Cloth collectibles, almost more than another, are destroyed by regular use and cleaning. Speaking of which, these shirts appear to have been hardly-if-ever worn or washed.

That means there are fewer specimens around to begin with, much less high quality specimens. A niche t-shirt maker wasn’t exactly moving millions of shirts back in the day, for one. The Liquid Blue Weapon X Overload T-Shirt that sold with this lot.īack to the Past’s team leader Scott Lovejoy reminds me that we’d be remiss not to acknowledge other factors involved in realizing this price. That means the folks in that niche are gonna be wild for it. The Weapon X Overload design hits a very specific niche, being psychedelic horror art based on X-Men comics. Simply put, Wolverine’s 90s popularity hasn’t ever died down. Heck, they brought these old designs back by popular demand! Of course the originals are worth good money. That means that, within the world of people interested in such fashions, their old stuff in good shape is going to be sought after. They have a reputation for great quality and even better art. Today, Liquid Blue is a well established brand with a cult following. It happened in this case for two major reasons. We’re well aware that Macklemore would be spinning in his grave (if he were dead…) at the idea of spending $1200 on a t-shirt. The Liquid Blue Dueling Dragons T-Shirt that sold with this lot. Modern ones have tag information printed on the shirt in that spot, for the wearer’s added comfort. A quick and easy way to tell the difference is that the originals had those scratchy cloth tags at the neckline that basically all t-shirts did for a long time. That, of course, is for true vintage specimens – reissues have been made. The Medusa shirt can sell for $200 or more, as can the dragons. After the auction, a specimen sold on eBay for $1,200. Prior to this auction that one shirt alone had sold for as much as $485. That last one is a psychedelic take on Wolverine’s origins. The piece de resistance, Weapon X Overload.Red and blue dragons in a vicious battle.A skeletal Medusa, complete with skeletal snakes for hair.In keeping with their Grateful Dead roots, they’re fantasy designs that would look sweet airbushed on the side of a van. They’re from a product line called “Dark Fantasy”, around 1994. These shirts are from earlier in their expansion. In the decades since, they’ve expanded to make pop cultural t-shirts of all kinds, although rock ‘n roll is still a big part of their DNA. They were founded to sell licensed tie-dye t-shirts based on the Grateful Dead. Liquid Blue is a t-shirt maker that’s about the same age as I am, according to their website. The Liquid Blue Medusa Skull t-shirt that sold as part of this lot.

Liquid blue tees