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    marye
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    Here and there lately, folks have been mentioning some of the great T-shirts they picked up on tour and elsewhere. Several decades having passed in many cases, the shirts are no longer with us. Which ones did you wear till they fell apart, accidentally leave behind at the campground, give to your best friend, or otherwise part with, and now you'd really like to find another one?

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  • lotshirtproject
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    I'm working on a project…

    I'm working on a project where I want to attempt to archive Grateful Dead bootleg lot shirts. I would like to create a print publication as well as a website celebrating the lot bootleg shirt. I would also like to document the stories and lore behind the shirts. I would love to hear any stories about anyone funding their tour by selling shirts, stories from shirt creators, any crazy Dead bootleg story (favorite shirt, shirts tha led to introductions, crazy adventures, etc... Feel free to send me any pictures, stories, ideas, suggestions, etc.. Thanks! Peace.

  • marye
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    awesome story!
    now that's a shirt with history.
  • Chris D
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    Dead T-Shirt Story

    No exactly a T-shirt I wish I had (I still have the shirt) but a Dead T-shirt Story nonetheless. After leaving the closing of JFK in Philly I returned to the spot the Dead heads in my town had claimed for our own (Under 95 at FDR park) only to find one of the girls from my school suffering bad from alcohol, heat, etc. While not exactly with it, I was with it more then the guys trying to help her. The boy scout in me takes my T-shirt off, dunks it into a cooler of ice and wraps it around her bed. Next some water and she was coming around. Now I have no shirt. So i find a nice patch of grass in center field of one of the ball parks to watch the sky move. 2 ball fields away I spot a girl with shirts. I bought one. A simple shirt with a stenciled Bear. 5 years later the Girl that made the shirt grabs me at a capital center show and says thats my shirt. She remembered our encounter years earlier. I wore that shirt when my first son was born. it sits in a box with the Instant breakfast stain still on it from my brother -in-law's frantic drive of my wife to the hospital to give birth to my son. I have no intention of ever letting that shirt go as it reminds me of the 2 best days of my life. Yes the JFK show was that awesome. By the DVD-Crimson and Indigo-I only wish they had included Jerry saying F the fine we are playing late as the condemned (that morning) venue was literally falling down around us.

  • Chris D
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    Dead T-Shirt Story

    a

  • Strider 808808
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    “They’re Dead Jim!”

    Star Trek crew looking into the entrance of a Dead show. The famous line from Bones (Deforest Kelly) “They’re dead Jim”

  • CrissyT
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    Hot Air Balloon Shirt

    I have this in medium. You can have it for free...

  • Way Out West
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    Elusive, little, tiny Grateful Dead records...

    Still searching for pictures, confirmation, conversation about some of the rarer, (or perhaps non-existent), Grateful Dead & related US 45's from the 60's & 70's... One More Saturday Night/Cassidy Stock-Copy? - Anthem of the Sun Radio Spots? Test Pressing/PROMO Pressing of the rumored 2nd 45 release from the 1st Dead LP - Sittin' on Top of the World / Minglewood Blues? - Happiness is Drumming/Razooli from the Diga Rhythm Band LP? Been chasing these records, and rumors of these records for decades now. Closest I have come is a release number for the Round Records single from the Diga Rhythm Band LP... anyone else out there to share details???

  • digiskel
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    To share designs that I miss…

    To share designs that I miss immensely, the 1st is the 20th anniversary 1985 tour "patriot skeleton" design, Which was also used as the backdrop banner for the grateful dead on stage in Cincinnati that summer.

    The 2nd shirt design which I have never seen again is from the 90s.
    In Louisville Kentucky there was a "Tom Sawyer going down the river on a raft" Tour shirt.
    Yes I had it, yes I wore it out!
    I would love to have that shirt again!

  • bozokarl
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    Calvin and Hobbes shirt

    I have a custom painted shirt my friend Big Mike made for me in '94. On the right shoulder was a small Calvin & Hobbes in their wagon coming at you, in the center was a big side view of C & H in the wagon, and on the lower left side they were small again going away from you. Across the top it said "enjoyin' the ride". I still have the shirt but the sleeves are gone, it's really ragged, and won't fit any more.

  • memphis mike
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    my favorite was acquired…

    my favorite was acquired late in life. it was a Beverly Hillbillies shirt saying let's get back to Tennessee Jed I got at the Memphis shows. it finally just fell apart after many wears. at 2003 Bonarroo we were approached by a guy who said , "hey, that's my shirt. I made that shirt." wish I had another one now.

