Old 501XX, Big E, redline selvedge, hidden rivets, V stitching, and single stitch pairs. We’re always looking to buy vintage Levi’s, including American-made 501s and 505s from the 1980s and 1990s.
Found a pair in a closet, barn, or family collection? They can be worn, repaired, faded, or missing their labels. You do not need to know the year, model, or value before getting in touch.
The details below help explain what we look for. They are not a list of requirements your jeans have to meet.
The familiar 501 has a button fly. Look at the waistband patch for the lot number, if it survives. A missing patch does not end the search.
Older pairs can have very different labels, pocket construction, and fabric from the 501s sold today. We look at those features together. The number 501 by itself does not tell us when a pair was made.
We buy older 505s too, including American-made pairs from the 1980s and 1990s. Their zip fly is a useful starting point, but a zipper alone does not identify the model.
Levi’s also introduced a zip fly 501Z in 1954. If you have unfamiliar old zip fly Levi’s, send them along rather than ruling them out.
Compare the period with the features on your pair. These dates refer to original production. “About” marks a transition where factories, labels, or fabric overlapped. Later reproductions can have the same details.
Belt loops arrived in 1922, but the back cinch and suspender buttons stayed. The back pocket rivets were still exposed. A pair with all three ways of holding up the waist belongs to a much earlier construction than an ordinary postwar 501.
Pairs made before the red tab’s introduction in 1936 did not have one. A missing tab on its own does not establish that age.
The red tab appeared in 1936, with LEVI’S on one side. In 1937 the back pocket rivets were covered and the suspender buttons were removed. The cinch remained, along with the stitched curves on the back pockets.
Look for that combination: an early tab, a back buckle, and pocket construction consistent with the period.
Material restrictions brought the loss of the cinch, crotch rivet, and watch pocket rivets. The back pocket curves were painted instead of stitched. Some pairs used laurel leaf buttons or different pocket bag fabric.
The paint can wear away, leaving plain pockets. Those pockets need to agree with the hardware and other construction before a pair is identified as wartime.
Watch pocket rivets returned after the war, but the cinch did not. Hidden back pocket rivets, a leather patch, and a V stitch near the top button are features to examine. The back pocket curves were sewn with a double needle machine.
The tab was generally one sided through 1952, then double sided from around 1953. That helps separate earlier and later pairs within this period.
The leatherlike paper patch replaced leather during the 1950s. Levi’s uses 1955 as the reference model for this change in its archival reproductions. The patch on this group includes the words “Every Garment Guaranteed.”
Hidden rivets, selvedge denim, a Big E tab, and V stitching remain relevant. If the patch has fallen off, the rest of the pair still deserves a look.
The guarantee wording disappeared in the early 1960s. These later 501XX pairs can still have hidden back pocket rivets and V stitching, unlike the bar tacked back pockets of the following version.
The change is usually placed around 1962 or 1963. Read the entire patch and pocket construction together rather than assigning a year from one missing line of text.
Levi’s dates this combination to 1966 through 1971: a capital E tab, with bar tacks replacing the hidden back pocket rivets. Transitional patches around 1966 to 1968 can show both 501XX and 501, often called a “double name.”
A V stitch can remain on earlier examples in this group; it disappears around 1969. Later Big E pairs can therefore have no V stitch.
The lowercase e arrived in 1971. This early small e group keeps selvedge denim and single lockstitch construction along the reverse of the back pocket’s upper hem. Collectors often call these “66 single” or “66 early” pairs.
Care labels become useful alongside the tab and pocket stitching. The 1966 copyright on a paper label is not proof that the jeans were sewn in 1966.
The upper back pocket hem changes to a chain stitch on the reverse while the outseam still has selvedge. These are often called “66 chain” or “66 late” pairs.
The change is generally placed around 1977 or 1978. Both this group and the earlier single stitch pairs are within our buying interests.
These later small e 501s can still have a redline outseam, with chain stitched back pocket hems. The move to wider denim during the early and middle 1980s brought the end of selvedge on the regular production 501.
Labels and fabric need to be compared during this changeover. Some pairs were already made without selvedge while redline examples were still being produced.
Many pairs now have an overlocked outseam rather than selvedge. Later 1980s patches can carry 501xx again, so XX is no longer a shortcut to a midcentury pair.
Look at the care label, country of manufacture, patch, and denim together. A pair can be old Levi’s we buy without having a redline.
American-made 1990s 501s remain part of what we buy. Black printed 501xx patch markings and later care label layouts are common in this period, but neither gives an exact sewing date by itself.
The fabric, finish, condition, and actual pair matter. Send ordinary photos even if the labels are unreadable or the jeans do not match an earlier version above.
Have a pair from one of these periods, or something you cannot place? We’re always looking to buy old Levi’s. Text a few photos to Dust Em Vintage. There is no need to date or price them first.
A cuff, a pocket corner, or a few stitches beside the fly can tell us more than the amount of fading. Leave everything as you found it while you look.
Turn up a cuff and look at the long seam on the outside of the leg. Selvedge is the finished edge made as the fabric is woven. On many older 501s, it appears as a narrow pale strip with a red thread running through it. That is the detail people mean by “redline” or “red ear.”
