Do you have a rare tour T-shirt in your wardrobe?
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Time to go through your parents’ drawers – there may be a rare sartorial gem hidden in there!
Written by Chris ParkinPublished on 11.04.2017 · 14:00 +08
Back in the day, no one knew the value of anything. Toys were torn out of their boxes and (shock, horror!) played with; favourite records were lent to sticky-fingered friends; and band T-shirts were worn to within an inch of their lives and then thrown in the bin. But, d'oh! What were we thinking? Just like toys and records, vintage band T-shirts have been big business for years now, despite high-street shops selling mass-produced copies.
Just to prove how careful we – or maybe your parents – should've been, here's a selection of some really cool but very rare band T-shirts.
Nirvana, tour crew T-shirt (1993)
One of several tour T-shirts out there that's as rare as platypus teeth because it was only given to crew members working on Nirvana's In Utero tour. This particular one belonged – or so we're told – to Kurt Cobain's bodyguard. Given the lasting importance of Nirvana, this one is super-expensive. It was put on sale for $6,987 [£5,609].
Nirvana, 1993
© STORMCROW-VINTAGE/EBAY
Run-D.M.C., concert T-shirt (early 1980s)
This promo T-shirt, for an early '80s show by the New York rap legends, will set you back a pretty penny – just like any hip-hop T-shirt from the same era will. But this one has the added bonus of looking amazing and having some old-school adidas magic. The trio had a partnership with the sports brand back in the day and the reverse features an adidas/Run-D.M.C. logo. The example below was priced at $13,022 [£10,453].
Run-D.M.C. My adidas, early '80s
© DEFUNKD
Michael Jackson, tour baseball shirt (1984)
From his 1984 Thriller world tour, this original Michael Jackson baseball shirt has been known to sell for $996 [£800]. Which is still an awful lot of money given that Jackson was already a huge pop star by that point and presumably shifted a lot of merch. There's a very good chance that anyone who owns one of these also owns a pair of Jackson's LA Gear trainers. The T-shirt below was priced at $386 [£310].
Michael Jackson, 1984
© HONDAMANIAC/ETSY
The Rolling Stones, tour crew T-shirt (1976)
Examples of this T-shirt, which was given to family, friends and crew members working on the Stones' Knebworth Park, UK, show in 1976, have been known to sell for a whopping $9014 [£7,236] – apparently. That's what happens when you pair one of the world's biggest bands with a character from Asterix. There are cheaper examples out there, including the tiny one below, which was put on the market for $934 [£750].
The Rolling Stones, 1976
© MR.SLOANE/EBAY
Guns N’ Roses, tour T-shirt (1987)
This is an original 1987 Guns N' Roses T-shirt for their Appetite For Destruction European tour. Again, you might think that enough people would still own this one to keep prices down – but obviously not. Music fans need to take better care of their clothes. Depending on the condition and size of the T-shirt, these sell for between £100-900. But this one was priced at $1,192 [£957].
Guns N' Roses, 1987
© WYCOVINTAGE/ETSY
Led Zeppelin, promotional T-shirt (1973)
Fans hand over large sums of money for Zep T-shirts. The band's shirt for their 1979 Knebworth Park show, which also served as a backstage pass, was reportedly sold for $7599 [£6,100] by Stormcrow Vintage in 2011. But the example below – a promotional T-shirt by Atlantic Records to plug the release of the band's 1973 (and fifth) album Houses Of The Holy – was made available for $3110 [£2,497].
Led Zeppelin's Houses Of The Holy shirt, 1973
© RAINBOWGASOLINE/ETSY
The Beatles, promotional T-shirt (1970s)
The Beatles' ninth US album, 1966's Yesterday And Today, was recalled immediately because of its gory cover: dressed like butchers, the Fabs were covered in blood, meat and mutilated dolls. The original record is, as you might guess, now worth a small fortune. A few years ago someone apparently sold a T-shirt featuring the original cover – a gift from John Lennon – on eBay for $19,932 [£16,000]. The one below – from the early '70s – isn't worth that much, but it does have the butcher cover on it. The asking price was $595 [£478].
The Beatles, 1970s
© WYECOVINTAGE/ETSY
Prince, muscle T-shirt (1984)
But of course Prince released a skimpy muscle T-shirt. To plug his 1984 album Purple Rain, the much-missed megastar's label put out these promotional T-shirts. If you've got one, take good care of it. We found one on sale for $1,554 [£1,248].
Prince, 1984
© THEBEADEDLION/ETSY
The Ramones, tour T-shirt (1978)
Their logo is killer, so T-shirts by The Ramones – along with those by Joy Division and Motörhead – were the first to be mass-produced by shops around the world. People wearing a Ramones tee might not know which track opens Rocket To Russia, but they will look pretty cool. Anyway, you can understand their appeal: this amazing 1978 original tour T-shirt was on sale for $500-plus [£400-plus].
The Ramones, 1978
© VINTAGECLOSET00/ETSY
The Residents, promotional T-shirt (1974)
Back in the day, this would've been a T-shirt for a subversive music fan and member of the counter-culture. And frankly, given how bonkers The Residents' abstract, deconstructed pop music still sounds, owning this T-shirt still does give you an edge. This was released to plug the band's 1974 debut album and features the record's front cover – a controversial parody of The Beatles' second US album, Meet the Beatles! The one below was marked at $778 [£625].
The Residents, 1974
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