levis 501 vintage old stock see photo

Name: levis 501 vintage old stock see photo
Price: 189.97 USD
Availability: InStock

🛍️ · its own era

The edit ·

A pre-owned Levi's 501 piece. Buy the piece, not the promise. Condition, provenance and a maker's mark are worth more than a brand name alone.

The jean that named a category.

Founded in San Francisco in 1853 by Levi Strauss, who patented riveted denim work trousers with Jacob Davis in 1873. The 501 is the original blue jean.

Vintage Levi's are collected by the fade, the era and the factory. Big E red tabs, selvedge and pre-1971 details are the grail markers, and Japanese collectors led the way.

Why it's called that

Levi's 501

The Levi's 501 has carried its lot number since 1890. The numbers were assigned to the styles as the factory logged them, and 501 simply stuck.

What to look for

The red tab, big E versus small e, dates it, as does the selvedge edge and the care label. Fades made by a real body, not a factory, are worth the most.