The Ultimate 1980s Vintage Iron Maiden T-Shirt Gallery

Iron Maiden tees have long been one of the gold standards of vintage t-shirts. Through the many peaks and valleys of the vintage t-shirt market, they have retained their value, and in many cases steadily increased over the years.

Why Are Iron Maiden T-Shirts so Valuable?

This is partly due to a loyal and ravenous fanbase, and the fact that they’re still touring. And of course, nostalgia is a huge driving factor. Most importantly though, they had a unique approach to t-shirt merchandising and designs. While they did print mass quantities of certain designs, they also created specific designs for their destinations, that were printed in far fewer quantities, making them far rarer than a typical tour t-shirt. Maiden would often create a shirt specifically for a tour in a country, like Japan or it could even mean a specific city, like New York.

And of course, they have the most popular metal mascot in Eddie, aka Eddie the Head, who is by the hardest working mascot in the metal biz.

Enjoy this feeble attempt to document the endless array of brilliant vintage Iron Maiden t-shirts from the 1980s aka the golden age of heavy metal.

Big thanks to Michael Pellegrini at MaidenSkinware and Stephen Voland for sharing some of their collections with us.

Vintage 1980 Iron Maiden T-Shirts

As far as we know, these are the first Iron Maiden tour t-shirts. It’s likely also the first appearance of Eddie on a t-shirt. Please let us know otherwise should you own something earlier than these.

Vintage Iron Maiden 1980 Autumn Tour T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini

Tour Dates: November 21 to December 1st, 1980

Vintage Iron Maiden Women in Uniform 1980 Tour T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael PellegriniTour Dates: November 21 to November 30, 1980

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers Tour T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini

Tour: Killer World Tour, February 17 to March 15, 1981

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killer World Tour Jersey

Tour Dates: February 1981 – November 1981

UK, Europe, Japan, North America

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers T-Shirt

Tour: Killers, February 17, 1981, to August 15, 1981.

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers World Tour T-Shirt

Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden World Tour Maiden Japan Jersey

Reads: “This is dedicated to all the headbangers, earth dogs, and metal merchants around the world. Thanks for making this world tour 1981-1982 such a success. Eddie”

Vintage 1981 Iron Maiden Killers Japan Eddie Samurai T-Shirt

Tour: Killers 1981, Japan Shows: May 21, 22, 23, 24

Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Japan Tour T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini

Vintage 1982-83 Iron Maiden Number of the Beast Tour Camouflage Jersey

Tour Destinations: USA, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Norway, Yugoslavia, Canada, Austria, Finland, Japan.

Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Texas Camo Sleeves T-Shirt

Tour Name: The Beast on the Road 1982

Texas Dates: August 13 – 18

Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden Number of the Beast T-Shirt

Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden The Beast at Reading Camouflage Jersey

Tour Destinations: 

August 19th El Paso, Texas

August 28th Reading, England

September 3rd Long Beach, California

Vintage 1982 Iron Maiden The Beast on the Road World Tour Jersey

Tour Destinations: UK, Europe, US, Canada, Australia, Japan

Vintage 1982 Beast on the Road World Tour Camouflage T-Shirt

Reads: “The cutting edge of heavy metal.”

Vintage 1982 Beast on the Road Europe T-Shirt

Vintage 1982 The Beast in New York T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden Remember The Alamo Texas Tour Jersey

Reads: “Brain Damage in Texas”

World Piece Tour,  Texas: July 16-27

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden Onslaught Quebec Sleeveless Tee

Tour Dates: 

06/09/1983 Flag of Canada Montréal, Quebec, CanadaVerdun Auditorium

07/09/1983 Chicoutimi, Quebec, CanadaGeorges Vizina Centre

08/09/1983 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Colisée Pepsi

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden New York Jersey

Reads: “Brain Damage at the Garden October 8, 1983 New York City, NY”

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece Tour Jersey

Tour: World Piece May 1983, to December 1983.

