Miscellaneous Brands T-Shirt Tag History: A Year-by-Year Guide

The Evolution of Miscellaneous Brands T-Shirt Tags by Year

How I Determined the Years for These Tags

When dating vintage t-shirts, the year printed on the graphic doesn’t always match the actual copyright date printed on the shirt. Copyright dates reflect when the image was copyrighted, not necessarily when the shirt was made. So, sorry—your Snoopy tee probably wasn’t printed in 1965.

A more reliable way to determine a shirt’s age is by looking at dated event graphics, like a 1984 World Series tee or a 1979 Annual Chili Cook-Off shirt. These are more likely to be from the year stated—unless the design was popular enough to be reprinted later. However, there’s always the chance that a printer used an older blank shirt, leading to different tags on shirts from the same event year.

Since we don’t have an official tag history from any of these brands, this is an ongoing research project rather than an exact science. The tag years listed below come from event-dated shirts rather than copyright dates. As I collect more examples, I’ll continue updating this guide—it's a resource for me, and now for you too.

Check out my blog on cleaning white shirts!

Check out my blog on cleaning colored shirts!

 

Adidas - Made In USA

1990s:

1994

Alstyle Apparel & Activewear - RN55774

Y2Ks 2000s:

2007

America Project - Made In USA:

1980s:

1988

Artex - RN32630:

1970s:

1976

Badger Sportswear - Made In USA - RN76619:

1990s:

1996

Bomark - Made In USA:

1980s:

1984

Brazos Sportswear - Made In USA:

1990s:

1998

B.V.D. BVD:

1970s:

1975

California Casuals Sports Wear - Made In USA:

1990s:

1993

Caribbean Dream

1990s:

1997

Champion - RN26094

1980s:

1981

1990s:

1995

Comfort Colors:

2000s:

2011

DG Sportswear - Made In USA:

1980s:

1988

Dunbrooke - Pla-Jac - Made In USA:

1980s:

1988

Ebert Sportswear:

1970s:

1971

Fantasy - Super Fantasy - 55774:

1980s:

1982

Fun Tees - Made In USA:

1980s:

1984

Galt Sand - 71908 - Made In USA:

1990s:

1997

Garan - RN15897 - Made In USA:

1980s:

1987

1989

Hang Ten:

1980s:

1980

Healthknit - Made In USA - WPL858:

1980s:

1985

Hefty Heavy Weight - Made In USA:

1970s:

1978

L.A. LA Sportswear:

1990s:

1998

M&O Knits - HeavyWeight - RN57964:

2000s:

Y2Ks

Mayo Spruce Sportswear:

1970s:

1978

Medallion - Made In USA:

1980s:

1984

Model T - Made In USA - 61817:

1990s:

1992

My Shirt Is Made In The U.S.A. - Made In USA - RN70047:

1980s:

1986

National Fifty-Fifty Heavyweight - Made In USA:

1980s:

1987

Native Sun - Made In USA:

1990s:

1995

Platinum Plus - Made In USA:

1990s:

1991

Pro Player - Made In USA - RN13765:

1990s:

1997

Q-Tees of California - Made In USA - RN60005:

1990s:

1996

R&D Fine Apparel - Fine T - RN61476:

1980s:

1982

RP - Made In USA - RN62218

1980s:

1989

Santee by Pluma:

1990s:

1997

Sneakers - Made In USA - RN15373

1980s:

1982

1989

Soffe Shirts - Made In USA

1990s:

1997

Starter - Made In USA - RN67879:

1990s:

1998

Sunbelt Sportswear - Made In USA:

1980s:

1986

Surf Style - Made In USA

1990s

1994:

Thunderbird Sportswear - Made In USA:

1980s:

1987

Tour Sportswear - Made In USA:

1980s:

1984

T Plus - TPlus - Made In USA:

1980s:

1987

Towncraft:

1970s:

1979

UTS:

1980s:

1986

Vogel Mills & Mfg:

1980s:

1982

Whitewater Mfg Inc:

1990s:

1990

Wolf Of Waco - Made In USA - RN19717:

1970s:

1979

Wright's - Made In USA - RN17489:

1980s:

1982

Links To Other Tag Histories:

All Sport Alore Anvil Belton Cal Cru Delta Disney Fruit of the Loom Giant Gildan Hanes

Jerzees Logo 7 Miller Misc Hat Brands Misc Clothing Brands Murina Nike Old Navy Oneita Russell Athletic Screen Stars

Seco Signal Sportswear Stedman Switcher Tee Jays Tennessee River Trench Tultex