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

[DhaDha]

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!

 

when i was doing antique camera trading on eBay i usually found sweet deals on old cameras/film cameras. i once made about 500quid on a 20quid purchase. what happened was these old/film cameras belonged to the older generations who either passed on or didn't know the present market. They thus though nothing of the worth of what they possessed. I think this pair of Levi's probably belonged to this group. realistically, an average Joe wouldn't really know how much these things cost, looking at the mass produced Levi's these days, and so passed them onto charity shop who, surprisingly, didn't know better as well (and this is the real surprise here.) 

 

it's really up to you of course, but i have a feeling that since 50's Levi's in this condition is getting harder to find by the minute, who know  how much they might cost a decade from now. otoh maybe the market will crash and the fad will pass........

[Maynard Friedman]

I think a forum member in Germany bought a mint pair of 50s Big E on eBay a few years ago (seller had no idea).

Post now edited to contain only facts rather than my hazy, incorrect memories!

Edited April 24, 2015 by Maynard Friedman

[beautiful_FrEaK]

yep, I know he bought them for cheap..but did he really sell those? I am not sure about that one..his name just slipped my mind. he was more active some years ago

[Maynard Friedman]

Was it 501 cult?

Edited April 24, 2015 by Maynard Friedman

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

Hey guys,

 

actually I still have this pair and finally never wore it, for the leather like tag is so crispy... but very nice find borlach.

I guess yours are a little older than my pair, since i got the stamped copper rivets.

 

[Flash]

@ 

Sympathy-For-The-Denim

would you mind posting a few pic's if you have the time , im sure i seen some you posted in the past but a a few more wont hurt

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

...since all picture i ever posted had been erased by image shack , i´ll try posting some new over the weekend.

[fat slub]

surely an original pair of 50s levis can only appreciate in value

if times aren't that bad you have to hang on to them.

you can only sell something once 

[borlack]

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.

Edited April 25, 2015 by borlack

[Sympathy-For-The-Denim]

I´m sorry to tell but this pair from ebay, must have been made before 1955, for it features the real leather tag. So maybe 5-10 years older than yours. That this pair didn´t make a better price must depend on the quite big size.

[borlack]

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

[aho]

borlack, that pair with the leather patch is 1952-54 (leather patch, centered belt loop, double sided tab among other things); Leather will always get more money than a paper patch if in the same condition due to age and rarity.

 

That said, you will still get over 1K for your pair on the bay. Retail for a pair like yours in Japan would be around $1700-1900 USD. Only thing that might hurt the value is the size and the tear in the patch but those should be minor given the overall condition and wash. 

 

BTW, Lynn Downey doesn't work for Levi's anymore, did they give you an updated/non-Levi's e-mail?

[borlack]

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.

Edited April 27, 2015 by borlack

[borlack]

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 :-)

Edited May 8, 2015 by borlack

[aho]

^Added to my watch list! I won't be bidding, but congrats again on the find, you'll earn a handsome penny indeed!

[givemefive]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/True-Vintage-1950s-Levis-501XX-Big-E-Redline-Selvedge-Jeans-Measured-Size-35x31-/291457539578?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item43dc391dfa

[rodeo bill]

nice find! good luck with the auction. anyone who's into watches this is the ultimate thrift store story 

[BillyHoyle]

nice find! good luck with the auction. anyone who's into watches this is the ultimate thrift store story 

I remember reading this - insane. I found an old stowa watch in a thrift and I thought I had made a good find!