Defunkd

[maxvintage]

Anyone know of any good resources for old Levis?

I got my first pair of Big "E" jeans (unfortunately they don't fit), and I'm looking to learn more about the differences and details of old Levis. The numbers on the buttons, selvedge, etc.

Thanks!

[jimmyj]

We wrote an entry level one a few years ago:

http://www.defunkd.com/blog/2008/06/16/ ... vis-jeans/

but this one is a lot better...spot a fakes section etc.

levisguide.com/bige/bige.html

[maxvintage]

Thanks for the reply Jimmy. I saw that levisguide site, just didn't know if it was legit or not as it looks pretty rudimentary.

I'm a bit surprised there's not a vintage Levis community out there given the popularity of Big E's.

[Johnny65]

Hey Max -

The levisguide.com site is a bit rudimentary but the info is solid.

Also try http://supertalk.superfuture.com/index. ... uperdenim/ for info on every kind of denim you can imagine, new and old.

[maxvintage]

Thanks Johnny, I'll give that superdenim site a good look. I'm a bit worried that the pair I bought are fakes due to the buttons.

[Johnny65]

Hey Max -

Keep in mind there are countless inconsistencies with vintage Levis in terms of the details like button numbers, rivets, etc. So much so that even the Levi gurus sometimes have a hard time knowing for sure what year a certain pair came from.

Post some pics if you've got 'em. I'd be interested to see what has you thinking they're "fakes".

[maxvintage]

Post some pics if you've got 'em. I'd be interested to see what has you thinking they're "fakes". :ugeek:

I'm thinking they may be fakes because of the 555 on the back of the buttons. I guess they usually have single numbers or letters on the back?

They are 517's which I guess some collectors don't even consider to be "true" vintage since they were made later. In any event, the denim feels good, but I'm such a novice at jeans.

I'm crossing my fingers & look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Here's some pics:

[Johnny65]

Hey Max -

These are red tab, Big E, non-selvedge, 517-0217 boot cut.

The 555 stamped on the back of the top button would indicate a later production run probably sometime in the 80's.

A nice jean but not in high demand.

What you want to look for are the vintage 501 Redlines.

Here's an example of the kind of deadstock 501 redlines that bring in the big bucks http://bluegoldblues.com/post/378499404 ... -levis-501

[maxvintage]

At least they aren't fakes. I actually bought them to wear and only thought of selling them after realizing they didn't fit.

I paid $75, hope that wasn't too much. If it was oh well, live and learn the hard way I suppose.

Thanks for all the insight Johnny, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts on things.

[maxvintage]

Hey Johnny, what other vintage blogs do you read?

I checked out blue gold blues and ended up spending hours on it and other similar jeans sites. From there I found rivetheads and learned all about that vintage convention, Inspiration.

So so cool.....just wanted to see if you knew of any other cool sites dedicated to vintage?

[theeteetotaler]

All the Markers on the pants dont add up...

- the 555 stamp would put it in the early 80s or more recent.

- the single stitched rear pockets would put it in the late 70s or prior.

- the big E would place it in the early 70s or prior.

you've got conflicting time periods here and since you omitted a picture of the zipper and the denim doesn't look correct for a pair of big e's i would say these pants are not correct.

[theeteetotaler]

oh yeah, here's a great website for vintage denim jackets, its pretty basic, but it helped me a great deal when vintage denim was more plentiful.

http://www.vintagemotorcyclejackets.com/index-denim.htm

[maxvintage]

Yeah, that's definitely a great a resource for jackets.

I'm very new to the world of collecting denim and honestly don't know much about vintage Levis other than the Big E and selvedge, etc.

I would post a picture of the zipper, but there's not much to post. It doesn't have a name or anything on it.

I contacted the folks at Blue Gold Blues, so hopefully I'll hear back from them soon and we can determine if these are indeed fakes. If so, lesson learned and I'll have to be more careful next time.

[maxvintage]

I wrote the fine folks at Blue Gold Blues (http://bluegoldblues.com/) and here's what they had to say about this specific pair:

I would say they were early 90's repros, 555 means made in USA and believe it or not are actually quite collectable (check out ebay). Again not sure about bootcut models but 555 501s go for a couple hundred bucks as they are considered the best quality repro and made in USA.

So that helps. I was glad to hear that they aren't fakes and super happy to learn that they are still collectable.

[Johnny65]

So so cool.....just wanted to see if you knew of any other cool sites dedicated to vintage?

Hey Max - sorry I didn't see your post sooner. Work has been kinda busy lately.

Anyways...here's a couple more sites I check on a regular basis:

http://sanforized.blogspot.com/

http://66supa.blogspot.com/

http://www.marvins-jp.com/index.htm *Japanese site but the photos are nice to look at.

The Inspiration Show was great! I've gone the last 2 years.

[moonbeam9209]

Hi, I know its been a while since anyone has posted on this, but I do know a bit about vintage Levi's. I bought a pair of 501 Big E almost two years ago at a thrift store for $5.00 and really didn't think they were authentic since they looked so new. I learned so much about them. Long story short, I sold them for over $800.00 on Ebay.

There are so many factors with the big E and also since they have made repro's. Those can be worth quite a bit too. But maybe 80.00, not 800.00

I found out from someone that you can email Lynn Downey at Levi's, so that is what I did and she helped me to date the Levi's to 1969-1970 due to many factors. Here is her email: LDowney@levi.com She is the historian there and was very nice and helpful.

Feel free to contact me if I can help in any way.