1940s Levi’s: How to Tell If Yours Are From the 1940s and What They Are Worth

Which 1940s Levi’s jeans do I have?

Heddels, the dating guide collectors use, splits the decade into three 501XX models. The back of the waist, the back pockets and the rivets tell them apart in a minute.

Through the 1940s all three carry a leather patch, and the red tab has LEVI’S on one side only, which Heddels reads as made before about 1951. Back pocket rivets are hidden under the denim from 1937 on. A buckle on jeans means before about 1942; the buckle-back guide covers those, and the WWII guide covers the wartime pair in full.

What about 1940s Levi’s jackets and women’s jeans?

• The Type 1 jacket, lot 506XX, was Levi’s only denim jacket all decade: one chest pocket, pleats, a buckle at the back. The Type 1 guide dates it by pocket flap, tab and buckle.
• During the war the Type 1 lost its pocket flap and took donut buttons; the flap came back in 1947. That wartime jacket is the S506XX.
• A Type 1 with a wool blanket inside is the rare lined version, which Japanese collector references call the 519XX; see the blanket-lined jacket guide.
• Women’s jeans: Levi’s made the 701, Lady Levi’s, from 1934. The 701 guide dates them.

Are mine from the 1940s or a reissue?

Levi’s Vintage Clothing has reissued the 1937, 1944 and 1947 501 and the 1936 and wartime Type 1, and its product pages are what Google shows first for “1940s Levi’s.” The outside of a reissue matches. The inside gives it away: a reissue has a printed care or size label sewn inside with a style number and a country of origin, and many 1990s reissues have 555 on the button backs, for the Valencia Street plant in San Francisco. A 1940s original has no care label at all, because US care labels began in 1971. The reproduction guide covers more of the tells.

What are 1940s Levi’s worth?

Read the listing prices with care: asks run above sales, and most of the highest asks for 1940s Levi’s come from dealers in Japan. Inside each range, what moves a pair up is the same list every time: a dark body, a readable leather patch, a size that fits a grown adult today, and no repairs, washes or alterations. Pre-war and wartime pairs sit above post-war ones.

Where can I sell 1940s Levi’s?

Listing them yourself on eBay or Grailed usually brings the most if you photograph the patch, tab, pockets and buttons well and handle the questions; the route comparison sets out each platform’s cut. Vintage shops pay less but pay at once. California Vintage Buyers buys 1940s Levi’s jeans and jackets from every state: we look at them together on a free video call, agree the price on the call, and pay through PayPal before you ship, with shipping on us. In Southern California we come to you and pay cash the same visit. If yours are worth more listed yourself, we will say so. Start with the photo guide, then call or text (949) 449-1255.