticeably shifted to the left. Regarding the vertical centering, there is slightly more space above "XL" than below "MADE IN U.S.A.," but we find this to be a less important factor than the horizontal centering, as the tag was often not sewn in at precisely the same spot. However, in this instance, this centering is above average.

Width: 1.40" (3.70 cm)

Length: 1.5" (3.81 cm) (visible tag)

"While browsing Craigslist, I found a series of ads with random items like baskets, Christmas, Halloween, etc. When I see ads like this I reach out asking if they have what I'm looking for. My email said 'Do you have any clothes in the estate? Any small figurines? Any toys? Thanks.'

His reply was 'Yes, yes, maybe- call me.'

I drove an hour to a locked gate in Snohomish in Washington State, wondering if this was going to be worth my time or if this is where I would get murdered. It's a very real feeling when you do online meet-ups, lol. That first day I went through the 2 racks of dusty clothes including a full fringe Harley Davidson leather jacket. That's when I started to get excited. When I started going through boxes I came across a plastic tote with nicely folded tees, without looking at them much I added them to my pile, I found another box of tees, wool sweaters, old wool blankets, harley patches, pins and stickers.

I got a good pile going and could tell my host was getting tired, so we added up my finds, and that is when I saw how cool the tees were. They were 70-80s single stitch and 20+ Harley Davidson tees; many were NOS. I only had a chance to look through 1/5 of his boxes that day. I ended up going five times in total. I found old motorcycle posters, figurines, brass, sterling jewelry, gold jewelry, clothes, etc.

In my contacts, I call him Steve Harley. He is a sweet, long-bearded fellow. He proudly showed me his welded life-sized sculptures. He told me he inherited his friend's estate nine years ago and was looking to downsize. She was a compulsive shopper, and many of the items were never opened, along with his 60 years of stuff.

After going through the last of the boxes and realizing it was going to be my last visit, I was actually sad. I had a blast going through all the boxes and hanging out with Steve."

-Danielle C, Antique booth dealer and out-of-the-box picker.

Steve Harley's Storage Space in Snohomish, Wa

Matt Hamje, one of the 3D Emblem's regular artists, created the artwork on the front of this piece.

His initials are present on this piece.

His whereabouts are currently unknown.

Steve Mcdonald, the original 3-D Emblem Art Director and Artist, did the artwork on the rear. His initials are present on this piece.

Steve started at 3D Emblem in 1965 and is still active in the t-shirt business and posts regularly on Instagram. I contacted Steve via IG to comment on this design and he replied, "That was always one of my favorites...."

Due to their popularity and price, counterfeiters target 3D Emblem t-shirts. Yet, due to the complicated nature of the artwork and the half-tone process, they are rarely convincing enough to fool anyone, although they are improving.

There are two known fake 3D Emblem tags currently in circulation.

There is a counterfeit version of this t-shirt with a fake Harley Davidson t-shirt tag.

There are also unauthorized reproductions of it.

This piece has a copyright and licensing area on both the front and back.

3D EMBLEM FT. WORTH TX. ©1988

along with a Harley Davidson OLP (Official Licensed Product) Emblem.

The Harley Emblem on the backside has a ® while the front does not.

There are several variants of this vintage print. Based on limited data, the most common version is the one with no back print.

So far, the following backprint variants are associated with the Road Rebel tee.

And a limited view of what appears to be a Harley Dealer in El Paso.

This print recently gained much attention after selling for $4300 on eBay in January of 2024—in that particular case, the back of the shirt was blank. Later, in 2024, a large version sold for $3700 USD.

An XL was auctioned in 2022 and sold for $3550.

Most recently, in late September of 2024 this t-shirt was sold for $10,000, by Exit73vintage.com.

 

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Needless to say, this has been the most expensive 3D Emblem t-shirt in the last three years.

WorthPoint reports that in 2020, the Road Rebel / Black Hills combo sold for $7877.00. However, there is no way to verify if this sale transpired, as 3D Emblem t-shirt sales are often incomplete, yet WorthPoint will still list them as sold.

Due to its pristine condition and the fact that it features two 3D artists with a lesser-seen double print variant, we estimate this item could sell for between $4,000 and $12,500 (USD). It is currently being auctioned on eBay via Defunkd, and we'll update this section when the auction concludes.

The auction ended with a high bid of $15,099.00. The buyer, however, immediately asked for the purchase to be canceled.

The item was bid on privately through Instagram DMs, with a high bid of $13,500, paid on December 12, 2024.

Rapid City Journal, 1988

I consulted with t-shirt screen printing veteran Brett Weiss to better assess this t-shirt's print.

I emailed Matt Hamje to inquire if he is still working, and I have not heard back.

25% of Defunkd's share of the profits (this item is being sold on consignment) from the sale of this item will be donated to the NAACP.

On December 16, Defunkd donated $644.41 to the NAACP.

We heard back from artist Matt Hamje, who provided quotes for a news release about the record-breaking $13,500 3D T-shirt sale.

8 high-resolution microscopic images highlighting the unique characteristics of this t-shirt—such as its print, fabric, and tag—have been captured and securely linked to this certificate. Just as no two fingerprints are alike, no two vintage tees are identical. These images create a robust and verifiable connection between this certification and the garment, eliminating the need for aftermarket tags, marks, or alterations, thereby preserving the t-shirt's original state.

To prevent counterfeiters from copying our photos, the publicly visible ones have been reduced in quality, while the original, high-res images have been stored privately with this certificate. Watch the video in the Photos & Video section for the most accurate showcase of this garment's appearance.

Given that this t-shirt was printed in limited quantities, we expect the print area on all originals to be identical. As an additional authentication data point, we've taken photos of the print measurements and included them with the secret photos attached to this certificate.

These images are exclusively accessible by Defunkd for future verification.

Additional information discovered after the original publishing date of this certificate can be added to the following sections:

• Artists
• Reissues or Counterfeits
• Licensing
• Related Material
• Value
• Variants
• Notes

Changes will be noted here.

All other sections are locked, except formatting, grammatical corrections, or additional photos.

• November 25, 2024: Two text additions to "Notes"
• December 2, 2024: Added three stitch detail photos to "T-shirt Specifications"
• December 16, 2024: Updated final sale details to "Value" and donation information to "Notes"
• December 20, 2024: Updated "Notes" to include a link to the press release about the record-breaking sale.