Levi's 505 Big E Late 1960s, Talon 42 Zip, Button 4, Patched Repairs and Paint, Indigo, Approx. W29
Levi's 505 Big E Late 1960s, Talon 42 Zip, Button 4, Patched Repairs and Paint, Indigo, Approx. W29
- 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 $64, 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.
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- Sizing
- Measured flat by hand, waist, rise and inseam, in centimetres · Find your size · Ask before you buy
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
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A late-1960s Big E Levi's 505 with a Talon 42 zip and a 4-stamped top button, worked in with patched panels and paint splatter that give it the look of a well-used studio or workshop jean.
The Piece
The 505 was Levi's zip-fly answer to the 501, cut with a slightly slimmer straight leg and adopted by everyone from ranch hands to musicians. Pairs with the capital-E tab predate the change to the lower-case logo around 1971, and the Talon 42 zip is one of the period hardware details collectors check first.
This pair carries the Big E tab, a Talon 42 zip, a 4-stamped top button and stitched arcuates on the back pockets. The denim has faded to a mid-blue with clear honeycombs and a lighter seat.
Across the front it tells a story: a large denim panel sewn over one thigh, a dark patch at the other, splashes of white paint and an open repair at the fly. It reads as a garment with a life behind it rather than a museum piece.
It measures about W29 with a 68 cm inseam.
Details
- Designer: Levi Strauss & Co.
- Season: Late 1960s, Big E era
- Model / ref: 505, Talon 42 zip, button 4
- Material: Cotton denim
- Colour: Indigo, worn to a natural fade
- Made in: USA
- Tagged size: No size label, approx. W29
- Measurements: Waist 74 cm (37 cm flat) · Hip 90 cm (45 cm flat) · Rise 27 cm · Inseam 68 cm
- Included: Jeans only
Condition
- Vintage with wear, repairs and paint marks, priced accordingly.
- Large patched panel on one thigh; dark patch and paint splatter on the other.
- Wear and opening beside the fly.
- General fading and soiling consistent with age.
Condition grade BC 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
Specific Vintage Denim, Found to Order
If you are hunting a specific 505 or Big E detail in your size, 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 505 Big E · Levi's 505 Talon 42 · vintage Levi's 505 1960s · Big E zip fly jeans · Levi's 505 W29 · painted vintage Levi's · 60s Levi's 505 repaired · Levi's Talon zipper
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