The Novelty of Classic Rock T-Shirts

Image of John Lennon's t-shirt by Getty Images via Daylife

The Novelty of Classic Rock T-Shirts by Kevin Wynn

Since rock music first began, every fan has looked for a way of commemorating their attendance at some of the best concerts in history. T-shirts became one of the first forms of memorabilia to be sold at rock concerts and was quickly followed by many other merchandising ideas such as hats, glasses, charms and pennants.

Many people purchased these things to keep as souvenirs and other purchased them solely for the excitement of having a piece of history in their possession. Today collectors look for many of the vintage classic rock t-shirts such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. These shirts can bring a hefty price if kept in pristine condition. In November of 2007 an auction house sold a collection of vintage and retro classic rock t-shirts. Each shirt brought between $1500 and $4500.

The classic shirts that are being offered online at many of the t-shirt stores are not vintage they are reproductions. Some may even be official t-shirts that are screen printed with the permission of the bands themselves. But the real vintage and retro t-shirts that collectors are in search of are the ones that many of the crew and stage hands were given. These were rare and usually only given to people who helped them out on road trips.

Some were shirts that were never put into print for one reason or another and others were the first of their kind before revisions were made. Many of the first classic rock t-shirts were not screen printed but actually appliqués that had to be steam pressed onto the fabric. This is one reason these shirts are so valuable. The appliqués that were used would begin to bubble up and peel after a number of times in the washer and dryer. To find one that is pristine is a treasure.

When screen printing of t-shirts was used, the shirts became much more common. Screen printing allowed the ink to be absorbed by the fabric so they were less likely to fade and peel away from the fabric. This also allowed the merchandise to be mass produced and much more readily available.

Bands that were just beginning their journey to stardom sold these for advertisement purposes in the beginning. Later they became a symbol of loyalty to the bands that were emblazoned on the front. Today the same classic style of t-shirts can be purchased online with the names of many of the old classic bands on them.

They were such a novelty in the early years of the bands that many still have a soft place in their hearts for these fashion statements. The unique designs of the shirts allowed the wearers to make their own fashion statement while they donned the sometimes questionable apparel. Some of the new t-shirts are even printed to appear as if they are vintage, with a faded look to them. Because of the novelty of these products and their popularity, many can be purchased in local department stores.

For more information about the various Classic Rock T Shirts available, pay a visit to http://www.theclassicrocktshirts.com

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