When Sotheby’s rolled out a selection of Grateful Dead memorabilia in October 2021, a mango yellow T-shirt made in 1967 and featuring the band’s logo was expected to rake in a respectable $6,000 to $8,000. But after all bids had been collected, the simple cotton tee fetched a whopping $17,640 ($19,300 with fees), setting a new record for the most expensive vintage T-shirt ever sold at auction.

That was four years ago. The cost of literally everything has gone up since then (thanks, inflation), so it shouldn’t be shocking to see how high price tags for vintage music tees have risen. But still. In July, Thunderstruck, a vintage shop based in Bangkok, posted a clip on Instagram featuring a buyer who they claim paid $27,000 for a faded black shirt featuring rapper Nas and lyrics from his 19

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