If you thought your Rock & Republic, Evisu and Diesel's were expensive, get this: according to Guinness, the Gucci "Genius" jeans are the most expensive jeans in the world at $3,134. And to think they were just a regular pair of Guccis that got roughed-up and covered in beads... Since this world-record entry, numerous other companies have a leg up on the current champion. A pair of Escada Couture Swarovski Crystal jeans retails for $10,000, while a pair of APO-customized jeans with gold and diamonds will run you $4,000.
Bah, that's chump change. In 2001 a vintage pair of Levi's jeans went for over 10 times APO's most expensive pair - fetching $46,542 on eBay. Who would pay such an amount? Well, the Levi Strauss Company did. Apparently they didn't have any of their own stock left from 1880, so they bought them back... and most likely put them in a warehouse beside the Lost Ark.
Vintage Levi's big E jeans regularly fetch anywhere from $500 to $1,500 on eBay. From 1936 - 1971, Levi's jeans came with the little red tab on the rear pocket and the 'E' used in the spelling was a capital. After 1971 it became lower case.
Aside from condition, there are a handful of features on Big E jeans that will increase their value. Here are a few:
-"Selvedge" can be found by flipping the leg inside-out to see how the seam was constructed. If there's a strip of surplus material, you've got selvedge. If the white portion of that selvedge has a very thin red thread down it, even better. Just because you have selvedge doesn't necessarily mean you'll have a "redline."
-Rivets are those little metal tabs that lend corner strength to areas like pockets. In most Levi's jeans you'll see the rivets on the outside corners of the pockets. If they aren't visible from the outside, look inside. And if you notice they're flat metal backs, you have jeans with "hidden rivets."
-Seam construction - less seams means more $. The earlier vintage Levi's primarily used "single stitch."
-As far as color goes, indigo and two-tone are usually more sought after.
If rare and expensive is your bag, then don't get too hung up on case-sensitive tags. Levi's were patented and first produced in 1873 and they sold for more than 60 years without a red tag.
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