The Most Expensive Vintage T-Shirts

by Madeline Berger
September 12, 2019 | Last Updated: March 2, 2021

There’s nothing quite like a vintage t-shirt, especially when perfectly broken in and $11,000. Here, we found some of the most expensive vintage tees on the web with the coolest stories. While many of these are vintage band t-shirts, there are also some super cool artists, movies, and more. Fashion is art, my friends, and good art is expensive for a reason.

On the hunt for your own vintage t-shirt? We currently have almost 500 in stock and they're just a bit more affordable— Shop the web's best vintage t-shirts here.

#8 - True Vintage Prince T-Shirt

The Price:

US $4,800.00 on Ebay

The Story:

Via Jacknife Vintage: “This shirt was acquired from Jackie Sharp (a woman involved with the legendary San Francisco-based Target Video Punk VHS company) along with many other amazing punk tees (which have all been sold), and some truly amazing Punk & Reggae records.  She told me that at a party in the 80s they made “maybe five(!!!)” of these but they were never sold.”

#7 -Glow in the Dark Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Vintage T-Shirt - 1983

The Price:

US $4,999.99 on Ebay

The Story:

“This was obtained from a gentleman who supervised Fruit of the Loom’s t-shirt printing department. During his tenure, he worked on Lucasfilm t-shirts and kept this relic in absolute mint condition. For this particular tee, he worked closely with an ink chemist to perfect the glow. Glow ink was pioneering at the time – so not only is this t-shirt significant in the Star Wars merchandise universe – it also represents a moment in history for advances in t-shirt printing technology. 

Only two or three of these were ever printed as prototypes. They never went into production due to a concern that children may get too close to light sources while trying to activate or charge the glow ink.” – Defunkd

#6 -Woodstock Vintage Tank Top from Warner Bros - 1969

The Price:

US $5,000.00 on Etsy

The Story:

According to Twice Removed Goods, “although Woodstock 1969 had no official merchandise, (other than tees for working volunteers), Warner Bros. received exclusive filming rights of the event ahead of time for their Woodstock documentary that was released the following year.

This tank top is copyrighted Warner Bros. 1969 – meaning it was a promo tee for the movie, from the concert itself. This was sourced from the original buyer who purchased it from the concert and it has never seen another owner.”

#5 -Beatles "Butcher Cover" Original Promo Vintage T-Shirt - 1966

The Price:

US $6,000.00 on Ebay

The Story:

According to The Captain’s Vintage, “this is one of the rarest vintage t-shirts in existence.  When the Beatles put out their album Yesterday and Today on June 20th 1966 it included a shocking cover.  This cover, known as the “Butcher Cover” comes from a session that the Beatles did with the photographer Robert Whitaker, titled A Somnambulant Adventure.  

The result was a shocking series of images that showed the boys dressed in butcher coats, and covered in raw meat and baby doll parts.  Capital records recalled this cover immediately, and the record with this cover, which was called the First State, was only available for sale for one day.”

#4 - Vintage Rare Run-DMC Vs Adidas Tee

The Price:

US $8,000.00 on Etsy (can run up to $13,000.00)

The Story:

According to most-expensive.com, “This T-shirt was produced as a promotional item for a Run-D.M.C. concert in the early 80s. Because of the rarity of 80s hip hop tees, especially Run-D.M.C. shirts, and the group’s legendary partnership with Adidas, this shirt has become something of a collector’s item. The back of the shirt features a joint Adidas/Run-D.M.C. “My Adidas” logo.”

#3 - Extremely Rare Vintage Marilyn Manson Graphic T-Shirt

The Price:

US $11,111.00 on Ebay

The Story:

Via Cerca73: “Gifted to me personally by Brian Warner A.K.A. Marylin Manson in 1992. He was a fellow musician friend in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I met him at the night club (Squeeze) where I worked at the time that regularly featured him (“Marylin Manson and the Spooky Kids”) before he made it big. Warner gave me the shirt by hand just after being signed by Trent Reznor. This was his first shirt after signing with Reznor and dropping “And The Spooky Kids” from the band title. The design on this shirt is his own.”

#2 - Keith Haring Original Silk Screen Vintage T-Shirt - 1980s

The Price:

US $25,900.00 on Etsy

The Story:

“Keith Haring original 1980s silkscreen with paint drippings x rated cartoon-style scene given by the artists. A rare piece of graffiti and art history. T-shirt by GAP when it was made in the USA.” – THEHAUTEDOOR

#1 - Nike x Beatles Revolution Rare Vintage T-Shirt - 1987

The Price:

US $50,000.00 on Ebay

The Story:

"The 1987 ad campaign using the Beatles song "Revolution" became a legal snafu for Nike. The three living members of the group opposed the use of their songs in commercials but Michael Jackson owned the rights at that time. However, Nike decided to pull the commercial anyway. So here you have it—a hard-to-find product from that mini-disaster." – Worthpoint

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