A field guide to thrifted sport
Secondhand Archive
Vol. 80s · Houston Oilers · #1 Moon

Vintage 1980s Oilers

sweatshirts.

Vintage 1980s Houston Oilers sweatshirts, from the Moon years (1984–1989). Houston. Warren Moon arrives from the CFL in '84, and the Oilers make the playoffs every year from '87.

What dates a piece to the 1980s: Starter satin and pullover jackets, Champion and Russell jerseys, mostly USA-made, LA Raiders and Indianapolis Colts city names. Houston Oilers gear is 1960-96, Tennessee Oilers is a two-season window (1997-98), and anything Titans-branded is 1999 or later. We don't keep a market snapshot for this collection, so check listings against the list below and ask the seller for photos of the tag and the measurements.

NO. · · 1980S OILERS SWEATSHIRTS, BY THE NUMBERS
Years
1980–89
Garment
sweatshirt
Rough value
$63+
1
Moon · #1
CREWNECK'85
80s · Sweatshirts
vol. 80s
NO. 01 · ON EBAY NOW

We don't keep a market snapshot for this collection. The live eBay search shows everything listed right now; use the checklist below to judge what you find.

Search eBay →
LOW · $63
TYPICAL · $140
HIGH · $350

rough guide, not an appraisal

price check

a fair price for a fair shirt

NO. 02 · WHAT TO LOOK FOR
  • Starter jackets: satin team jackets and pullover jackets with Starter's logo embroidered on the sleeve.
  • Made in USA tags are expected. Offshore-made labels became common from the mid-1990s.
  • City names: Los Angeles Raiders (1982-94), Indianapolis Colts (from 1984) and Phoenix Cardinals (1988-93). Baltimore Colts and St. Louis Cardinals gear predates those moves.
  • Read the tag first: maker, country of origin and fiber content. A Made in USA tag fits the 80s and early 90s better than the 2000s.
  • Match the graphics to the team's timeline. The logo, colors and city name should all fit the era the seller claims.
the 80s oilers
1
worn by · Moon
the

Moon

era, 1984–1989

Houston. Warren Moon arrives from the CFL in '84, and the Oilers make the playoffs every year from '87.

NO. 03 · IN THE DESIGN ARCHIVE

Looking for one specific design? The archive files every Titans design we found on eBay, one page each, with all its past examples.

Tennessee Titans · 13 designs →Houston Oilers · 3 designs →

NO. 04 · RELATED COLLECTIONS
NO. 05 · FIELD NOTES

How can I tell a 1980s Oilers sweatshirt is original and not a modern reissue?

Start with the tag: the maker and the country of manufacture should fit the 1980s, and a licensed piece usually names the NFL or the team on a label. Then check that the logo, wordmark and colors match what the Oilers used in those years. Modern retro and throwback lines copy old graphics but use current tags, so a tag photo settles most questions.

Why does this page mention Moon?

Moon wore #1 in the Moon years (1984–1989). Houston. Warren Moon arrives from the CFL in '84, and the Oilers make the playoffs every year from '87. Player numbers and names from a team's best-known years are the ones most often printed and sewn on fan gear, so they turn up most in secondhand listings.

How does a vintage sweatshirt fit?

Vintage sweatshirts were cut differently from today's, and cotton blends shrink with washing, so the tag size is only a hint. Compare the seller's pit-to-pit and length measurements with a sweatshirt you own.

Read the full buying guide →