Tell me if my LVCs are fake

[nemoulette]

A few days ago I bought a pair of Big E's from a denim vintage store around town. I love the things, and I think they're 47s, but a friend of mine who I believe posts here tells me that there are a few details that seem a bit off, and I was wondering if you could help me out. He also stated that Levi's have been known to make slight mistakes in the past.

The store said that they were about 10 years old. I think they were dry back in the day, because the fading looks really authentic. Fake or not, I really like them

Pictures:

On me (32x32):

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4585.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4586.jpg

On the bed:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4587.jpg

Selvage:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4588.jpg

Selvage coin pocket, a detail my friend reacted at:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4589.jpg

Nothing on the insides of the pockets, which is weird I guess:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4591.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4592.jpg

Levi's tag:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4593.jpg

Another tag:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4597.jpg

Says "424 A 74", washing instructions and "501 078 99066-4", then "0657-0217"

Back side:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4601.jpg

Leather tag:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e187/nemoulette/DSCN4603.jpg

[horriblyjollyjinx]

Yeah, the coinpocket selvage is weird and there is usually something printed on the inside of the front pockets. Maybe this could be attributed to the fact that they're rather early LVC's? Paul should know!

They do look really good though, very nice wear.

dontcaretoomuchforcrap CANT SKATE!!

Edited by horriblyjollyjinx on Feb 12, 2006 at 11:06 AM

[kumo]

the selvage should be in a pale-ish red/pink

Edited by kumo on Feb 12, 2006 at 11:27 AM

[nairb49]

nice fade on those jeans, as long as you didn't pay a real vintage price for them they're not bad at all.

there have been a couple of this type of jean popping up for legit checks, and i think most of them have been concluded as fake...

the coin pocket selvage is definitely a bit suspect, the selvage should be lighter for a jean of that wear, and the leather tag seems a bit funny too.

but still a nice jean.

nairb49

[nemoulette]

I paid a hundred bucks for them. I do suspect they've done something to them, because they are a bit "oily", as were all of the jeans in the store (all Big-E 501s with varying fit, no cinches though). I didn't realize LVC was being faked to begin with. Anyhow, these definitely have some age to them.

[Paul T]

They are a good-looking finish. They are fake, though, as you guessed that extra selvage on the coin pocket, and the back belt-loop, is a give-away, as is the leather patch which is too think and too shiny. They're also a generic repro, rather than being typical of any particular year, altho they're closer to 1947s than anything else. There have been a bunch of these around lately - if they didn't add those extraneous 'extra' details to add even more authenticity they would be hard to spot. But as you say, they're a nice-looking jean. I would guess, though, that if it's a specialist vintage jeans shop that sold you them, they must know they're fake.

[nemoulette]

Shit Oh well, I should've expected that. Does this mean that they aren't even really selvage, and that a seam has just been tacked on them? They really look and feel high quality, I wonder why one would go such lengths to create a fake when it's a really, really really good one, quality-wise atleast. I don't know about the store though, they had some really not-weird ones too, maybe they just didn't have a clue either (they didn't, for instance, categorize them into yearly repros, just size).

[Paul T]

No, they're definitely real selvage, pretty good quality denim, and the finish is about as good as you'd get on some LVCs. But bear in mind that real LVCs are circa $150.

[nemoulette]

Yeah but these were pretty heavily used and broken in when I bought them, and I don't think it was done in a factory.

[rnrswitch]

Dude. Head back and tell the store you want your money back. Atleast $75 of it, cuz those jeans are worth maybe $25. They are top notch denim with a nice fade, but when you are buying vintage levis, you are paying for all of that plus the nostalgia aspect, which is a big part of the price. I think some of these jeans are made to be sold outside of the US, cuz folks in Japan will pay top dollar for "vintage" Big E Levis.

Also, that leather tag is very suspect. The coloring is too brown.

Edited by rnrswitch on Feb 12, 2006 at 03:43 PM

[darknworn]

These fakes pop up on ebay every so often. Somebody really put in the effort to give them decent fades, and real selvage too. Don't know how they'd hold up in the long run though.

"God is Dead" - Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is Dead" - God

[burtreynolds]

for fakes those are pretty nice. but paying $100 for fakes just sucks. you should really try getting your money back.

[nemoulette]

Oh well I think I'm keeping them, though, since it's still the nicest fade I've ever owned. I'm getting a more genuine pair in the mail soon though

[keyko]

These look like they have been made earlier than Levis launched its LVC line at all and thus they can't be fake LVC. Also, most likely they have been made after 1982 so they can't be a fake of mainstream Levis of some older period. Living in Russia during 90-s I had quite substantial exposure to fake Levis and I think I would tell the fake from the original pretty easily.

I have difficulty understanding the faker's logic here (if these are fake indeed) - if they are putting a substantial effort of replicating 19747 model using real selvage denim, leather label, copper rivets, back pocket stitching color etc, why would they spoil their own work by altering some details of the original jeans?

Alien vs Predator, Freddie vs Jason, Nudie vs A.P.C.

[Busted Seam]

Dude, we've been here before. They're fake. Made in Thailand. There are no mysterious selvage Levi's made between 82 and 87. AS was said last time this came around, they're about as legit as a $21 bill.

http://superfuture.com/city/supertalk/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=8165

Edited by Busted Seam on Feb 13, 2006 at 12:34 AM