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17 years 4 months
Here and there lately, folks have been mentioning some of the great T-shirts they picked up on tour and elsewhere. Several decades having passed in many cases, the shirts are no longer with us. Which ones did you wear till they fell apart, accidentally leave behind at the campground, give to your best friend, or otherwise part with, and now you'd really like to find another one?
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16 years 10 months
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It was a Liquid Blue release.Black blue purple tie dye with white dancing skeletons spiraling around the front.
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12 years 11 months
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My blue Year of the Hare t-shirt since I was born in the year of the rabbit.
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9 years 7 months
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1992 Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team shirt. I TOLD him not to wear it!
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16 years 5 months
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My avatar one. OMG, I'd kill for an XL again :-(
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16 years 11 months
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The font was the same as the old Federal Express from the 80's but instead read "Grateful Express...when you absolutely positively have to be there every night"
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9 years 7 months
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Calvin hobby sky was yellow sun was blue strangers stopping strangers picked up in vegas 93 and my favorite Chariot of horses tie dye believe it was liquid blue...many more lost over years but these are my favorite ones
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17 years 3 months
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one of the series that absolut vodka put out in early 90s. blatant commercial but who cares? classic Jerry pose on the back with ABSOLUT JERRY caption. i wore that to tatters I have searched and searched...and can't find it anywhere,
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9 years 7 months
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What was the shirt that Mickey Hart was wearing? It looked cool as hell, a skeleton on skis.
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13 years 7 months
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With ......what do you do when when surrounded by bears... on front...Yogi, Boo Boo,sundry Dead Bears, Paddington Bear, Smokey D Bear....standing around a camp fire.... On back Play Dead with all above critters shaking their bones around said campfire.....priceless...and copyright infringement....
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16 years 11 months
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My buddy had that shirt. We were talking maybe 5 or 7 years ago and he mentioned that he wished he would have kept that one. I remember it. Under the skis were bands of color. That skeleton was surely shredding!!
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16 years 11 months
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Calvin and Hobbs. Jerrymeister and yaba graba doobie!!
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17 years 3 months
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I think of them often-where did they go?? The old long sleeve Deadercise shirt with the dancing skeleton wearing sneakers,wearing it in my avatar, loved that shirt as well as a Mardi Gras shirt, don't remember the year, that had a nice Mask and ribbons on it-beautiful artwork. The closing of Winterland show shirt with the blue rose, I later modified mine and added the show dates from Aug. 4-5 1979 just cuz those shows really blew me away. They were testing a new sound design and I thought the ceiling was going to cave in on the Oakland Aud. There was a terrific earthquake on our way home the following morning in Gilroy as I remember. So many have worn out or disappeared over the years, left in other folks houses, vans, busses, where are they now. I still have a few -Most proud of is the show shirt from Brent's first show at Spartan Stadium 4-22-79.
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9 years 4 months
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When they released the Ace LP, there was an offer inside to buy the cover design on a tee shirt. This was in 72 when $5.00 was serious moolah, so I passed and have regretted it ever since. I've looked in all (I believe) of the usual places and have never seen it. Any help would be appreciated.
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9 years 8 months
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It was a v neck light green tee with an Escher- ish black rendering of Jerry's face. Upon closer inspection, his face is made up of endless imagery; roses, bones, naked people, Humpty Dumpty, suns, moons, animals, wizards, etc. Gorgeous! Procured in Buffalo 79, I think. Still have, but died a natural death to time. Best I ever had.Honorable mention to a pocket tee says Alpine Valley. On back 4 large bears with goggles and skis with "I Spent Alittle Time On The Mountain" - worn to shreds. Both too fragile for Chicago...
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16 years 11 months
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The one with a picture of Jerry's face surrounded by the classic Grateful Dead on the front and the two dates of the shows with a frog jumping off the shirt on the back. I believe it was two days of GD and Santana. Camping too.
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17 years 4 months
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if it's an L or bigger and you get tired of having it around, sell it to me!
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17 years 1 month
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Well, Mary, it's a Medium....stains & all....no rips, though.....I'm tired of all my extra t-shirts
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17 years 3 months
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Watcha got? Is it women's or unisex?
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17 years 4 months
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(if it's the gray one I remember) If it's a unisex medium, I'm definitely interested. If women's medium, probably too small. But either way it's also okay with me if you sell it to wilfred instead, whichever works better for you. I realized the other day that my Jerry Smiles shirt is about to fall apart. Wish they'd re-issue that one!
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17 years 3 months
