We buy old Levi’s denim jackets, including 506XX, 507XX, early 557 and 70505 jackets, T back examples, black denim, and unusual later pieces.
This guide explains the three familiar jacket styles and some of the details that changed over time. You can use it to learn about a jacket you found, or skip the reading and text us a few photos.
Our interests also include 1980s and 1990s Made in USA Levi’s. You do not need an early jacket or a readable label to get in touch.
Start with the pockets, front seams, and waist adjustment. The Roman numerals and the names Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 refer to the same three style families.
| Style | Common lot | Main features |
|---|---|---|
| Type I | 506XX | One chest pocket, front pleats, rear cinch. |
| Type II | 507XX | Two chest pockets, front pleats, waist tabs. |
| Type III | 557, 70505 | Pointed pocket flaps and V shaped front seams. |
These names describe the design. Later reproductions can have the same layout, so the style alone does not establish a jacket’s age.
We buy early examples, including jackets with wear, repairs, missing hardware, or an unreadable patch.
The 506XX has a short, boxy body with a single chest pocket and pleats beside the front opening. A strap and buckle at the lower back adjust the waist. Rivets reinforce parts of the jacket.
Levi Strauss & Co. traces the 506 family to its earlier work blouses. The company lists the Type I as a style sold from 1905 to 1953. Collectors use the name 506XX for the familiar early jacket, but details changed during that long period.
A flap covers the chest pocket on many examples. Wartime jackets can have an open pocket without it. A missing flap should also be checked for evidence of removal or repair.
The factory design, later wear, and alterations are separate questions. Please leave loose fabric and old stitching in place.
There are pinned adjusters and later sliding buckles. Collector accounts discuss smooth and textured hardware, including SOLIDE and ANCHOR marks. A replacement buckle can complicate the comparison.
The cinch is the small adjustment strap at the lower back. If its buckle is damaged or gone, leave the remaining strap attached.
Rectangular stitching holds the front pleats. Its size and position relative to the buttons vary between versions. Compare both sides; wear or repair can obscure a box.
This stitching is different from the broad pleat itself. Both can be seen near the button opening without taking the jacket apart.
The form and spacing of rivet lettering are another comparison point. MyLevis501 discusses small and capital letter forms, while noting uncertainty and overlap in their timing.
A worn stamp may be difficult to read. There is no need to polish it or remove a rivet to make the lettering visible.
The periods below are a starting point for comparing features. They are not exact production boundaries. Transitional jackets, repairs, and replacement parts can mix details.
The MyLevis501 article separates observations from proposed date ranges. Its discussion of overlapping details is useful when a jacket does not match a simple checklist.
Read the MyLevis501 research on 506XX variationsWe are interested in older Type II jackets as well as unusual variations within the style.
The Type II is commonly identified as 507XX. It keeps the pleated front but adds a second chest pocket. Waist tabs replace the familiar central cinch of the Type I design.
Levi’s archive account places this family after the Type I, beginning in 1953. Blanket lined versions also existed. A lining or an unfamiliar interior is worth showing along with the outside.
Reference examples show narrow pleats, stitched reinforcement below the pocket flaps, riveted cuff openings, and selvedge inside the front placket. The placket is the folded fabric along the button opening.
The selvedge edge is part of the cloth, not a strip added as decoration. Do not unpick the opening to look for it.
Early and later examples can differ in patch material. Collector guides describe leather patches giving way to paper type labels. A patch may be cracked, shrunken, incomplete, or missing.
We still want to hear about the jacket when the patch cannot be read. Please keep any detached label with it.
The two styles look similar. Compare the patch, tab, buttons, and cut together.
The Type III replaces front pleats with the V shaped seams associated with the familiar trucker jacket. Two pointed pocket flaps sit above those seams.
The Levi’s archive places Lot 557 in its October 1961 catalog. The lot changed to 70505 in 1967, alongside the 505 preshrunk jean. Older accounts often use 1962 for the start of the 557, so the catalog evidence is a better reference than a single repeated date.
We buy early Type III jackets and later examples with features that fit our interests.
557 patches are generally taller, while 70505 patches are shorter and wider. Early labels can read 557XX; later ones can read 557. If the patch is gone, its outline may survive.
