How to Date Levi’s 501 Jeans: The Year-by-Year Tells, 1890s to 1971

Levi’s 501 timeline: what changed, and when

The years for the 1936 to 1962 models follow the model list in Heddels’ 501 collector’s guide, which is the reference most collectors use; the belt loop, red tab and rivet dates are Levi Strauss and Co.’s own. Boundary years are approximate, because Levi’s used up old parts before starting new ones.

Is there a buckle on the back?

A strap with a buckle across the back of the waistband is called a cinch, and it tightened the waist before men wore belts. Levi’s added belt loops in 1922 and kept the cinch alongside them until the wartime rules of the early 1940s took it off for good. A buckle back therefore means before the war. Many men cut the strap off to wear a belt, so look for two cut stubs or a row of empty stitch holes where it sat. The buckle-back guide covers the 1930s pairs in full.

Do old Levi’s 501s have suspender buttons?

The early ones do. Buttons sewn around the outside of the waistband for suspenders were standard until about 1937. A pair with suspender buttons and no belt loops is before 1922. A pair with both is 1922 to about 1937. Later pairs sometimes carry buttons a tailor added on the inside, which date nothing.

What do the rivets on the back pockets tell you?

• Bare copper rivets you can see at the top corners of the back pockets: before 1937.
• Hidden rivets: turn the pocket inside out and you find the rivet under the denim. Levi’s covered them in 1937 after complaints about scratched saddles and furniture, and kept them until 1966.
• No rivets on the back pockets at all, only heavy stitching: 1966 or later.
• A rivet at the base of the fly, called the crotch rivet: before the war. It came off in the wartime changes and never returned.

Is the patch leather or paper?

The patch on the back of the waistband was leather until the mid-1950s. Old leather shrinks, darkens and cracks, and is often half missing, which is normal and still reads as leather. From about 1955 Levi’s used a leather-like material that most sellers call a paper patch. If the patch still shows the lot number, 501XX is the name through the mid-1960s; XX marked the extra heavy denim, and it was dropped from the patch around the mid-1960s. A patch reading S501XX is the wartime pair.

What does the red tab say?

• No tab, and no torn stub where one was: before 1936, the year the tab was introduced.
• LEVI’S on one side and blank on the other: 1936 to about 1951.
• LEVI’S on both sides, with a capital E: about 1951 to 1971.
• Levi’s with a small e: 1971 or later, and outside this guide. The date-code guide reads those from the care label.

How do I spot a WWII 501?

The wartime pair, 1942 to 1947, is the one where things are missing. No buckle back, no crotch rivet, no rivets on the small watch pocket, and back pockets that look blank because the curved stitching was painted on and has usually worn away. The buttons are plain donut buttons with a hole in the middle, some with a laurel leaf. Blank back pockets alone prove nothing; it is the set of details together. The WWII guide shows each one.

Original or reissue? The check that matters most

Levi’s Vintage Clothing has remade nearly every pair in the table: the 1890, 1922, 1933, 1937, 1944, 1947, 1954, 1955 and 1966 models, with buckle backs, leather patches, hidden rivets and capital E tabs on the outside. The inside gives a reissue away. Look for a printed label sewn inside with a style number and a country of origin, and for 555 stamped on the back of the buttons on many 1990s reissues. No original made before 1971 has a care label, because US care labels began that year. The reproduction guide lists the rest of the tells.

What is each era of 501 worth?

Wear does not disqualify a pair. Fading, repairs and paint are part of what collectors pay for, and the damaged Levi’s guide sets out what holes and stains really cost. Do not wash, mend or cut anything before someone has looked. For prices across every era, see what old 501s are worth.

Where can I sell old 501s once I know the year?

California Vintage Buyers buys Levi’s 501 jeans made in 1971 and earlier from every state. Text photos to (949) 449-1255, we look at the pair 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 your pair would bring more listed yourself, we will say so; the route comparison sets out every option.