501XX4EVER

Damn, even a 517, , lovely stuff that makes me a bit sad that they used to get everything so right and now they can't seem to get anything right. Just a bit of random sizing info. on my Japanese Levi's, they are both tagged 36x36 and post many washes and only air drying them, they are now both roughly 34x32, not exactly but pretty much. If you decided to start using your pairs @pedro, I would advise holding off on the dryer until at least the third wash, these babies shrink.

Just reading through the last page of this thread, one can't help but think of the old proverb "a fool and his money are soon parted".

Unfortunately I don't and judging how crap the photos I take for my ebay listings turn out, I don't think I would do them justice. The denim is actually quite light so I only really wear them in the hot weather so they're not really in the rotation at the moment and I am currently enjoying the living daylights out of wearing my latest acquisition as mentioned on the previous page. There seems to have been two "instances" or runs of Japanese "LVC-esque" Levi's and the 1971 model would appear to be from the earlier run. I say this as the care labels of my 1947 and 1971 models are completely different, the '47 has one similar to @fix_me's pair except mine don't say "Made In USA", the '71 care tag is in the same place but a lot bigger and kinda gets in the way a bit.

Even more Double Denim ...

They look like a great find and purchase as they seem to be in really excellent/one wash condition. It's very hard to find jeans on Buyee that don't have inseams that have been altered to roughly somewhere in the 70-75cm range. I have a pair very similar to those 47's, except mine are made in Japan. They really do shrink though, mine went well below tag size. I agree with you on the details though, the patch on mine will definitely turn "Jerky" with time, it's already a bit crispy bacon on the edges, it looks to be made from a completely different type of leather than L.V.C. use. I also love the stitching on the top of the pocket where then orange thread goes around the the bartacking, as seen in the picture above, it's the kinda thing that Warehouse does, pointless but beautiful. I also have a pair of super rare 1971 model 501's that are made in Japan which are also amazing. Of course, all Levi's heads will know the significance of 1971 for the 501.

Preach Brother!!!

Lots of reasons really, nostalgia, the whole "shrink to fit thing" of the 501xx, if you size them correctly they're a great fit post shrink, they come in a size 35 waist, they're great value for money, many reasons really, but in general they're just great jeans. They used to be a bit easier to find on the ole ebay before the news of Cone's demise.

I was hoping you would drop some knowledge on whether my 1982 theory is correct, IE did Cone stop making selvedge denim for Levi's then?, was that the time it changed to non-selvedge?, thus making all of that typing vaguely worthwhile??? Also, confirming that these are in fact one of the earliest non-selvedge 501's. The more I examine the back pockets on these, the more I'm starting to think that they may have just put back pockets that were meant for a size 40" or 42" waist on by accident/mistake/run out of the correct size ones, because I could fit a paperback copy of "Crime and Punishment" in these, they're massive. While I'm at it, another detail I noticed on these jeans and forgot to mention, and anyone who has purchased a pair of "1944" inspired repos will sympathize with, check out how close the front belt loops are, as the '44' owners will know, it makes things slightly difficult belt-wise. Did these '653' guys work off 40's patterns for certain details? perhaps with the attitude of if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Just to beat the drum a bit more about how "out there" the '653' factory is, here is another picture from juke_kakui's instagram of some extremely rare half selvedge Levi's. Judging by the google translation, the '653' vibe has the renowned collector a bit freaked out. One red ear of one ear juke_kakui. I see it occasionally. The back of the button is 653. This "653". Somewhere weird, are not there? The silhouette is also a bit funny, you can also see a glimpse of your pocket and you are falling vertically, right? Also, although it is the age of red ears, it is mostly armpits to find. I think I will investigate it in more detail. #levis # 501xx # 501 # Red ears # jukebox app_hiro Even in the latter term of the armpit divide, 653 made "mystery kun" is not it. juke_kakui @ app_hiro That's right! This is worth investigating ^ _ ^ Here's some bonus footage of the (now) famed '653' factory...

Nope, also I have loads of 80's and early 90's 501s that have belt loops that don´t hit the yoke stitching. The Fried-erino is close but no cigar.The '653' is significant but the '82' is why I think these are "special". I believe 1982 was roughly the year that Levis stopped making selvedge 501s as standard, although I'm sure a few of the factories still had surplus in stock and used it up until it was gone but in general, I think 1982 was the cut off point. I have seen the ones they made immediately after the '82 cut off referred to as the "transition" model jeans, in that they were the exact same cut and had most of the same details of the selvedge models, just no selvedge. This was before things got a lot more standard in terms of shape, fit and details in the mid to late 1980's, when the overall design became more uniform and consistent. I have bought and sold so many non-selvedge 1980's 501s over the last few years it has become a bit of an obsession, they are absolutely fantastic jeans and can have a fairly significant variation depending on the year and factory number. This is the first time I've got my hands on a "transition" pair. So for example, if you look closely at the pictures of the back pockets or the picture with the fly open, (you can expand the photo's to a super large size if you're on a computer), you can see that they still have the black thread "bar tacked" on the top of the pockets. Also, and not to put too fine a point on it, but the back pockets on these are fucking massive, they are nearly at 1960's 505 proportions. Lots of other things like single felled inseams, the nickel backing on the back of the rivets, even the belt loops kinda have the "raised" center that a lot of the Japanese retro brands recreate. The thing is, I believe the "transition" models were not made for very long, they got rid of the black thread for the bar tacking fairly quickly and they changed to the double felled inseam I guess around the mid 80's??? So weirdly enough, these might be one of the earliest of the non-selvedge jeans Levis made back then and as they were only made for a very short time, fairly "rare". I know not everyone would think they are "special" but, if I'm right about these, they definitely have some Mojo about them, after all, denim doesn't have to be selvedge to be unique. Wherever the '653' factory was located and what patterns they were using I would love to know because they seemed to be a bit like Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now", out there running wild and doing their own thing. These are the third pair of '653' 501s I have owned, the other two are from '83 and are what I would call post-post transition, they still have a few of the details of the late 70's early 80's models, just not as much. But they all have some quirky details, mainly very weird coin pockets. I am lucky enough to have three pairs of selvedge 501's, one form 79, the other two from the 80's and they all have very nice, neat coin pockets. The '653' ones look more like something from the 40's and they have a single stitch rather than the chain stitch that all 501s had since the 60's. This is a picture of a coin pocket from a 40's pair on Juke_kakui's Instagram page and it's kinda what the '653' coin pockets look like. Any of the fans of Conners Sewing Factory would love the '653' 501s as they have wonky stitching and loose threads a go go, definitely a different attitude to quality control than the other factories at the time. Bit of a long post but there you go, ever since the demise of Cone I've gotten a little bit more OCD on all things Levi's.

Correct, but why are they "special"?

OK, this is one for the genuine Levi's 501 nerd, probably extreme nerds. Why did my eyes light up when I spotted, and then won, the Ebay auction for this particular pair of 501s??? Here are the pictures from the listing that piqued my interest and sent my denim senses all a flutter... The last picture should provide a clue.

No he doesn't, it was bad enough seeing it in one thread.

Double Post.