Gilley’s Pasadena, TX Bumper Stickers

Posted by gilleysmuseum.com on March 7, 2012 · 11 Comments 

Hey ya’ll,

There is so much interest in the vintage original Gilley’s Pasadena, TX bumper stickers that I just had to take some time to get all of ours together and take pictures for ya’ll. As you’ll see, there are several types. The two things they all have in common is the 3M backing paper you’ll see in the picture of our first sticker below, and a metallic like light reflective front, not just a slick, shiny surface.

The Gilley’s “Let’s Rodeo” sticker measures 3 x 12 inches and has a drawing of a cowboy riding a mechanical bull just left of center. As you can see, the backing paper is kind of paper shopping bag brown and has the Scotch 3M brand all over it. This backing paper is common to every vintage original Gilley’s bumper sticker of every style that we’ve seen. This sticker is not numbered and is relatively hard to find since it wasn’t available as long as the numbered sticker. FYI, it was priced at $1.50 each in the mid 1980’s Gilley’s Catalog.

This is the vintage Gilley’s Pasadena Texas “Let’s Rodeo” bumper sticker with the 3M backing paper below.

Next is the most well known and most desired Gilley’s Pasadena Texas sticker with the serial number on the bottom right. It also measures 3 x 12 inches. Here is a picture of our oldest sticker. With the serial number 42968 it is almost certainly from the first year of distribution, and has the yellowing from age you would expect from something made back in the early 1970’s.

Vintage original Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker 42968.

Our next lowest numbered Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker is serial number 96934. Based on the photo in Bob Claypool’s “Saturday Night at Gilley’s” book, which is copyright 1980 (the year “Urban Cowboy” was released), on page 15 of a worker holding a stack of stickers with the one visible showing the serial number 232821 I think it is fair to conclude that our sticker is probably from around 1976 or so.

As you can see, there is a missing piece in the upper left corner and a crack in the lower left corner. It has the 3M backing paper shown above on the back side. Here is a picture.

This vintage original Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker has the serial number 96934 and is from the mid 1970’s.

Finally, we have 2 vintage Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper stickers that were given to a DJ named Steve at KRLC radio, along with an autographed picture of Mickey Gilley (which is also part of our collection) dated 1981 and thanking Steve for his help. These 2 stickers carry the serial numbers 430707 and 430786 and, being newer, are whiter in color. This style sticker also sold for $1.50 each in the mid 1980’s Gilley’s Catalog. Here are their pictures.

1981 vintage original Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker serial number 430707.

This vintage original 1981 Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker has serial number 430786.

For comparison, this last picture is of a purported Gilley’s bumper sticker that measures 2 5/8 x 11 inches, has a pure white backing that is coated, and a very white sticker that feels like a smooth vinyl. It bears the number 950502. If you see that same number, or a sticker with the above measurements and description, beware. The condition is too good to be true for something that supposedly came from the 1980’s. Here is a picture.

Fake Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker with serial number 950502.

So we can use the numbers from the picture in the 1980 book (which we believe was probably taken in 1979) and the stickers given by Mickey Gilley in 1981 to estimate when other numbered stickers were sold or given out.

Since the majority of these stickers in the early years were placed on patrons’ bumpers they were most likely destroyed along with the vehicles they were attached to. Only the smaller number of Gilley’s bumper stickers that were sold and never used from those early days might still be around today, which contributes to their rarity and desirability. This is why, in our opinion, the higher numbered stickers, especially from after the release of Urban Cowboy, are more commonly found and therefor not as valuable as the stickers with serial numbers lower than approximately 300000.

Another type of Gilley’s bumper sticker is the Texas shaped small sticker. It measures roughly 4 x 4 inches and looks very similar to the Texas shaped Gilley’s patch. Again, it has the 3M backing paper as you can see in the picture below. These sold for $1.00 each in the mid 1980’s Gilley’s Catalog.

Front and back of a 1980’s Gilley’s Pasadena Texas bumper sticker in the shape of Texas.

Our last sticker says “Gilley’s A Premium Texas Beer” and measures 3 x 5 inches, with the same textured surface and 3M backing paper. It sold for $1.00 each in the mid 1980’s Gilley’s Catalog also. Here is a picture.

Vintage 1980’s Gilley’s A Premium Texas Beer sticker.

So there you have it. Examples of every vintage Gilley’s bumper sticker we are aware of, including a fake one. There is also a Johnny Lee’s Pasadena Texas sticker that is 3 x 12 inches which we haven’t shown since we don’t have one at this time.

UPDATE:  We have now acquired a number of Johnny Lee’s Club bumper stickers. Being the sister club to Gilley’s, it’s only fair that we include the picture below. Johnny Lee’s Club was located at the site of the old Nesadel Club, which Sherwood Cryer purchased and renamed Johnny Lee’s to capitalize on the increasing fame and popularity of the country singer who’s career he managed.

Johnny Lee’s Club Bumper Sticker

As with all the stickers above, the backing paper is 3M and the front is reflective.

Hopefully this will help you date and authenticate any sticker you see. We don’t want anyone being suckered by fakes or thinking that a sticker is much older than it is being represented to be.

Have you seen anything other than the above? Have you seen other fakes? Do you have questions? Leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to respond.

See our Beware Rip-Offs page for more info and pictures of fakes.

Happy sticker hunting,

Bubba

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Filed under Collecting, Country Bars, Country music collectibles, Gilley's Beer, Gilley's memorabilia, Mickey Gilley, Urban Cowboy collectibles, Urban Cowboy memorabilia · Tagged with beer collectibles, beer memorabilia, bumper stickers, country bars, country music, country music clubs, Gilley's, Gilley's Beer, Gilley's bumper stickers, Gilley's collectibles, Gilley's memorabilia, Gilley's Pasadena, memorabilia, Mickey Gilley, Pasadena, Urban Cowboy