Levis Experts Please Help- Are These Thrifted 501XX Big E's Authentic or Fake?

[borlack]

I picked these up for under $20 at the local Sally Anne yesterday. They didn't scream 'Fake' so I took the gamble. They might be real.... The might be fake.... I'm no expert so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

http://imgur.com/a/qBNRx

 

--They're in fantastic condition but still have an 'aged' look to them. If they're real then someone obviously didn't wear them often.

--They have NO tags inside. No stamps on the inside pockets, No wash tags, no care tags, ETC.

--The red line selvedge is faded and looks 'old'

--The top button on the fly has a "S" clearly stamped on it

--The inner rivets are all stamped correctly and are all corroded

--The back patch is very stiff... From what I've read, this is called 'Beef Jerky'... I accidentally cracked it while I was carelessly turning the pants inside out for these pics.

 

I took a ton of pics for you all to see. The link to Imgur is below-

http://imgur.com/a/qBNRx

[dylanbooth78]

They certainly look the part, I would guess that they are either real or they are LVC with inside tags removed? I'm no expert though. would you say that the stitching is cotton or poly/cotton?

[Flash]

nothing fake about them mate , nice pair of mid-late 50's 501xx's and for $20 !!!!

[Shorty Long]

look legit...that is some hairy denim

 

it's a miracle that paper tag has survived, though it doesn't look like they've been worn or washed very much

[borlack]

I can say with certainty say that they're definately not LVC repros- I have a pair of the repro LVC 505-0217 and there's no comparison. You can tell that these are old just based on the selvedge line and the overall patina of the denim... My gut feeling was that these were the real deal or VERY GOOD fakes. I'm really glad to hear that they're the real deal!

I almost fell over when I found them.... I was thinking "No Way! These gotta be fake! There's just no way!" :-)

I cringed when I heard the tag snap... I hope that doesn't affect the value? It's still intact, just cracked.

I have no idea what the stitching is (or how to tell), If I had to guess, I'd say cotton.

 

I'm a 36" and these are a 38" waist.... They have a loose fit on my but the cut is different than I'm used to (Obviously- based on the style and cut back then)

I might flip them.... I might keep them and show them off. Any idea as to the approximate value if I were to flip them?

[unders]

Could be worth contacting Lynn Downey at Levis for some help with dating. She may give you an offer. But what's been said above, 50s and definitely not LVC.

Well done. Fantastic find.

Edited April 21, 2015 by unders

[Flim]

Looks like you just won the lottery. I love the off set back belt loop, such a cool detail you don't see all the time. On somewhat of a side note -- do any of the vintage levis experts know if there was any overlap from what we know as the mid/late 50s details to the late 60s details? Are there details to look for that would date a pair to the early 60s before they got bartacked pockets/double chainstitched waistbands/etc. but still distiguish them from 50s production?

[borlack]

I'm still on cloud 9 about this find..... I don't know if I can ever beat this thrifting grail!

 

I emaied Lynn Downey at Levis last night.

 

Someone in another forum suggested conditioning the patch since it's so brittle.... I have a large tub of obenauf's heavy duty lp for my combat boot obsession... I wonder if it's woth rubbing some on the patch? It might change the color though.... Any thoughts?

[Flash]

its a card patch so lp isnt going to do anything , dont think there is much you can do but just let it be 

[garden gnomes in space]

that texture on the denim is great.  Makes me realize how authentic some of the repro's are and how plain and boring LVC's denim is.

[dylanbooth78]

The patch is not leather mate, it's a type of cardboard. I don't think there is anything you can do about the crack but I wouldn't worry about it as most vintage levis patches are cracked or missing and if they are leather they are usually miss shaped and all jerky like.

[Maynard Friedman]

Cool find, congratulations!

[borlack]

I won't touch the patch. There's no improving on original condition vintage.

Now to sell.... Or not to sell. I have a family Disneyland trip coming up in August and if the 'big auction site' is any indicator for pricing- This could pay for a big chunk of that if I get the right buyer....

 

But part of me says to keep them... Not many people in the world have a pair of these in this condition!

[Ciabatta]

What an amazing find. Keep them!

[aho]

Dude. WTF. I never get that lucky hahaha! Score of a lifetime right there in that condition...I'd definitely keep them, or ask $1500 USD minimum if you decide to sell.

 

BTW, retail in Japan would be at least $1900 USD but pricing is usually at a premium there.

Edited April 22, 2015 by aho

[borlack]

Thank you all again for the info / advice. I'm hoping I hear back from Lynn Downey in a week or two to get an exact date. I'll let you all know what she says when I find out!

[aho]

^Second half of the 50's/early 60's...I'd be interested to hear if she's able to deduce any further from there based on any of the details, and what the give away was, as I'm unaware on further year break downs during '55-'63 other than that!

 

If you were wondering how I got there, the offset belt loop and paper patch are the primary give aways for this specific era. The paper patch retains the "Every Garment Guaranteed" which came off around 1963, has copper rivets on the inside front pockets which became nickel in the 60s (NOT referring to the hidden rivets), and anything earlier would've had a leather patch. Additionally, if you stare at jeans long enough you being to get a gut feel from looking at the fabric and stitching alone, but I'm interested in hearing Lynn's take! I have 3 pairs from this era, but all are beat and faded. Your score is incredible and exceedingly rare!

 

Are you based in CAD btw?

[borlack]

Thanks a ton aho. I doubt that Lynn will be able to help much more than that!
And yes I'm from Canada- I live in Victoria, B.C.