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But if you have other unisex medium shirts I'm game.
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17 years 1 month
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I'll look thru them, Wilfred & see what else is Medium....:) Probably quite a few-i'll send you the list....
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17 years 4 months
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send me a PM and I'll send Paypal or whatever works!
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15 years 4 months
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I got a white shirt at my first show in Long Beach, '87, with blue lettering that said 'Come on along, come on ahead, you'll not see nothing like the Grateful Dead'. I think I was in the lot not more than an hour before I scored a quarter sheet and hastily took a hit. I was 18 at the time and had a serious sense of urgency to get fully immersed in the experience. No time to waste! Heheh. I was probably tripping pretty hard when I saw the shirt and was blown away by that line. I don't think I had ever heard The Mighty Quinn before, or if I had I didn't know what a cool song the shirt was referencing. All I knew was that I had to have it. I hadn't even seen the Dead yet but I was in for an awesome show the next night, which I believe ended with Quinn! My college dorm buddies and I had just arrived from Flagstaff. It was Friday afternoon and when we went to get tix we were told that there were only Sunday tix left. After a fair bit of hand wringing about the prospect of hanging around all that time just to see a concert I decided to buy a Sunday ticket just in case I didn't get lucky and score a Friday or Saturday ticket in the lot. So, we proceeded to trip in the lot that Friday night, zoning out on the laser discs and other tripper toys people were selling, and when the show ended the buzz in the scene was palpable. I couldn't imagine what everyone was so stoked about. I had been to some fun concerts but... I think I finally laid down in my sleeping bag right there on the tarmac sometime around 2 or 3 am. Someone had an 8 track of Steve Miller Band's 'Fly Like an Eagle' playing fairly loud nearby. I was cool with it since I was nowhere near capable of turning off my brain but after the 2nd or 3rd go 'round it became obvious that the owner of the car had passed out. I think I probably listened to Fly Like an Eagle 4 or 5 times before dawn broke and was pretty pissed that nobody bothered to turn it off. I think I was feeling about as rough by then as I ever had in my life up to that point. 'Paint by numbers morning sky' indeed!! The depression I felt gradually mounting as the day wore on was intensified a few hours before showtime when I started noticing the ragamuffins with their fingers in the air and earnest looks of longing on their faces. These people were serious about getting in! I realized it was no longer about the drugs, that there was something much deeper go on there. I started thinking about the prospect of spending another night on the asphalt and actually having the energy and mental fortitude to go to the show the next night. The awareness that I would have to drive back to Flagstaff immediately afterward didn't help my state of mind either! So it was then I realized I had to make a decision. It was either put my finger in the air and see the Grateful Dead that night, Saturday, or make the drive back to Flag while I still had some shred of the will to carry on in life. As the time grew near the sense of urgency started building. I was looking in all the faces of the people in need of a Miracle and I knew I lacked whatever personality trait it was that would inspire some stranger to sell or give me a ticket. My friends and I, a few with tickets, a few without, joined the flow of Heads moving toward the venue. As we got closer I sensed a growing excitement that was sort of the polar opposite of my growing sense of dread. The flow of people finally stopped at some point near the gates and I felt more alone and depressed than ever. It was clear to me that I wasn't giving off the vibes that would attract a Miracle ticket and I couldn't bear the thought of missing out on party. 'Ya can't go back and ya can't stand still'... It was then that myself and my other couple of ticketles friends would try to get in with our Sunday tickets. We got to the no mans land in front of the row of turnstiles and one of my friends headed for a ticket taker he thought looked cool. There was a brief exchange then he was turned back, crest fallen. Then it was my turn. I felt like a ghost ,wracked with shame, but somehow I managed a smile and hello and the lady took the ticket without a second glance and I was in! My very first Saturday Night unfolded with my seeing only one other familiar face but it didn't matter. I spent the first song or two sitting down low and a little off behind the stage before I took a cue from my acquaintance and got up to boogie. Before long he was absorbed by the crownd and so was I. I think I ended up taking three or four hits of the blotter i had on me during the course of the show. I had never tried to trip two nights in a row and I think it just basically gave me the energy to shake my bones. Anyway, wow, I didn't mean to go off on a long ramble! So I think my first Dead shirt had a print of the cover of Ram Das' book 'Be Here Now' on it. Ironically, my first college dorm mate had found a copy of the book earlier that year in the dorm laundry room. He grabbed it thinking it looked like something I would be into.
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Hey ya'all, I'm trying to get some support for a Kickstarter project on a book I wrote MEAN PEOPLE SUCK. Its the story about the DEA's undercover sting operation that targeted Deadheads for drug crimes (LSD) and how that all went down during the summer tour of 1992. It's a crazy story, you may have seen some of the recent press. Do me a favor and pledge the CASH FOR YOUR EXTRA level which gets you a book and all the promo goodies that we are dropping on the fare thee well concerts. Your support is greatly appreciated! When you are done, share a link to my page on your facebook! Peace and Love www.MPS92.com
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9 years 2 months
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By the time i made it to the stands, there were only XXXL left.... i REALLY want to get my hands on the shirt... if anyone has one in M, L or XL, and can bare to sell it to a fellow fan... i would GREATLY aprpeacite it.... but i would prefer to not pay non-deadhead/ebay prices of 195$ for a 45$ shirt... if you're kind, and have one you would part with, i can either trade for the turtles shirt i have, or buy it from you. Thank you so very much in advance. You can reach me at treichson@gmail.com.... Have a great day!
