Vintage t-shirt tags are the fastest way to date a tee or sweatshirt. Most vintage graphic tees and a lot of college sweatshirts weren't made by the name on the front. They were printed on blanks: plain shirts from Fruit of the Loom, Screen Stars, Hanes, Jerzees, Tultex and a few others. The blank's tag is the best clue to when the shirt was made.
Here's how to read every common one, era by era, plus the rules that work on any tag. Every one of our vintage t-shirts gets dated this way.
One thing to know first: the tag dates the blank, not the print. Printers bought blanks in bulk, and some sat for years before they were printed. A tag gives you the earliest likely date. The graphic, the copyright line on the print, and the construction narrow it down.
Vintage blank
1970s to late 1990s
Modern blank
2000s to now
Tag
Woven or satin tag sewn into the neck
Printed label inside the neck, or a thin nylon tag
Made in
USA on most American blanks
Mexico, then Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, usually from the late 90s on
Blend
50/50 very common in the 80s, more 100% cotton in the 90s
Mostly 100% cotton or ring spun blends
Hems
Single stitch until the mid 90s
Double stitch
Care text
Short, English only. None at all before the early 1970s
Long, often in three or more languages
How do you date a vintage t-shirt by the tag?
Read the brand and the tag design first, then check these six things. They work on any blank, even one you've never seen.
Care instructions. The FTC's care labeling rule was issued in December 1971 and took effect in July 1972. A tag with washing instructions is almost always from the 1970s or later. No care text at all usually means before the early 1970s.
RN number. The RN system used today began around 1959 and 1960, so an RN on a tee almost always means about 1960 or later. An RN identifies the company, not the year, so it tells you who made the shirt, not when.
Made in USA. Most American blanks were made in the US through the 1980s. The big brands moved production offshore between roughly 1995 and 2005, usually to Mexico first, then Central America. Made in USA strongly suggests the shirt is from before about 2000. It doesn't prove the 1980s, and a few newer premium brands are still made in the US.
The blend. 50/50 cotton and polyester was very common in the 1980s. The 1990s swung back toward 100% cotton. A thin, soft 50/50 tee with a sewn tag is a classic 80s blank.
Sewn vs printed labels. Hanes retail tees went tagless in 2002, and the Super Bowl ads with Michael Jordan followed in January 2003. Screen printing blanks mostly kept sewn or tear-away tags until around 2010, when the Beefy-T went tag-free. A label printed straight onto the fabric inside the neck almost always means 2002 or later.
The hems. Single stitch hems usually mean before the mid 1990s, with a mixed window from about 1994 to 1998. Our single stitch guide covers that check in detail.
Vintage t-shirt tags by year
Here's when each common blank was in use. The solid bar is the window when its tags were sewn in and mostly made in the USA, which is the vintage window. The dashed bar is when the brand kept going with offshore or printed tags.
(Fig. 02) Seven blanks, 1970 to now
Sewn tags, mostly Made in USALater tags, made offshore or printed
Screen Stars tags by year
Screen Stars was Fruit of the Loom's blank line, sold only to screen printers. It was branded in 1980 and faded out in the 1990s, so any Screen Stars tag is essentially pre-late 1990s. The tag style narrows it down.
| Years | What the tag looks like |
|---|---|
| 1980 | The first tag. It came in a few colors, including white, orange and blue. |
| 1981 to 1983 | The "funky A" logo. 50/50 is standard. Green bars on the "Super" tag, blue bars on 100% cotton. |
| 1983 to about 1990 | A redesigned, more conventional A. Versions made in Canada, England, Ireland and Mexico exist. |
| About 1986 into the 1990s | Screen Stars Best: a black tag. A red bar means 50/50, the most common. A blue bar means 100% cotton, which is rarer. |
In the 1990s Screen Stars gradually gave way to Fruit of the Loom's own "Best" tag.
Fruit of the Loom tags by year
Fruit of the Loom goes back to 1851, and its RN is 13765. It shows up on more vintage tees than almost any other blank.
- 1970s: Fruit of the Loom tags with the RN number. Mostly 100% cotton, moving to 50/50 by the late 70s.
- 1980s to early 1990s: The full fruit cluster logo with Made in USA. 50/50 is common.
- 1990s: "Best" by Fruit of the Loom takes over from Screen Stars. Heavier 100% cotton tees become more common.
- Mid 1990s on: In 1995 Fruit of the Loom announced it was closing six US plants and moving work abroad. From here, more tags say Made in Mexico or Central America.
- Supercotton: Fruit of the Loom's heavyweight sweatshirt line dates to the early 1990s, so a Supercotton tag is early 90s or later.
The fastest Fruit of the Loom tell: Made in USA, a 50/50 blend and single stitch hems point to before the mid 1990s.
And no, there was never a cornucopia. The logo has always been a cluster of fruit and leaves, even though plenty of people remember a horn of plenty behind it. If someone sells a "cornucopia tag", it isn't real.
Hanes tags by year
Hanes is the other giant of vintage blanks. Its Beefy-T launched in 1975, and its printables line for screen printers started in 1980. Hanes tags are less well documented than Screen Stars, so treat these as usual windows, not hard dates.
- 1970s: The red flag HaneSport tag and a white tag with an orange triangle. Beefy-T tags appear from 1975.
- Late 1970s to early 1980s: A black tag with orange lettering, with lines like "Beefy-T", "poly-cotton" and "Fifty-Fifty Combed".
- 1980s, usually: A blue tag with a circle H and "Fifty-Fifty".
- 1990s, usually: A red square H logo, more multilingual care text, and fewer Made in USA tags.
