With all this talk and excitement about the Obama merchandise craze it had me thinking of the cool stuff I use to collect of bands as a young noble teenager. Amongst the badges, stickers, posters, t-shirts and hoodies, I always liked the idea of wearing something to be proud of and to this day I have a Joy Division badge pinned to my grown-up looking handbag. It’s questionably immature and possibly lame but it still nice to show off my great music taste.


Sixth form was a time where my musical merchandise shined through like nobody's business. A favourite of mine at the time was a rather dashing Nirvana hoodie, similar to the one pictured, left. Alongside that I had a boring and very uncontroversial Manics hoodie (a bootleg from Donington market) of the This is my Truth Tell me Yours album (not their most "rock" album of course but it was the only one I could find). Emphasising the uncontroversial nature of this, now it would be like wearing a Coldplay hoodie - not as horrible as that obviously, but on the verge, and the thought of Chris Martin parading around on my back sends shivers down my spine.
 

At one point I "borrowed" a Hole hoodie stating the words "Pretty on the Inside" and the day I sported it (and this has never left me) some boy jeered at me, "more like ugly on the outside!"  

Anyway, merchandise is immensely great and definitely a splendid way to show the world the bands you love the most without even moving your lips, and a great way for them to make shed loads of cash.

But let's put these important issues aside and look at some fun band memorabilia

Bloc Party condoms



Russian Beatles dolls



Abba buttons



 







Kiss casket




...and best of all: a Bill Wyman metal detector!



Does anyone have/need/want merchandise half as exciting as this?!
 
Sadly though, through years of collecting random band merchandise I don’t think I own anything of monetary value. My favourites things of sentimental value though are my Libertines "What a Waster" badge, my Shampoo Christmas card signed by Jacqui and Carrie, and my X-ray Spex "oh bondage up yours" t-shirt.

Do you have any gems stored away?