Are you a fellow Canuck?

Thrifting in this city is amazing for a smaller population of 250 000! I've been finding semi-grails all over the place the last few months... Nothing like this though.

Edited April 22, 2015 by borlack

[aho]

^borlack, I'm actually based in Chicago, so quite a ways away...I googled "Sally Anne thrift" and it came up as Canadian which is why I asked! I have a feeling that there's still many gems left yet in the great north, whereas much of the US has already been picked over. Just don't let the Japanese hunters catch on (if they already haven't) so we can selfishly keep all the good stuff! 

[borlack]

We call the Salvation Army thrift stores Sally Ann up here... I figured everyone knew what it was, lol.  I know that Value Village is known as Savers in the US- Same company, different name.

The thrift stores here are pretty picked over and they've started raising their prices a lot in the last year... And we have a HUGE japanese student population too... But I don't see many thrifting. My trick is to always go and to educate myself as to what things to look for. To be honest, I only found out about raw denim about 6 months ago. I kept blowing the crotches out of my dept. store 501's and they're expensive up here in Canada- They go for $89 a pair! So i started researching better quality jeans and the rest is history. Since then, I've thrifted Tellasons, LVC 505-0217 NWOT, Naked and Famous, Nudies, Unbranded.

 

I'm wondering what the story is behind these jeans because they obviously haven't been worn much... If at all. We're the retirement destination for Canada (best weather in the country and one of the most beautiful places on earth) so part of me thinks this pair belonged to an older guy who had them for years and years in the back of his closet and passed away. I just can't see anyone knowing what these are and how much they're worth donating them! But then again, there's a lot very rich people with a lot of disposible income in these parts... Who knows.

[mf051404]

Great find! $$$

[Sigur Rós]

Sally Ann is great name for Salvo's oh and nice find!

[setterman]

^Second half of the 50's/early 60's...I'd be interested to hear if she's able to deduce any further from there based on any of the details, and what the give away was, as I'm unaware on further year break downs during '55-'63 other than that!

 

If you were wondering how I got there, the offset belt loop and paper patch are the primary give aways for this specific era. The paper patch retains the "Every Garment Guaranteed" which came off around 1963, has copper rivets on the inside front pockets which became nickel in the 60s (NOT referring to the hidden rivets), and anything earlier would've had a leather patch. Additionally, if you stare at jeans long enough you being to get a gut feel from looking at the fabric and stitching alone, but I'm interested in hearing Lynn's take! I have 3 pairs from this era, but all are beat and faded. Your score is incredible and exceedingly rare!

 

Are you based in CAD btw?

 

I think the front pocket rivets changed in '59 or '60, so these were most likely made some time between 1955 and 1959.  

 

Lucky bastard, what a find!  And in my size too.  

[beautiful_FrEaK]

^ well, make him an offer

[bradl]

Thanks a ton aho. I doubt that Lynn will be able to help much more than that!

And yes I'm from Canada- I live in Victoria, B.C.

Are you a fellow Canuck?

Thrifting in this city is amazing for a smaller population of 250 000! I've been finding semi-grails all over the place the last few months... Nothing like this though.

Think I might have to make the trek to see this. Seems like all the thrift stores here have been picked over pretty good, but am going to be keeping a better eye out now.

[DhaDha]

wow. speechless. 

allow me to voice my opinion a little. If it were me i wouldn't sell these, at least not for a few years yet. This is possibly once-in-a-lifetime find, unless you go professional vintage jeans hunting (but then the cost of operation would be $$$). there is no harm keeping these for a few years or even decades, who knows what the price will be then? Might even contribute to your retirement plan!

[cool_hand]

Sell them $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ : )

[tigerstrom]

Don't sell yet. It's an amazing find!

[borlack]

I'm waiting to hear back from Levis. I had to call the head office in SanFran to get the correct info because all the e-mail addresses I found on the web were wrong. I talked to a guy there who gave me the right one and e-mailed yesterday. I'm hoping they can tell me about the "S" stamp because I can't find any info about it online. Who knows, maybe these pair have even more value because of it? A guy can dream, can't he? lol. I mean, I found the grail of denim for $17.99 in a thrift shop... Maybe the ride gets better

 

To sell on not to sell... Me and my spouse have been having this talk since Tuesday night. I know they'll only go up in value as time goes on.... But maybe the guy who had these before me was thinking the same thing- And look what happened there- They made their way to a thrift shop! Realistically, I'll probably sell them and keep the memories of winning the denim lottery. I'll just wait to hear back from Levis before I make my final decision. Or maybe I won't sell them.... Frick! Such an internal battle... I'd be kicking myself to find out that I could have "contributed to my retirement" as one member put it.

 

On a different note- The thrifting force has been with me ever since I found these- I picked up an almost brand new pair of Grenson 'Fred' V boots, a pair of Naked and Famous blanket lined jeans, a pair of ladies Meindl boots, a brand new pair of Canadian Forces Navy combat boots, 2 super awesome spring jackets for my personal use.... And I found a Naked and Famous denim jacket at the same thrift shop I got the 501xx Big e's from but they want $100 for it. I haven't bought the jacket yet but they're having a 50% off sale tomorrow so I'm gonna be waiting outside the doors before they open. Funny that they'll put a $99 price on the Naked and Famous jacket but have the Big E's for $17.99!

Edited April 24, 2015 by borlack

[Mrpibbs]

Is it a charity store? If you do sell and it's a charity you support then it would be nice to share a bit of your windfall with their cause. That's a personal view of course.