Id these Levis for me please

[lilldavid]

I got this pair of jeans at a store here in stockholm called Damaged goods that only carried vintage jeans, mostly levis and lee and such. top button says 555 (couldnt really get a good shot of that) and the selvage looks either like a really really really faded red one or a pink one. Here are some pictures:

I bought them for this incredibly nice wear

the black bar tacks

left pocket

the tag also says: 555 1195 55746-3

thank you in advance

[nemoulette]

I though Damaged Goods closed down, or did you get them a while ago?

[lilldavid]

yeah a while ago

[Superstar]

^ cheap would now this one for sure.. not really into the vintage thing already..

[Heartworm]

They look like a pair of thai fakes...

[cheapmuthafukr]

if there is not leg twist id say they are thai fakes... doesnt look like lvc, maybe the first line of repros levis did in the early 90s, but ive never seen those so i dont know.

i bet paul t knows this one.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

I can say with 100% certainty that they are not thai fakes, or at least not the thai fakes that we know. First of all, you don't fake lower case e, paper tag Levi's, second, they don't look anything like the fakes.

No leg twist only means that these are sanforized, which they of course are since they are not big E.

Only thing that is making me wonder is the print on the pocket bags, but maybe that's how they looked, I don't know.

I would say these are authentic late 70's. 110 and 1873 would put these right at 1983 which I believe was when Levi's stopped using selvedge denim.

[cheapmuthafukr]

looks like a big e to me, but anyways, levis used unsanforized denim for the 501 until they stopped using selvage in 1983.

also, that batwing type tag was not introduced until the late 80s, and 555 was not used in any true vintage levis.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

looks like a big e to me, but anyways, levis used unsanforized denim for the 501 until they stopped using selvage in 1983.

also, that batwing type tag was not introduced until the late 80s, and 555 was not used in any true vintage levis.

they're big e? this monitor is really bad so I can't tell, just took for granted they weren't.

If they're big e then I'd say they might be a little weird.

the 67 505 and 551 zxx are sanforized so I think you're wrong about that part?

also, are you sure about the batwing? I think my big E shirt has the batwing on the inside. I believe the batwing was introduced in 1967.

about the 555, I haven't seen vintage levi's with the 555 stamp but I haven't really been paying attention. I don't see why real vintage couldn't be 555's, they've had that factory since 1906, why wouldn't they make stuff in it?

[cheapmuthafukr]

the 67 505 and 551 zxx are sanforized so I think you're wrong about that part?

i was only refering to 501, not 505 or 551zxx

also, are you sure about the batwing? I think my big E shirt has the batwing on the inside. I believe the batwing was introduced in 1967.

ive seen many many pairs of vintage jeans, and they have never had that type of tag inside. all big e levis ive seen had no tag, just washing instructions printed on the pocket bag. 70s/ early 80s models ive seen have a small paper tag, with no leviws or batwing logo anywhere. the batwing logo tags ive seen were all post selvage levis.

[airfrogusmc]

I thought Levis made an aniversary pair in the mid 1990s that were about the time they started their Vintage line. Looks like a good question for Paul.

[horriblyjollyjinx]

i was only refering to 501, not 505 or 551zxx

ive seen many many pairs of vintage jeans, and they have never had that type of tag inside. all big e levis ive seen had no tag, just washing instructions printed on the pocket bag. 70s/ early 80s models ive seen have a small paper tag, with no leviws or batwing logo anywhere. the batwing logo tags ive seen were all post selvage levis.

http://www.levistrauss.com/Downloads/levis_timeline.pdf

sanforization 1963

batwing 1967, small e in 1971 to conform with the small e of the batwing

[mopar_jj]

Definately 1st generation repro levis. Not sure of the dates these were made.

Think 1987 or so.

Paul T?

[nemoulette]

Damaged Goods sells both old repros and true vintage, the vintage being placed behind the desk. If he didn't buy them from there and that settles it.

[shwanger]

http://www.levistrauss.com/Downloads/levis_timeline.pdf

sanforization 1963

batwing 1967, small e in 1971 to conform with the small e of the batwing

lol just doesnt give up

[lilldavid]

im one hundred million percent sure there not thai fakes, I was thinking that they might be from 87, just wanted to more exactly (was maybe hoping that they would be from the very late sixties early seventees... think ill be waiting for Paul to look at this...

[lilldavid]

btw not sanforized... label says: may shrink 10%

[nemoulette]

(Also, I semi-know the owner of the store, he really wouldn't knowingly sell fakes and somehow I doubt he would be so ignorant to do so. He's a bit of an underground celebrity especially in the denim community)

[__3xL]

1980-1983 :-)

[mopar_jj]

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i190/mopar_jj/Picture012guide.jpg

I knew I had a pair - Think these were made from like 87-92 or something. They are pretty good quality. They are not true to the repros tho. The pockets are chain stitched - Big E, Redline, Paper patch just says 501. All and all still a nice pair of jeans. Good denim, similar to actual big E denim in texture, quality IMO.

[Wayne R]

I've got several pairs of these, i bought them in the mid ninties, they were forunners to the L.V.C. stuff. They came in a box and were called Capital E, they also came with a little booklet with the same title on the front, they sold for about $100 in the States and you could also buy them in the Kings Road London (American Classics) for about £200.00. Cracking pair of jeans fit like '55 L.V.C.s

[Paul T]

Only just noticed these but, yes, they look like Capital E jeans - which have been mentioned here a few times if you do a search.

I went down to Valencia set when they were making these. I remember being frustrated that they were expensive - they spent a lot of money on a flash box - and they got a lot of details wrong, just a kind of generic jean. I think I annoyed the dude showing us round - from memory, he was a very respected ex-factory foreman - because I was wearing the Euro Lee reissues which were about half the price and just as good.

[lilldavid]

thanks guys! anyway they're very nicely worn im my opinion and I love the fit

[toufu]

Only just noticed these but, yes, they look like Capital E jeans - which have been mentioned here a few times if you do a search.

I went down to Valencia set when they were making these. I remember being frustrated that they were expensive - they spent a lot of money on a flash box - and they got a lot of details wrong, just a kind of generic jean. I think I annoyed the dude showing us round - from memory, he was a very respected ex-factory foreman - because I was wearing the Euro Lee reissues which were about half the price and just as good.

LOL dude did you do that on purpose? why didn't you just wear levis?

[Paul T]

LOL dude did you do that on purpose? why didn't you just wear levis?

Pure ignorance - didn't pack any on my trip.

The Capital E are very nice jeans, though, especially as they were made in a factory with such heriatage, and the denim was excellent too, my only problem at the time was I felt they should have ditched the box and knocked $40 off the price. I was frustrated that Levi's hadn't quite realised how those little details mattered, like the Japanese did, but they got it right soon enough.,

[Wayne R]

Paul, i have to agree with you on the detail of these jeans, the booklet that came with them goes on about "genuine detailing"and also has a line drawing of someone wearing a pair of circa1934 waist overalls, but in reality they look like a pair of off the shelf non selvedge jeans, it does seem odd that Levis were very aware of their heritage but failed to reflect that in these jeans. Very nice jeans though, i just shrunk a pair down a month ago, great fit and they do last for ever (got about 7 years wear out of the last pair)