These were among the few leftover items JPFO sent me in the year before the organization died.* They’re “vintage” but still new. What should I do with them?
“Raise Your Hand” shirts: T-shirt, large; hoodless sweatshirt, small.
Battle of Athens 50-year commemorative shirt: small (two-sided design with more info about the battle on the back)
“Life Preserver” shirts: small (two-sided design with list of genocides on the back)
I also have a few belt buckles & such that may emerge as I gradually rescue the house from construction chaos.
Problem is that the shirts are all smalls, except for the one “raise your hand” tee. The Battle of Athens shirt could pass for medium on a good day, but small is to be taken seriously with the others.
That Battle of Athens shirt is the real prize of the lot, despite its puny size. Not many of those around.
So … do I put them on eBay? Save them (especially the Athens shirt) as thank you gifts for the upcoming Last Ever Blog Fundraiser (though that would mean sending small shirts to large donors)? What?
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* Any resemblance between Aaron Zelman’s JPFO and the slightly animated corpse that is the Gottlieb-owned JPFO is purely coincidental.
If they were bigger sizes I’d say fundraiser tzotchkes. But as you say, they’re unlikely to be useful for that so I’d suggest ebay. Make a couple of bucks.
I’m not sure those who got these vintage shirts would actually want to wear them… so the size may not be too important. I have no suggestion for what you could do with them, but I’d hate to see them offered to complete strangers. 🙁
I’d like to make a pillow out of that Battle of Athens shirt, using front and back. Stuffing could be found anywhere. How much are they?
Heh. Making a pillow is a cool idea! And it’s true the sizes might not matter much if people wanted them strictly as souvenirs.
As to price, I have no idea. If they go on eBay, bidders will determine that. And you know how auctions are; one will produce nothing while another goes nuts.
May I suggest donating them as SWAG to some female firearms trainer to give to sort of petite students? Or for the same intended wearers at an Appleseed Project weekend shoot? Or maybe hang out at the local gun store and hand them to smaller customers yourself? That last one would likely only last long enough to drink a cup of coffee – And you’d get to meet a few local gun-toting women in the process.
I like the pillow idea too. I would even be willing to buy a pillow (or two) from someone who made one from these. That could be a fundraiser idea too. Interested in hearing about what the other swag that may pop up too.
I’s luv’s me some capitalism.
I’d contact the old organization and ask if you can have the rights to the artwork and start selling new shirts. Those are awesome, and while I have seen the “Right hand” and “”Life Preservers” type of shirts before, the “Battle of Athens” is new to me!
Give the vintage ones to whoever makes the most outlandish promise to do something cool with them or while wearing them, and send you a picture of it as proof. One to each. Or for a child they will take along or involve in the endeavor.
All of them are pretty cool. Make them Claire Wolf shirt designs! ~QJ
Sell them to us; this old Jew would buy a belt buckle.
For Christmas my crafty older daughter bought a “Say people”* t-shirt, framed the graphic, and gave it to her photojournalist mom. It’s hanging on Mom’s office wall.
* https://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/-122/prod_1544284612
Knew I could count on the Commentariat for clever ideas. Definitely some good ones here. I think I’m going to go with pillows. Which I’ll then either give as fundraiser premiums or put on eBay for bid.
As it happens, I just shifted the sewing machine cabinet into the room where it will eventually live. It’s covered with paint cans at the moment, but at least that’s progress. I’m going to take my time on this, but it should be fairly simple. Just get some backing fabric (tee-shirt cotton is too stretchy), stuffing material, and piping for the edges, then find the time and clear the space to work.
Oh, and I’ll look for those belt buckles and other items, too, and will report when I find them.
I would love to have a belt buckle. I miss Aaron so much, we use to chat on the phone a lot.