HALLEY'S COMET 1986 EARTH TOUR SHIRT by Wild OATS
Purchased as NEW on April 13, 1986,
from SHADY DAZE of Key West
RARE!
Size XL (1986 size) 50/50 Cotton/Poly blend
Single stitching (Sleeves, Hemline, front neckline)
Double stitched (Shoulders, back of collar)
20 1/4" across (pit to pit) X 27" long/tall (mid-shoulder to bottom of the hemline)
THE STORY OF THIS SHIRT:
In the early months of 1986, like so many others, I answered the call of that year's HALLEY RALLY as swarms of folks escaped the northern cold (or elsewhere) to head for the warmth and dark skies of the lower Florida Keys, to witness and delight in observing HALLEY'S COMET. I had hoped to drive down at the end of March of '86, but had to delay a few weeks, so drove down in mid-April, as the combined crush of spring-breakers and comet-hunters was winding down. I found an incredible observing site on the north end of a nondescript spit of land, south of 7 Mile Bridge and Bahia Honda State Park, just north of Big Pine Key, about 45 mins from my hotel on Key West. It was called West Summerland Key, later to be renamed Scout Key. I had no way of knowing that 100 yards or so from where I had set up, was a Girl Scout Camp that would soon become home to The Winter Star Party, where I would spend the next 25 years! So, on this trip, nights were spent observing and photographing the comet, while days were spent exploring Key West, befriending cats (whether strays, multi-toed, or flying circus ones), enjoying the general vibe and weirdness, and SHOPPING!!! My time spent observing and photographing the comet was VERY successful....but not as successful as my shopping for Halley's Comet T-shirts. I returned home with several images, that I still use in my talks to this day. I also returned home with close to 80 Halley's Comet shirts! After taking photos of my new acquisitions for a talk, highlighting the silly side of Halley-mania, including some seriously UGLY shirts (purchased BECAUSE they were so ugly, to be "featured" as part of the aforementioned planned talk, and were then given to friends as gag gifts), I thinned out my personal collection to maybe around 3 dozen shirts, which I kept (this was one of those) and wore for the next few years, until I had to admit that I had "evolved" into a size XL. DAMN! I kept those shirts anyway, for sentimental reasons, but am in the process of thinning my collection again, because storing several THOUSAND shirts for sentimental reasons is still several hundred too many...according to my wife!
This "design" was one of my first and is still one of my favorites, out of all of the shirts from this trip. After arriving and checking in to my hotel, I did what I ALWAYS do when I visit Key West...TRY TO FIND A PARKING SPOT ANYWHERE close to Duval Street! On this particular day, a Monday, luck was on my side. It was like everyone went home the day before, so I found a premium free street spot near the marina, close to Mallory Square. So, after my first stop, paying respects to the folks (and kitties) at The Key West Cat House (R.I.P.), I wandered onto Duval Street, right near the "Main" downtown area...the intersection of Sloppy Joe's, Capt. Tony's, and Hog's Breath Saloon. (No, I do NOT drink, but is there any better way to identify this intersection???) I noticed a new Head Shop/tourist trap that I had never seen before, selling enough T-shirts, pipes, rolling papers, tie-dye jewelry, and all sorts of "paraphernalia" to keep any Dead Head VERY happy on his/her particular "trip"...SHADY DAZE of Key West. If my memory still works, shortly after the Halley's folks returned home, the shop closed up and is now the site of Crazy Shirts. Anyway, one of these shirts was hanging in the window, so you know I had to have one...well, 2! I loved the design and how well it glowed (VERY WELL...and still does!), along with the "authentic" Key West skyline (NOT!). By the way, the greenish/yellow lettering and highlights, and OF COURSE, the comet, are the parts that glow...the red lettering does NOT! This would turn out to be my first of several shirts from this shop, not to mention the first of MANY MORE stops and purchases of shirts on this trip. I STILL wear the other one of this design from time to time so this one has been stored away. As a result, it just made more sense to finally part with this one. THE WEIRD PART? it wasn't until an hour ago, as I was editing the photos for this listing, that I paid attention to the fine print on this shirt...(C)'86 Wild OATS. WILD OATS??? In just 6 short years, while searching for new and interesting Astronomy T-shirt designs to use for fund-raising in our young Museum Shop to help us purchase our first BIG telescope (20"), we met the folks from Wild OATS at a trade show and for the next several years, they became one of our important, early suppliers. Astronomy To Go is STILL going strong. Sadly, Wild OATS only lasted a few more years.
This shirt has been worn and washed before, and still has a lot of life and GLOW (and laundry cycles) left in it, as the shirt itself and screen-printing is still in very good condition for a shirt that is almost 40 years old. It has been through the laundry once again, recently, to make sure that it was clean and in good condition to be listed for sale now. I am offering this RARE shirt for $74.95, which includes free shipping to anywhere in the U.S. You can combine this with other items that I am selling to receive a refund for each additional item, after the first, once shipped. This refund reflects my savings in postage fees by combining your orders, and is based on the total mailing weight of the items. International buyers are eligible for the multi-item discount (WHEN YOU USE THE SHOPPING CART FEATURE AND PAY FOR ALL OF YOUR ITEMS IN A SINGLE PAYMENT!) and receive free shipping to ebay's Global Shipping Program Center, but are responsible for all additional fees for postage, customs, tariffs, and/or other import charges. Any questions? Contact me.