borlack

I just scooped up 2 pairs of vintage WW2 Deadstock cinch back selvedge denim jeans. I'm hoping to find info about these... Does anyone know anything about them?

The jeans are stamped 40 & 41 waist size but they measure out to about 38 and 36ish. Both have the same NAVAL stamp inside but different 3 digit numbers. Both have "WOODS" stamped on them. The selvedge is only visible on the inner back pockets and on the cinch. The denim is beautiful! Deep dark indigo color and a wonderful unworn vintage denim smell.  The belt loops are HUGE and the waist band is very large. There are also no rivets on either pair. The only metal is the cinch.

I'm in Canada so I'm wondering if these are possibly Canadian Naval Jeans? Or Maybe US Naval Jeans? British Maybe? 

I snapped a few quick pics but will post more if requested.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Link to Images-

http://imgur.com/a/15YPz

I found a super rare GWG denim jacket today in a thrift store and only paid 12.99 for it.  (The exact same thrift store I found the mint condtion Authentic 1950's Big E 501xx Levis for $17.99 about 6 months ago!)

This jacket is a beauty. It's in fantastic condition. It's either never been worn... Or worn very little. There's a few cosmetic flaws but I think it's from being stored for so long and maybe being moved around.

The construction, the patina, the heavy quality denim, the colour... Is just jaw dropping. It fits me like a glove but I'd never wear it, so just like the Big E Levis, I'm gonna sell it.

Here's a link to the imgur I just created with some pics of the jacket-
http://imgur.com/a/NJGKO

I've successfully dated it to the 1953 era using this website provided by the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton - (Great website BTW)
http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/exhibits/online/GWG/en/products/gwgidguide.html

Now I'm trying to determine value. I honestly have no clue. It could be $100....  It could be $400.... It could be over $1000.

I found a sold listing for a pair of jeans in the same time period here- These sold for over $1000CAD.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/VINTAGE-EXTREMELY-RARE-1940s-GWG-COWBOY-SELVAGE-CROTH-RIVET-DENIM-WORKWEAR-JEANS-/301691444092?hash=item463e361b7c

I'm attempting to contact the writers of the Royal Alber Museum article but figured I'd post in here to get some opinions as well.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks all. It was a $9.00 investment so I'm not at a big loss. Plus all the other authentic raw denim I've thrifted this month will more than make up for it. Thanks again!

Thanks for the reply bod. |
What are the giveaways that they're fake so I know for next time? Many thanks in advance

I just found what looks like a VTG pair of EVIS jeans in a thrift store... Does anyone have any idea if they're authentic or not? If so, any thoughts on style, age, and value? I really don't know if these are real or not!

Here's a link to a IMGUR album I created-
http://imgur.com/a/zOhoz

I swear I posted a link.... Guess I forgot! Anyways, I finally heard back from Canada Goose... Turns out it's authentic so I don't need help afterall. Thank you to everyone who looked- Even though I forgot the link!

I'm trying to authenticate this recent thrift store find. If anyone here is familiar with Canada Goose I'd greatly appreciate some help.
I just scooped this Trillium Parka up at a thrift store for $9.99 and would like some opinions on authenticity... I'm fairly certain it's the real thing based on quality of construction, attention to detail, feel of fabric, quality stitching, quality pocket linings, heavy duty YKK zippers, quality of 'velcro', tags seem legit.... But I'm not 100% certain. Also, if this jacket is authentic, does anyone know a production date? When was it made and how old is it... I'm going to be selling it and want to be sure it's authentic and when it was made. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I posted these up for sale last night. They're already at $1712US with 9 more days to go in the auction. Thanks again for the help everyone! It turns out that I never actually measured these to get an actual size.... The waist on these is 35" and the length is 31" making them much more desireable :-)

When I called Levis they gave me an e-mail address for the historian... The email the guy at head office gave me was a new one. I wasn't given a name.

Thanks for the info sympathy-for-denim. It's good to know that mine proably won't fetch that much... I'll readjust my expectaions But I'll keep hoping!

Honestly, I'm thankful to own these and I'm thankful to have the oppurtunity to sell them.... This will be the biggest flip I've ever done so I'll be happy with anything over $1000US. Of course I'd love to get more though! lol

A pair just sold on ebay today for $3700USD.... That's about $4500CAD right now....

Here's the link (scroll down to see it)- http://www.ebay.com/itm/vtg-1950s-501xx-LEvis-Big-E-Selvedge-Single-Stitch-Denim-Jeans-DARK-Hidden-Rivet-/321725868092?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae85b283c&nma=true&si=c5%252F1hdLh84gFYLBGr%252B%252FN5fds4ZQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Would you say that these are all that different from mine? Of course I want to hear that mine are better and would fetch more

I just realized that I've never actually measured the waist and inseam on these to see if they've been washed.... Just did, and yes, they've been washed. The waist comes in at 35"ish and the length at 31"ish. I just tried them on again and they fit me perrrrrrrfectly. But realistically, am I ever going to wear them? Hell no! I'd be afraid of rain, spills, sharp edges, food, my toddler... Not to mention I'd crack the s#%^ out of the crispy tag just sitting down to drive in my car.

I have a gut feeling that the economy in the US and CA is going downnward.... And I also have a feeling that we're at a high point in the 'denim market'... Plus the US dollar is so strong right now compared to the US so I'd make a lot more....

But I could be wrong...

I've decided to sell these when I hear back from Levi's. There's no way I can sit on these things in a closet for years waiting for the value to go up- There's just too many unknown variables that I'm not comfortable with. I'll take my $17.99 purchase and potentially turn it into over 3k or 4k.... Hopefully even 5k.

The gal who recently sold her pair in the link above started the auction at 99cents.... Such a bold move... It paid off for her in the end but I'm wondering if I'll be able to do that! The thought of starting the auction at 99cents and trusting that it'll work it's way up to 2k or 3k takes some real gusto! It's a dilemma because I know that the auction listings always bring more because of bidding wars... The high 'buy it now' listings usually sit there for a long time.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!

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?

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?

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