- 2002: Hanes retail tees go tagless. The Beefy-T followed in 2010.
The fastest Hanes tell: a sewn tag that says Fifty-Fifty or poly-cotton and Made in USA is pre-1990s. A printed neck label is 2002 or later.
Jerzees tags by year
Jerzees is Russell Athletic's blank brand, and most sources date its launch to 1983. You'll see it most on college and souvenir sweatshirts.
- NuBlend: Jerzees' pill-resistant fabric arrived in 1992. A NuBlend tag can't be earlier.
- Jerzees by Russell: This tag runs from the 1990s into the 2000s, so on its own it's a weak date.
- 2006 on: Berkshire Hathaway bought Russell in 2006 and placed it under Fruit of the Loom.
For Jerzees, the country and the construction do most of the dating. Made in USA with single stitch hems points to before the late 1990s. For Russell's own branded tags, see our Russell Athletic tag guide.
Tultex tags by year
Tultex made sweatshirts and tees in Martinsville, Virginia. The company took the Tultex name in 1976, bought Logo 7 in 1992, and filed for bankruptcy in December 1999. The original company closed, but the Tultex name came back in 2004 and is still sold as a blank today. So a Tultex tag isn't automatically vintage: Made in USA and the small triangle logo, common in the 1990s, point to an original.
Gildan tags by year: is Gildan vintage?
Usually not. Gildan was founded in 1984 in Montreal, started making Gildan tees in 1992, and only became a leading US printwear blank around 2001. A Gildan tag can't be earlier than 1992, and most are from the 2000s or later. If a shirt sold as "80s" is on a Gildan blank, especially Softstyle, it's a reprint.
Other blanks: Signal, Velva Sheen, Nutmeg and Lee
- Signal: A screen printing blank you'll see on 1970s and 80s printed tees. Signal Apparel filed for bankruptcy in 2000.
- Velva Sheen: A Cincinnati brand from the 1930s, known for souvenir and college shirts. The name was revived in 2009, so check the construction before calling one vintage.
- Nutmeg Mills: A Tampa company from the early 1980s, big in licensed sports tees and sweatshirts. VF bought Nutmeg in 1993 and began phasing out the label in 1995.
- Lee: VF-owned Lee made sweatshirts that turn up on 90s college prints. Lee tag dating is poorly documented, so rely on the country, blend and construction.
Branded sportswear has its own tags: see our guides for Champion, Nike and Starter.
The tag dates the blank, not the shirt
A 1985 blank printed in 1991 is a 1991 shirt. So once the tag gives you a window, check the print. Look for a copyright date along the bottom of the graphic, an event or tour date, a team logo that only existed in certain years, and how the ink has aged.
This Screen Stars ringer is a good example: the tag says 80s or early 90s, and the print says June 1991. When the tag, the print and the construction agree, you have your date. Our How to Tell if Clothing Is Vintage guide covers the rest.
How we date tees and sweatshirts at YARN
Every tee and sweatshirt we list gets the same check: the tag, the country, the blend, the hems, and the print. If they agree, we date it. If they don't, we go with the earliest the evidence supports and say so in the listing. Browse our vintage sweatshirts too.
Questions
How do you date a vintage t-shirt by the tag?
Start with the brand and tag design, then check the country, the fabric blend, and whether there's an RN number and care instructions. Made in USA, a 50/50 blend and a sewn tag usually point to the 1980s or early 1990s. A printed label inside the neck usually means 2002 or later.
How do you date a Fruit of the Loom tag?
1970s tags are mostly 100% cotton with the RN number. The full fruit cluster with Made in USA is typical of the 1980s and early 1990s. "Best" by Fruit of the Loom is a 1990s tag, and Mexico or Central America usually means mid 1990s or later.
How old are Screen Stars shirts?
Screen Stars was branded in 1980 and faded out during the 1990s, so almost every Screen Stars shirt is from the 1980s or early to mid 1990s. The tag design narrows it to a few years.
How do you date Hanes tags?
The red flag HaneSport tag and the black Fifty-Fifty Combed tag are usually 1970s to early 1980s. The blue circle H "Fifty-Fifty" tag is usually 1980s, and the red square H usually 1990s. Hanes retail tees went tagless in 2002.
When did Jerzees start?
Most sources date Jerzees, Russell Athletic's blank brand, to 1983. Its NuBlend fabric arrived in 1992, so a NuBlend tag can't be earlier.
Is Gildan vintage?
Rarely. Gildan tees started in 1992 and became common in the US around 2001. A Gildan shirt sold as 1980s is a reprint.
When did t-shirts stop having sewn tags?
Hanes retail tees went tagless in 2002. Screen printing blanks mostly kept sewn or tear-away tags until around 2010, when the Hanes Beefy-T went tag-free. A printed neck label almost always means 2002 or later.
Does Made in USA mean a shirt is vintage?
Not on its own, but it's a strong sign. Most American blanks moved production offshore between about 1995 and 2005, so Made in USA usually points to before 2000. Check the blend, the hems and the print to confirm.
Was there ever a cornucopia on the Fruit of the Loom logo?
No. The logo has always been a cluster of fruit and leaves. Many people remember a cornucopia behind the fruit, but no Fruit of the Loom tag ever had one.
Which vintage t-shirt tags are worth the most?
The tag rarely sets the price on its own. The print does. But collectors pay more for a shirt on a period blank, like an 80s Screen Stars, a Hanes Beefy-T or a Made in USA Fruit of the Loom with single stitch hems, because the tag proves the print is from that era.
