Vintage T-Shirt Forum & Community Authentication Appraisals

I'm excited about these. I'm pretty sure they're all from the early to mid-70s. Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, faux R. Crumb/Star Trek "keep on trekkin'" mash up, Spiderman, Bruce Lee.

Most of the labels are frayed but I'm including a photo of the three that are still legible.

The bad news: they're stained/discolored. But the colors on the images are amazing. What's the best way to clean? Or is it better to not clean, and sell "as is"?

Anyone familiar with any of these? I can also post individual photos.

And the million dollar question: what are these worth? (separately).

Thanks!

Nice line-up!

There's two good Defunkd posts to help ya out:

appraisal:

http://www.defunkd.com/blog/2014/04/28/ ... e-t-shirt/

and cleaning:

http://www.defunkd.com/blog/2009/02/18/ ... val-guide/

The ringers on most of them play into both situation - ringers are currently not as popular as non-ringers. In fact, might turn some people off. And the ringers may also thwart some of the stain removal procedures listed - like oxy-clean may effect their colouring.

Having said that - I think Bruce might be one of the most valuable.

Star Trek tees I have found to be poop as far as demand, which amazes me given how many devoted trekkies there are - but for some reason vintage tees just don't appeal to them.

The Crumb boot might land ya $50.

Movie and comics are hot. But ringers are not. Still there's plenty of value there. Definitely BIN situations - sit on them and wait for the right fan who isn't necessarily interested in wearing them, or could care less about t-shirt trends. Ringers are due to make a comeback!

hey jimmy,

Thanks for the info. I read your first link, on valuing tees, and it was not only informative but hysterical - thank you! I haven't yet read the cleaning thread, that's next.

Thanks for the info on ringers. I love ringers so I was surprised to learn they're out of fashion now, but one can hope they make a comeback.

As far as the others, and BINs (or selling privately), what would you suggest as prices? (msg. me if better). The group photo I posted was pretty lame, but in person the artwork on each of these is spectacular and vibrant - almost "too" vibrant, in that great 70s way. And from the labels would you agree they're early/mid-70s? They're also thin, etc.

I did a through search and needless to say couldn't find any of these previously listed online anywhere - have you (or any of your community) ever seen any of these before?

I also have a couple of Salsa/Latin NY tees from the same era which I'll post shortly - wondering about them too. (Non-ringers).

thanks!

70s seems right. Maybe Spiderman is 80s, just not sure which tags apply to which tee.

Star Trek $75 with offers
Bruce $200 with offers (although judging by previous bruce shirts, doesnt seem to be huge in demand right now)
all others $150 with offers

But you can price them any way you want - I would just allow for offers to suss out what people are willing to pay.

I dont see much value in the other tees posted. Might be missing something, but never known those genres to have value.

Thanks Jimmy. Are those estimates in "as is" condition, or would they need to be cleaned up first?

try cleaning em up...always helps!

Thanks JJ. Soaked one of the PLANET OF THE APES in BIZ for a few hours and it made quite a difference.

When I list these on ebay, are there any title KWs to keep in mind besides vintage, thin, soft, 70s, monster? I suppose rare, as these are pretty darn well, rare.

I sold a '70s Trek tee recently for around $75, though it was a Roach sparkle iron on. Also, popular opinion aside, I think the Godzilla tee is the f-ing coolest!

Thanks memory! The Godzilla one is my favorite too -- that, and the Mr. Natural/Spock one.

Turns out the Bruce Lee might be an iron-on, so that probably affects value, am I right Jimmy?

They all did great being soaked in Biz although some of the blue of the ringer collars bled - is that acceptable to buyers? The colors of the artwork stayed nice and vibrant however.

Oh - the Spiderman label is quite frayed, looks like an RN #, Made in Pakistan, 100% Cotton.

Any thoughts on the Latin/Salsa shirts in the other post?

Darn ringers always cause issues for stain removal! Little bleed is not a huge deal - definitely better than certain stains.

Yeah, if it's an iron on, all bets are off.

whats the pit to pit measurement on the Bruce Lee?

hi retro,

The pit to pit on Bruce Lee is approx. 21 inches.

jimmyj wrote:70s seems right. Maybe Spiderman is 80s, just not sure which tags apply to which tee.

Star Trek $75 with offers
Bruce $200 with offers (although judging by previous bruce shirts, doesnt seem to be huge in demand right now)
all others $150 with offers

But you can price them any way you want - I would just allow for offers to suss out what people are willing to pay.

I dont see much value in the other tees posted. Might be missing something, but never known those genres to have value.

OP here. I can't believe it's been 9 years since I first posted these! I never did anything with these, just stored them away. Well, hopefully the t-shirt market has grown (it seems it certainly has) and the more obscure the tee, the better is my guess.

I'd love any updated suggestions on the pricing of these. Would it help if I post better (individual) photos?

Thanks, as always.