Read the number as printed. Missing XX lettering does not, by itself, tell us everything about the fabric. A faded or incomplete patch is still useful.
Compare the two strokes of the V. Collector references describe an even V on 557 examples and an uneven V on 70505 examples. Treat this as supporting evidence.
The distinction concerns the lettering on the tab, not the large seams on the jacket front. Wear and replacement tabs can make it harder to judge.
Masagonia describes letter stamps such as D on 557 buttons, with 17 on some early examples. The article describes numeric stamps such as 52 and 525 on 70505 jackets.
A code belongs with the rest of the evidence. A replaced button or a modern reproduction can make a stamp misleading on its own.
In the author’s comparison, the 557 is shorter with fuller sleeves; the 70505 has a longer body. The longer 558 variation shows why length alone cannot separate them.
Washing, shrinkage, and alterations also affect measurements. A size number is not a substitute for looking at the jacket itself.
Some jackets have only the two chest pockets. Others add pockets for the hands near the waistband. This is useful information when comparing a jacket, but not a complete date by itself.
We also buy 1980s and 1990s Made in USA Levi’s. A jacket with side pockets is not automatically outside our interests.
We are interested in the larger Type I examples with this rear construction.
On the split back construction, a vertical seam joins the rear denim panels and meets the horizontal seam above them. Together the seams form the T that gives these jackets their collector name.
This is a construction variation, not a separate date stamped into the jacket. We look at it alongside the pocket, cinch, hardware, and labels. A normal back view is enough to show the layout at the start.
Please do not undo a seam to inspect it. If the jacket has been altered, tell us what you know and leave the alteration in place.
These notes are here for people who want to learn. You do not need to check every feature before contacting us.
The original Red Tab lettering changed from all capitals to a capital L with smaller letters in 1971. However, Levi’s has used Big E lettering again on modern products. A capital E alone cannot prove that a jacket is from the earlier period.
Care labels and the text on an interior label can help distinguish later production. Missing labels, labels sewn in during repairs, and reproductions all require attention to the rest of the garment.
Stamps behind the buttons, thread color, and reinforcement stitching are worth recording when they are visible. Guides discuss short button codes and yellow or orange thread, but no single stamp or thread color settles every jacket.
A three digit code should not become an automatic rejection of every Levi’s jacket. Later production, different models, and reproductions need to be separated. We are also interested in later American made pieces.
Levi’s Vintage Clothing, often called LVC, has made reproductions of earlier jackets. The brand’s 1936 Type I reproduction includes features such as a pleated front, copper rivets, a pronged rear adjuster, and a Lot 506 patch.
Those deliberately old features explain why a recognizable shape is not enough to establish age. A label with an early year may describe the design being reproduced rather than the date that particular jacket was made.
If you know a jacket is a reproduction, say so. If you do not know, send photos without making a claim about its age.
Early blue denim is one part of our buying interests.
We buy older black Levi’s denim jackets, including examples with fading, repairs, or unusual factory finishes. The label, fabric, construction, and condition all matter when we discuss a particular piece.
Leave the color as found. Please do not dye or bleach a jacket before showing it to us.
Our Levi’s interests include these later decades. We review the model, size, finish, condition, and other details of the actual jacket. It does not need a Big E tab or the earliest construction.
If you have several, start with a few group photos. You do not need to identify each production date.
We also want to see unusual Levi’s pieces in corduroy, suede, other fabrics, or finishes such as Galactic wash. Show the whole garment, including any lining or unfamiliar labels.
Other Levi’s fabrics and special piecesText a few ordinary photos and your general location. A front and back view is a useful start. If you already have an asking price, you may share it.
You do not need to research the model, date, or value. Please do not clean or repair the jacket first. Worn, stained, repaired, incomplete, and damaged garments can still be of interest.
We review the jacket and discuss the items and price if it fits our interests. Any additional purchase verification comes after agreement. After any requested verification, payment is sent before shipping for shipped purchases.
Local purchases, estates, and larger collections may need different arrangements.
Read the selling guideOne garment, a few pairs, or a whole collection. A few ordinary photos are enough to begin.
Background references for the garment descriptions. Buying interests are those of Dust Em Vintage.