Levi's 501 Big E c.1969 to 1971, Long-Leg R Tab, Button 6, Paper Patch, Indigo, Approx. W29, 79 cm Inseam
Levi's 501 Big E c.1969 to 1971, Long-Leg R Tab, Button 6, Paper Patch, Indigo, Approx. W29, 79 cm Inseam
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $94, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
With EMS, any charge is collected by your postal service on delivery. For pieces of significant value we can often arrange duties prepaid before dispatch.
How the estimate is reached · Ask for a figure on this piece
- Sizing
- Measured flat by hand, waist, rise and inseam, in centimetres · Find your size · Ask before you buy
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
Couldn't load pickup availability
All sales are final. Please read our refund policy before purchase.
Considered offers only. The Desk replies personally to figures made in good faith; those set far below the asking price receive no reply.
Examined in Tokyo, one price, insured to your door. How buying from Japonista works · Join the Circle, free
A Big E Levi's 501 from the end of the 1960s, with the long-legged R on its tab, a 6-stamped top button and the paper patch still in place, faded with high contrast and offered with a rare long inseam.
The Piece
The Big E 501 of the late 1960s is the last generation of Levi's jeans woven on narrow selvedge looms and finished with the capital E on the red tab, before the switch to the lower-case logo around 1971. Collectors read small details to place these pairs: the shape of the R in the registered mark, the number stamped behind the top button, the stitching on the back pockets and the printing on the pocket bags.
This pair carries a Big E tab with the long-legged R, a top button stamped 6, back-pocket stitching in parallel rows and a faint stamp on the cotton pocket bag. The paper patch is present, creased and worn but intact.
The fade is strong, with mid-blue thighs, deep honeycombs and a darker lower leg. There is a repair at one knee and an internal reinforcement patch, both neatly done.
It is tagged M and measures about W29, with a long 79 cm inseam that is hard to find in vintage 501s.
Details
- Designer: Levi Strauss & Co.
- Season: c.1969 to 1971, Big E era
- Model / ref: 501 Big E, long-leg R tab, button 6
- Material: Cotton selvedge denim
- Colour: Indigo, worn to a natural fade
- Made in: USA
- Tagged size: Tagged M, approx. W29
- Measurements: Waist 72 cm (36 cm flat) · Hip 106 cm (53 cm flat) · Rise 27 cm · Inseam 79 cm
- Included: Jeans only
Condition
- Vintage with good overall colour and visible wear.
- Repair at one knee; internal reinforcement patch.
- Paper patch creased and worn but intact.
- Light marks and fading consistent with age.
Condition grade B on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Wash rarely, by hand in cold water, and hang to dry; vintage denim and old repairs reward gentle handling.
Delivery from Japan
Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.
Every figure above is taken by hand with the pair laid flat, in centimetres. Measure jeans or trousers that already fit you the same way and allow a centimetre or two of margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our jeans and trousers size guide reads waist and inseam in inches and centimetres, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally.
Continue browsing: Japan Luxury Archive · Levi’s
Particular Pairs Located on Request
If you are looking for a particular Big E pair, waist or inseam, we can search Japan's vintage circles for it. Our Hunting Salon™ locates a specific reference across Japan’s private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers it to you. Begin a Hunting Salon™ request →
Collectors also search: Levi's 501 Big E · vintage Levi's 501 1960s · Levi's long leg R · Big E 501 W29 · Levi's 501 long inseam · Levi's 66 Big E · late 60s Levi's jeans · Big E selvedge 501
Chosen for you