Hanes T-Shirt Tags: History and How to Date Them
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Hanes is a North Carolina knitwear brand founded in 1900, and its blanks, including the heavyweight Beefy-T, are among the most common tags on vintage band and souvenir T-shirts. Like other blank makers it changed its tag design over time, so the tag has to fit the decade the print claims.
Company history
Wikipedia records that John Wesley Hanes founded Shamrock Knitting Mills in Winston-Salem in 1900; it became Hanes Hosiery Mills Company in 1914. His brother Pleasant H. Hanes founded the P.H. Hanes Knitting Company in 1901, and the two merged in 1965 to form the Hanes Corporation. The brand is now owned by Hanesbrands Inc. Wikipedia also notes a limited run of 500 Beefy T-shirts made for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Label timeline
| Label or clue | Approximate dates | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Shamrock Knitting Mills | From 1900 | The original company |
| Hanes Corporation | From 1965 | After the merger of the two Hanes companies |
| Hanes and Beefy-T neck tags on band tees | Period band tees | Expected blanks on genuine tees |
What it helps date
- Our fake vintage band tees guide lists Hanes (including Beefy-T) among period blanks and advises comparing tags with dated examples of the same maker.
- See band tee values for what period tags are worth.
Sources
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Guides that mention Hanes
- 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
- 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.
- ACWA Union Labels: History and How to Date ThemDate men's suits, coats and shirts by the ACWA union label: the first label of 1916, the 1949 design with and without the registered mark, and ACTWU.
- Adrian Labels: History and How to Date ThemAdrian Original and Adrian Custom labels explained: Gilbert Adrian's move from MGM costume design to his own Beverly Hills house, and suit values.