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9 years 8 months
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Oh how I wish I had the hot air balloon shirt to trade you ! I purchased 2 dancing turtle shirts in Chicago and lost them to some lucky person !If you are interested in selling your shirt please let me know. And yes it sickens me to see them on ebay for 200. !
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8 years 11 months
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the original Jerrymeister LS T-shirt (circa 1990) had the words 'Drink Down the Bottle and You're Ready to Kill' on the back. these are very rare. the words were changed to mellow out the theme. I still have one, a men's large worn twice. the key to preservation is not to throw them in a hot dryer.
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14 years 9 months
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It's not the coin. ...just have stuff people might want in a trade if they have excess DP 16's Offer: I need a few copies of DP 16, numbered. I know they're very avail. and will be but. Some items to trade: Road Trips 1.1,1.2,1.4,2.1 or DP 7,11 or Pure Jerry 1,5,7,8 are avail. I'm 'trade valuing' DP 16 @$55. If interested PM me. :)
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8 years 10 months
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Anyone have the backstory on the Electric Eyes graphic that was on some of the T's I saw at the shows? My friends and I have differing opinions. Mahalo for the help :) Aloha
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8 years 9 months
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@mean people suck this would have been an awesome story! I saw you did not manage to reach the funding goal, which is quite unfortunate.. Did you really quit? Is there any way to.. read it? Maybe you should try distributing it online. Your video sure does make it sound interesting!
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8 years 4 months
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Hi Sorry this is in the t-shirt section. I couldn't find a section on posters. I'm looking for a poster called "The Parking Lot". Or so I think. It's a hand drawn parking lot scene, and was described to me as something similar to Where's Waldo? There are lots of little "stories" drawn in the parking lot. My bf had this and sold it years ago and is now regretting it. I'm hoping to find the artist and how to buy it. Google is not turing up anything useful. thanks in advance! Please email me at somedevil@comcast.net with any leads!
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17 years 4 months
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where he got it? That might narrow down the search--a lot of poster art was fairly local to a particular area. It sounds vaguely familiar to me (West Coast), but at this point in life "vaguely familiar" is practically a state of being.
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I bought these two posters off a guy who was a roadie in the Denver/Boulder area in the 80s. The 1980 Boulder show (Stealie w Warren Zevon) and the other is a lot print of various S Mouse dead artwork. Both really cool and original. Trying to figure out a value for these.
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12 years 10 months
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I loved the eyes one,the one with a mushroom was cool to.They used nice vibrant dyes.Late Night With the Dead a take off on the letterman show.the old guys on the corner was neat to. have to add the fat man rocks just a white tee
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17 years 3 months
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Please make a t-shirt with the current 2017 almanac art. Also, one with the RSD Shrine Art on it from last year would be great too! Thanks...
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8 years
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I remember one of my first shows, probably 82. I bought this incredibly cool tie dyed tee shirt with a print on the back of a flying pyramid (perhaps) with big toothy grin, one eyeball, really trippy. It was definitely created by someone on tour. I took it home and stared at it for hours, laughing. I think the front had a Jerry drawing.I'd love to find that one. If that turns up I'd be astonished.
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7 years 4 months
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Speaking of T-Shirts, a couple of years ago I found a site that had archived almost all of the T-Shirts printed through the years, with dates, artist names, etc. Several years ago I was given two large boxes of new, original t-shirts that had been sitting in a friends attic for years. They date from 1985 to mid-nineties. He's developed a heart problem, and we're trying to list these for sale for him now. I'd love to find the site again so that we can provide more information to potential buyers. GDAO has some of them, Band Shirt Archive seems to only have what they have currently for sale. Any help on this front would be appreciated.
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17 years 4 months
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but if you find the link, post it here. What a great resource!
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17 years
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I bought an Ace shirt at my first show September 8 1973 and wore it forever. It was a great quality silk screen and soft as a baby's butt. Never saw another one. And could fit into the old one if I did still have it. I have a Grateful Dead scuba tie die that I've had for 30 years and I still wear it. Never seen another of these either son I'm pretty careful with it. Only wear to shows now
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7 years 9 months
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Hey guys! I wasn't lucky enough to see the boys play but they played in my hometown of Charlotte NC on March 22,23,24 and my Birthday is March 23rd. I was wondering if anybody might have any shirts from that show or any show from NC they might want to sell to a guy like myself. Thank you all in advance!!
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11 years 8 months
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...it was a cool ink drawing of Alice standing in front of the Looking Glass, peering into it and the reflection was a smiling Uncle Sam beckoning her in with a waggly bony finger...I still have it but that was like 70 lbs ago and it doesn't fit...oh just remembered Alice's cat is standing next to her peering into the Looking Glass also and the Cheshire Cat's "Grin" is staring back at her