Levi's 501XX 1947 Model Vintage Jeans, Leather Patch, Hidden Rivets, Faded Indigo, Measured W31
Levi's 501XX 1947 Model Vintage Jeans, Leather Patch, Hidden Rivets, Faded Indigo, Measured W31
- 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 $449, 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
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A post-war Levi's 501XX in the celebrated 1947 pattern, with its leather patch, hidden rivets and a deep, honest fade earned over decades of real work and wear.
The Piece
The 1947 501XX is the jean most denim historians treat as the template for everything that followed. With wartime restrictions lifted, Levi Strauss & Co. brought back the stitched arcuate in place of the painted wartime version, kept the hidden back-pocket rivets, slimmed the leg and settled on the clean, high-rise silhouette that the modern 501 still echoes. Original pairs from this window, often called the 47 model by collectors, are among the most hunted garments in vintage clothing.
This pair is attributed to that era. The leather patch survives at the back waistband, darkened and deeply crazed in the way only old cowhide ages; the fly closes on a five-button front with stamped donut-style buttons; the front pockets carry copper rivets with domed heads; and a red tab sits on the right back pocket. The denim has worn from a dark rope-dyed indigo to a layered mid-blue, with strong whiskering at the hips and high-contrast fades along the seams.
The damage is part of its story and is shown plainly in the photographs: blown-out front pocket edges, open knees and frayed hems. For a collector this is a reference piece for construction and fade; for a wearer, it is a pair with a lived-in shape that no reproduction can imitate.
It measures close to a true 31 inch waist with a long 83 cm inseam, an unusually wearable size for a jean of this age.
Details
- Designer: Levi Strauss & Co.
- Season: Attributed to the 1947 model, late 1940s to early 1950s
- Model / ref: 501XX, leather patch, hidden rivets
- Material: Cotton selvedge denim
- Colour: Faded indigo
- Made in: USA
- Tagged size: Approx. W31 (measured)
- Measurements: Waist 78 cm (39 cm flat) · Hip 54 cm flat · Rise 30 cm · Inseam 83 cm
- Included: Jeans only
Condition
- Vintage with heavy genuine wear, priced accordingly.
- Both front pocket openings torn and frayed.
- Open tears at both knees and frayed, broken hems.
- Leather patch present but darkened, cracked and brittle.
- General soiling and marks consistent with age; please study every photograph.
Condition grade C 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. Hand wash rarely in cold water, never tumble dry, and support the damaged knees and pockets when 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. Pieces over $1,000 may be reserved over several payments with Layaway Privilege™.
Continue browsing: Japan Luxury Archive · Levi’s
Grail Denim Hunted to Order
If you are chasing a specific 501XX year, waist or patch type, our Hunting Salon can search Japan's vintage denim circles for you. 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 501XX 1947 · 47 model 501XX · vintage Levi's leather patch · Levi's hidden rivets jeans · 1940s Levi's 501XX · 501XX W31 · vintage Levi's grail jeans · post war 501XX · Levi's 501XX leather patch
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