A cut edge wrapped in overlocking stitches is different. Earlier selvedge can have a plain edge, and a faint red thread may be difficult to see. You do not have to find a bright red stripe for us to take a look.
Levi’s history places the introduction of Cone’s red identifier thread around 1927. The move to wider denim happened in the early to middle 1980s, with overlapping production. Selvedge is also used on modern jeans, so it helps us read a pair but does not prove its age.
We buy vintage redline 501s. A photo of the whole pair and a turned cuff is a useful place to start.
The V stitch is a small angled line near the top fly button, where the stitching turns back toward the waistband. It is separate from the curved stitching across the back pockets.
On original vintage 501s, this detail is associated with production before about 1969. Later Big E pairs can lack it. The waistband stitching, rivets, patch, and tab help narrow the period; a V stitch alone does not authenticate a pair.
If you can see it easily, include the top button area in a photo. There is no need to take the jeans apart or trace every stitch before contacting us.
When collectors describe a 501 as “single stitch,” they often mean the stitching along the upper hem of the back pocket, viewed from the reverse. A lockstitch looks different from the linked loops of a chain stitch.
This is not the same as the leg hem, the curved pocket design, or the seam running down the inside of the leg. Those are separate details. A pair can have more than one kind of stitching.
Older small e selvedge pairs are sometimes described as “66 single” and “66 chain.” The single stitch version belongs broadly to the early and middle 1970s, with the change to chain stitching around 1977 or 1978. “66” is a collector term, not the year every pair was made. Compare the pocket with the tab, care label, and denim before narrowing the date.
Single stitch 501s are within our buying interests. If you are unsure which seam you are looking at, ordinary photos are still enough to begin.
Labels can narrow the possibilities. Missing labels are common on worn jeans, and later reproductions can carry details that look much older.
Look at the small tab beside the right back pocket. “Big E” means the name LEVI’S uses a capital E. “Small e” means it reads Levi’s with a lowercase e.
The red tab appeared in 1936. Early tabs carried the name on one side; by around 1953 it appeared on both sides. Levi’s records the switch to lowercase lettering in 1971.
That makes an original Big E tab a useful clue, but later Levi’s Vintage Clothing reproductions and modern premium products also use it. We check the rest of the jeans before drawing a conclusion. A small e pair can still be old and worth showing us.
The patch above the back pocket can show a lot number and a tagged size. Earlier leather patches gave way to a paperlike material during the 1950s. Some patches have worn away entirely.
Collectors pay attention to the 501XX wording, guarantee text, printing, and placement. Those details need to agree with the fabric and construction. Later pairs also used XX in their lot markings, so the letters alone do not make a pair an early 501XX.
If a patch is cracked, loose, or partly missing, leave it attached. Do not rub it, oil it, or peel it back to make the lettering easier to read.
Care labels began appearing on Levi’s garments in the 1970s. Depending on the period, the label may be near the waistband or an inside seam. If it is readable, both sides can help.
Numbers may relate to the model, factory, or production date. Their arrangement changed, so one decoding rule will not work for every label. A button stamp is another clue to compare with the label and construction, rather than a date by itself.
Do not assume a copyright year is the year the jeans were sewn. Show us the complete label instead of trying to select the “right” number. If the label is gone, we can start with the jeans themselves.
Your jeans do not need hidden rivets or a Big E tab. American-made 501s and 505s from these decades are part of what we buy, including pairs without selvedge.
Show the whole pair, any readable label, and anything unusual about the denim or finish. We review each pair on its own rather than treating every Made in USA label as the same thing.
Older black denim, corduroy, unfamiliar fabrics, jackets, and unusual finishes may belong in the same collection. You do not have to separate everything into models first.
Other Levi’s fabrics and special piecesTwo pairs marked 501 can be very different. We consider the period, construction, fabric, measurements, condition, and what remains original. One feature does not settle the question.
Fading, holes, stains, patches, and old repairs do not automatically rule a pair out. Worn and repaired clothing is a particular interest of ours, and clean, well preserved pairs are welcome too.
Alterations and replacement parts matter when reading the jeans. Please leave old repairs in place and show any shortened hems, changed waistbands, replaced pockets, or missing sections as they are.
The tagged size is useful, but it may differ from the current measurements. You can tell us the tag size first; you do not need to measure everything to make an initial inquiry.
If you believe a pair is unworn, keep any tags, paper labels, or packaging with it. Please do not wash the jeans to freshen them up or remove labels before sending photos.
Unsure whether your pair is something we buy? Send it over. We’re always looking for old Levi’s, and you do not need to price them first.
A front and back view and your general location are enough to start the conversation. If the patch, tab, or cuff is easy to photograph, include it. You can give an asking price if you have one, but it is optional.
There is no need to clean, repair, iron, or identify anything first. One pair, a stack of jeans, or clothing from an estate can all be shown together.
We discuss the items and a price first. For shipped purchases, any additional verification photos come after that agreement. Payment is sent after verification and before you ship.
Local purchases and larger collections can be arranged individually.
Read how selling to Dust Em Vintage worksShow us the pair you have. Missing labels and old repairs are welcome in the conversation.
This guide combines Levi’s historical records with construction details used when examining vintage jeans. Transition dates can overlap. Dust Em Vintage is an independent buyer and is not affiliated with Levi Strauss & Co.