Would you pay $80,000 for a Pair or Vintage Levi Jeans?
A pair of Levi jeans believed to date back to the year 1893, were found in a family trunk that had been passed down from generation to generation.
The 130 year old jeans are in fantastic condition
It’s believed Warner was at least 6’6′. The jeans have a 44-inch waist and are 36-inches in length.
Since his death in 1899, his his descendants have passed on a wooden chest. An ‘heirloom’ that bears his name.
Jock didn’t think to check who the jeans belonged to until quite recently when an antiques roadshow came into town.
The jeans, which are in excellent condition, look brand new, but the current owner Jock Taylor believes they have actually been laying in the chest untouched for decades – possibly for more than a century.
He believes that they belong to his great-great grandfather Solomon Warner, an Arizona pioneer from the 1800s.
the jeans belonged to Soloman Warner, an American Pioneer
Vintage Levi jeans can be hugely collectable, but to find a pre-1900 is a massive rarity and considered by collectors to be the holy grail.
The construction of Levi jeans has changed over the years
It’s believed Warner was a large man, at least 6’6′. The jeans have a 44-inch waist and are 36-inches in length.
Since his death in 1899, his his descendants have passed on a wooden chest. An ‘heirloom’ that bears his name.
The jeans came to light when they were taken to a local antiques roadshow. The expert soon realised that despite the condition, the jeans were much older than had previously been thought.
Unlike modern Levi’s, the jeans in those days had only a single back pocket. There were no belt loops as they wore braces. The denim was produced at a mill in New Hampshire, and the jeans were produced by Levi’s in San Francisco.
Old leather waist label
These current jeans are like new and could possibly be the oldest unworn pair of Levi’s in existence
The rivets were exposed, meaning they were older than 1937 – and braces buttons showed that the pair were older than 1922. Finally, a single back pocket indicated that the jeans were older than 1901
Pre-1937 jeans had exposed rivets and the braces button show that they were pre-1922
A pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s sold for $60,000 to a Japanese collector in 2005, Soules said, and another pair, from 1888, sold last year for six figures.
Find out more about collecting vintage Levi Jeans in our previous blog post.