Boston U.S. Tour

extremely rare & original 1978 Boston U.S. Tour parking lot bootleg
year: 1978
tag: random unknown paki 
material: 100% cotton
condition: excellent vintage
value: $450
note: acquired recently from a collector in Seattle Washington. Boston recorded some of the most popular and heavily played tracks of all time in the late 70's. the authorized t-shirts from this tour are rare in collector circles (see original post here) but for some reason these parking lot bootlegs are beyond rare. i've only seen this tee one other time. probably because these funky and poorly constructed pakistan bootlegs would basically become ruined after just one run through the washer and dryer, shrinking and warping to unwearable proportions and quickly being discarded or consigned to being wash rags by their owners. somehow this XL has remained intact for over 34 years and can still be rocked!

back print w/band member names

the band on tour in 1978

1978 "Don't Look Back" album cover

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God Save the Queen

rare Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen bootleg 
year: ????
tag: long gone
material: 100% cotton
condition: thrashed (or perfect as I like to call it)
value: $300
note: no provenance on this one. but judging by the holes, stains and overall condition it has seen a lot of action. now in my collection. a big thank you to all it's previous owners.

 right before the end

happier days

Maiden 87

file under: back-in-the-day

original hard-to-find Iron Maiden World Tour tee
year: 1987
tag: Springford
material: 50/50 cotton-polyester 
condition: perfect vintage
value: $300
note: one of hardest to find designs from the 1987 "Somewhere On Tour" world tour. the back graphic is as wicked as the front making this one of my favorites. acquired from collector this year even though I actually saw Maiden on this tour. as usual all my money back in those days was spent on beer.

front print

back print

proof

More Primo!

Sweet picking at my local thrift store today

rare original Primo Beer Hawaiian shirt
year: mid-70's
tag: Hawaiian Holiday Sportswear
material: 100% cotton
condition: like new
value: $150
note: what a score! this has been on my "want" list for at least 2 years. was flipping through the endless rack of second-hand, worthless Gap and Old Navy garbage when the bright colors caught the corner of  my eye a few feet away. could hardly believe it. just hanging there like the day it was new over 30 years ago. stoked!

Candy-O

file under: ahead of their time

original super rare The Cars "On the Road" tour shirt
year: 1982
tag: action sportswear
material: 100% cotton
condition: excellent
value: $300
note: one of the more "difficult to find" tees in my collection. there are a very few of this particular design that ever come up for sale and it's usually the same story...too small. this one is an XL in great condition which makes it all the more rare. the early Cars catalog stands up today as some of the best music to come out of the early 80's.

new wave from Boston

Harley Davidson

file under: killer vintage

original early 80's Harley Davidson tee
year: 1984
tag: long gone
material: 50/50 cotton-polyester blend
condition: perfect vintage
value: $150
note: as far as vintage t-shirts go, they don't get much better than this! the patina, size and overall condition are what collectors all over the world look for. scored for a few bucks.

SoCal Punk

file under: when were young

rare Circle Jerks bootleg t-shirt
year: ???
tag: hanes
material: 100% cotton
condition: nice vintage
value: $150
note: nice bootleg probably printed in someone's garage. seeing early southern california bands like the circle jerks, black flag, the chiefs, wasted youth, middle class and many more was life changing as a young teenager.

the Circle Jerks in action