Levi’sLevi’s Big E Red Tab
Confirmed anchorpre-1971
High-value clue on the right garment; confirm model and reproduction status.
Vintage sourcing intelligence
Vintage labels worth stopping the rail for.
A searchable field guide to labels, blank tags and brand-era clues that can help you decide what deserves a closer look. Every signal carries a confidence level because vintage dating should be evidence, not folklore.
Three confidence levels
Confirmed anchorOfficial / hard date
Documented rangeSpecialist archive
Community estimateSupporting clue
Never price from the tag alone. Graphic, garment, rarity, condition and demand determine value.
Start with deep guides
Brand-by-brand dating maps.
NIKE
Nike tag dating
Pinwheel, orange, blue, grey, white and later labels — with uncertainty made explicit.
ADIDASadidas tag dating
Trefoil, Equipment and Performance-era clues.
REEBOKReebok tag dating
Union Jack, Vector and Rbk-era transitions.
LEVI'SLevi’s Big E & care tags
Official anchors plus construction clues.
CHAMPIONChampion tag timeline
Blue/red bar, 1980s white tags and later systems.
T-SHIRT BLANKSScreen Stars, Giant, Oneita & more
Learn the blank labels that make sourcing faster.
UNION LABELSILGWU dating clues
Documented ranges for older garments.
Searchable label library
30 clues. One rule: cross-check.
Type a brand, label or era. These are sourcing clues — not automatic value signals.
30 signals
Levi’sLevi’s care tag present
Confirmed anchorearly 1970s+
Care labels give more dating evidence; not proof of a specific year.
ChampionChampion blue/red bar
Documented range1969–1981
Classic specialist-documented tag family.
ChampionChampion blue script / white
Documented range1981–1990
Strong 1980s supporting clue.
Screen StarsScreen Stars early tags
Documented range1980–1983
Early FOTL imprint-market blank family.
Screen StarsScreen Stars Best
Documented rangec.1986/87–early 1990s
Common vintage graphic tee blank.
FOTL / Union UnderwearGeneric RN 13765
Documented rangemid-70s–c.1980
RN is company registration, not a manufacture date.
GiantGiant tag
Specialist rangec.1991–1996
Often seen on desirable 1990s music/licensed tees.
OneitaOneita tag families
Specialist rangec.1984–1999
Exact variant matters.
Anvil lineageChed / early Anvil
Specialist rangec.1976–1988
Useful older blank clue.
AnvilAnvil tag families
Specialist rangec.1989–2007
Long period: identify exact variant.
JerzeesJerzees tag families
Specialist rangec.1985–1998
Common sweatshirt/tee blank clue.
DeltaDelta tag families
Specialist rangec.1988–2014
Too broad to date from brand name alone.
Wild OatsWild Oats
Specialist range1990s–2000s
Seen on licensed graphics; exact tag needed.
WinterlandWinterland
Specialist range1990s
Strong music-merch association on some pieces.
Tennessee RiverTennessee River
Specialist range1990s–2000s
Blank label supporting clue.
NikeNike Pinwheel
Community estimatelate 70s–early 80s
Potentially early; cross-check every other clue.
NikeNike orange label
Community estimatelate 70s–early 80s
Do not use colour as exact year.
NikeNike blue label
Community estimatemid-1980s
Supporting clue only.
NikeNike grey label
Community estimatelate 80s–early 90s
Supporting clue only.
adidasadidas Trefoil woven/poly tags
Specialist estimate1970s–1990s varies
Trefoil continues today, so exact label/construction matters.
adidasadidas Equipment branding
Specialist estimateearly–mid 1990s
Useful 1990s design-language clue.
adidasadidas Performance logo
Brand-era cluemid/late 1990s+
Not “vintage” proof by itself.
ReebokReebok Union Jack
Specialist estimate1980s
Classic earlier branding clue.
ReebokReebok Vector
Specialist estimate1990s
Common 1990s clue with later overlap.
ReebokReebok Rbk
Brand-era cluemid-2000s
Useful marker against false 1990s claims.
Union labelILGWU AFL-CIO
Documented anchor1955+
Cannot predate AFL-CIO formation.
Union labelILGWU red/white/blue
Documented range1974–1995
Useful women’s/vintage garment clue.
Multi-brandMade in USA
Supporting cluebrand-dependent
Useful only in a brand/category timeline; never a date by itself.
T-shirtsSingle-stitch hem
Supporting cluecontext-dependent
Older clue in many tees but reproduced/continued; not automatic value.
No matching label clue yet. Try a brand, era or tag family.
OLD TAG ≠ AUTOMATICALLY VALUABLE
Value comes from the complete item: garment, graphic/licence, model, construction, size, condition, scarcity and current demand. A brilliant tag on a boring garment can still be a £10 item; an ordinary 1990s blank can carry a four-figure graphic.
Use the library while sourcing
- Spot a label that feels different. Search it here.
- Get a likely era and confidence level. Do not overstate it.
- Check the rest of the garment. Care tag, stitching, hardware, licensing, country.
- Research value separately. Use sold evidence and actual demand.
- Save what you learn. Pattern recognition compounds every sourcing trip.