Reads: “The Beast on the Run”

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece T-Shirt

MaidenSkinware /Michael Pellegrini

Vintage 1983 Iron Maiden World Piece Sweatshirt

Tour: World Piece Tour Part 1, May 2 – June 12, 1983

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave Aces High Jersey

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden World Slavery Powerslave Sleeveless T-Shirt

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Aces High Camouflage T-Shirt

Tour Name: World Slavery Tour

Dates: August 9 – December 21, 1984

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Behind The Iron Curtain T-Shirt

Tour: World Slavery Tour, Eastern Europe, August 9 – 19th, 1984

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave T-Shirt

Vintage 1984 Iron Maiden Powerslave Eddie Sarcophagus T-Shirt

Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland

Vintage 1985 Texas Slavery Tour Jersey T-Shirt

Image courtesy eBay/Stompbox Records

Tour Dates: February 23 to March 7, 1985. Beaumont, Houston, Waco, Dallas, San Antonio, Lubbock.

Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden World Slavery Tour Hawaii T-Shirt

Tour Date: 1985-03-31 NBC Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, US

Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden California Invasion Tour Jersey

Tour Dates:

1985-03-14 to 1985-03-17 Long Beach
1985-03-20 Fresno
1985-03-21 San Francisco
1985-03-23 San Diego
1985-03-26 San Bernardino

Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden New York Eddie Luvs Noo Yawk T-Shirt

Tour: Word Slavery, January 17-24 1985, Radio City Music Hall

Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden 4th of July California Tour Jersey

Tour: World Slavery California: July 3 – July 5

Vintage 1985 Iron Maiden Florida “Arrive Alive in 85” Tour Jersey

photo: eBay/The Vintage Clubhouse

Tour Dates:

02-12-85 Jacksonville, FL
02-14-85 Ft. Myers, FL
02-15-85 Miami, FL
02-16-85 Lakeland, FL

Vintage 1986 Iron Maiden Phantom of the Opera T-Shirt

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour California Jersey

Reads: “No, we’re not an English rock band…We’re really rocket scientists from Leytonstone.”

Tour Dates:

1987-02-13 Arco Arena, Sacramento
1987-02-14 Orange Pavilion, San Bernardino
1987-02-16 to 18 Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles
1987-02-21 Arena, Oakland
1987-02-22 Selland Arena, Fresno
1987-02-24 Sports Arena, San Diego

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere in New York Jersey

Reads: “Meadowlands Arena March 28, 1987, Madison Square Garden April 2, 1987”

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour 1987 Pyro Pete Crew T-Shirt

Reads: “No Job Too Big, No Fee Too Big”

Peter “Pyro Pete” Cappadociaone is a pyrotechnics expert who has set up a stage with Gun & Roses, Metallica, KISS, Ozzy Osborne, and The Rolling Stones.

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Vice is Nice Florida Tour Jersey

Tour: Somewhere on Tour Florida: January 16-18

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour T-Shirt

Tour: Somewhere on Tour, September 1986, to May 1987.

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Stranger in a Strange Land Texas Jersey

Tour: Somewhere in Time/Somewhere on Tour, Texas Shows: 8

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Somewhere on Tour Local Krew T-Shirt

Vintage 1987 Somewhere in Time/Tour Bootleg T-Shirt

Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland

Vintage 1987 Iron Maiden Dressed to Kill in Chicago Tour T-Shirt

Reads: “Chicago Mutants Rule Massacre at Rosemont Horizon”

Tour: Somewhere on Tour, March 11, 1987

Vintage 1988 Iron Maiden Aces High Monsters of Rock Bootleg T-Shirt

Reads: “Monsters of Rock Donning Park 1988”

Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Jersey

Tour Dates: May 1988 to December 1988

Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Monsters Tour T-Shirt

Tour: 7th Tour of a 7th  Tour, May 1988 to December 1988

Vintage 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Local Killer Krew T-Shirt

Images Courtesy of Stephen Voland: IG/StephenVoland

Vintage 1988 Iron Maiden California Tour T-Shirt

Tour: Seventh Tour of  Seventh Tour, California shows: June 5 to 12

To be continued…