Brockum T-Shirt Tags: History and How to Date Them
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Brockum was one of the big concert merchandise companies of the 1980s and 1990s, behind tour shirts for the Rolling Stones, Metallica and Guns N' Roses. The key dating fact is that branded Brockum tags only appeared in 1988; earlier Brockum-licensed shirts usually carry a generic tag.
Company history
JoeTheCollector's Brockum archive records that the company was founded in England in 1974 as Krimson Corp. and later moved to New Jersey. In 1984 it was bought by Concert Productions International (CPI) of Toronto, co-founded by Michael Cohl. In 1988 the brewer Labatt bought a 45 percent stake in CPI, forming BCL Entertainment with the Brockum Group as its merchandising arm, and branded silver Brockum tags first appeared. Brockum handled the merchandise for the Rolling Stones' 1989 Steel Wheels tour and the first Lollapalooza in 1991.
Label timeline
| Label or clue | Approximate dates | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Generic "Made in Canada" tag with RN#69761, no Brockum branding | 1974 to 1987 | The pre-tag era; a silver Brockum tag on a pre-1988 shirt does not fit |
| Silver/grey woven "Brockum Collection" tag | 1988 to the early 1990s | First branded tags |
| "Brockum Group" tag | From about 1988 | Launched around the same time as "Collection" |
What it helps date
- Merchandise-company tags date many 1980s and 1990s shirts, per our band tee values guide.
- Bands used more than one supplier per tour, so a different tag from a reference photo is not automatically wrong: fake vintage band tees.
- Compare with Winterland and Giant.
Values
Our band tee values guide lists a Metallica 1980s tour tee on a Brockum tag at about $485 (Cluzy, eBay comps). Prices are estimates as of 2026.
check sold prices for brockum vintage tour shirt on eBay
Sources
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Guides that mention Brockum
- Vintage Band T-Shirt Values: What Old Concert Tees Sell ForRealistic 2026 prices for vintage band and concert tees by genre and band, record sales, condition rules, and how to tell a $20 tee from a $2,000 one.
- How to Spot a Fake Vintage Band T-ShirtCheck stitching, neck tags, copyright lines, print feel and fabric to tell an original 1970s to 1990s band tee from a reprint, bootleg or faked-aged shirt.
Related
- Giant T-Shirt Tags: History and How to Date ThemGiant band tee tags explained: the 1990 Irving Azoff and Warner joint venture, co-branded Tultex, Anvil and Tee Jays tags, and how they date 1990s shirts.
- Winterland T-Shirt Tags: History and How to Date ThemWinterland Productions history: concert t-shirts from 1974 in San Francisco, the Rock Express retail arm, the 1988 sale to MCA, and Grateful Dead tee values.
- Vintage Band T-Shirt Values: What Old Concert Tees Sell ForRealistic 2026 prices for vintage band and concert tees by genre and band, record sales, condition rules, and how to tell a $20 tee from a $2,000 one.
- How to Spot a Fake Vintage Band T-ShirtCheck stitching, neck tags, copyright lines, print feel and fabric to tell an original 1970s to 1990s band tee from a reprint, bootleg or faked-aged shirt.