Levi’s Type 2 Jacket (507XX): How to Date It, What It Is Worth, and Where to Sell It

The Type 2 replaced the one-pocket Type 1 in 1953 and gave way to the Type 3 trucker in 1962. In between, it was the Levi’s denim jacket of the fifties, worn to work on ranches and in shops and worn out on Saturday night. Families find them in closets more often than they find a Type 1, and more often than they expect, the jacket turns out to be worth real money.

How do I know if my jacket is a Type 2?

Three things together. Two chest pockets, each with a flap. Pleats running straight down the front from each pocket to the waist. And at the back, no buckle: instead, a short tab on each side of the waist with a button, for tightening the fit. The fit itself is short and boxy, cut to end at the belt. If the pockets have pointed flaps and V-shaped seams run down the front with no pleats, it is a Type 3; if there is one pocket and a buckle, it is a Type 1.

How do I date a Levi’s Type 2 jacket?

The design barely changed in its ten years, so the dating lives in the small things: the patch, the tab and the buttons.

Heddels, the dating guide collectors use, and Carved in Blue both say the first 507XX jackets had leather patches and later ones paper, with the change coming sometime in the 1950s; neither gives an exact year, so we do not either. A leather patch means an earlier jacket and more money. The tab switch from one printed side to two came around the time the Type 2 began, so most Type 2s have a two-sided tab and an early one may not. A missing patch is common, because many were washed or cut away, and the pocket and pleat check identifies the jacket without it.

Is my Type 2 an original or a Levi’s Vintage Clothing reissue?

Levi’s Vintage Clothing has reissued the 507XX many times, from its Valencia Street plant in San Francisco in the 1990s and later from Japan, as a 1953 model with a leather lot 507 patch, double pleats, waist tabs and a big E tab. The outside matches an original. The inside does not.

Reissues sell for real money too. On October 28, 2026, 1990s Valencia Street 507XX reissues were listed on eBay at about $640 to $5,000, the top ones unworn or in big sizes, and Japan-made ones at about $460 to $710; those are asking prices. The reproduction guide covers more of the tells.

What is a Levi’s Type 2 jacket worth?

Why the gap between the typical figure and the listings? Asking prices are hopes. On October 28, 2026, two originals asking about $4,700 and $5,200 had been listed since December 2025 without selling, two more at $4,350 and $5,500 since March 2026, and about half of all Type 2 listings at $2,000 or more came from a single dealer in Japan. We could not read sold prices, so we give you both numbers and tell you which is which. Inside the honest range, what moves a Type 2 up is a dark, unfaded body, a leather patch, a size that fits a grown man today, and no repairs or alterations.

The blanket-lined Type 2 has its own lot number, 517XX, and on October 28, 2026 US sellers listed 1950s examples on eBay at about $2,000 to $5,500, asking prices. The blanket-lined jacket guide prices it and shows how to tell it from a reissue.

What should I not do to a Type 2 before selling it?

• Wash it. A dark Type 2 is worth more than a faded one, and one wash cannot be undone.
• Repair it or cut it. Shortened sleeves, removed tabs and new patches all lower the price.
• Pull the patch or the tab. A readable patch removes doubt about what the jacket is.
• Trade it in at a store counter. Checked in September 2026, Levi’s SecondHand pays up to $30 in store credit for a jacket made more than twenty years ago, Type 2 or not.
• Price it from the highest listing. Asks run well above sales.

Where can I sell a Levi’s Type 2 jacket?

Listing it yourself on eBay or Grailed usually brings the most if you photograph the patch, tab and button backs 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 Levi’s Type 2 jackets, originals and reissues, from every state: we look at the jacket 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 jacket is worth more listed yourself, we will say so. Start with the photo guide, then call or text (949) 449-1255.