Sell to Us · Big E Levi’s
Sell your big E Levi’s from any state, paid before you ship.
From any state · free video appraisal · paid before you ship
California Vintage Buyers buys big E Levi’s from every state: jeans, jackets and shirts whose red tab reads LEVI’S in capital letters, which means they were made before 1971. Text photos to (949) 449-1255 for a free video appraisal. We agree the price on the call, pay you through PayPal before you ship, and pay the shipping. In Southern California we can come to you and pay cash the same visit.
The big E is the single most useful thing on an old pair of Levi’s, and it takes two seconds to check. Levi’s put the red tab on its jeans in 1936, and in 1971 the lettering changed from all capitals to Levi’s with a small e. So a capital E on a red tab, with no care label inside, is a pair or a jacket that is at least fifty years old, and that is the line collectors pay across.
Most of the people who text us about old Levi’s live outside California, and their big E pairs turn up in the same places everywhere: a father’s dresser, a ranch house closet, a box in the garage, a grandparent’s cedar chest. The process is the same from any state: photos, a short video call, an agreed price, payment first, then the box. For a big collection we travel, and that includes Fresno, Bakersfield, the Central Valley, Sacramento and the Bay Area.
The big E Levi’s we buy
Big E 501 jeans, 1960s
The button-fly 501 with a capital E tab, a paper patch, and usually hidden rivets inside the back pockets until about 1966. Worn, faded and repaired pairs are still wanted; that wear is what collectors pay for.
Text us a photo Send us a photo501XX jeans, 1940s and 1950s
The XX era: leather patch until the mid-1950s, then the leather-like paper patch, selvedge at the outseam, hidden rivets. A tab lettered on one side only is a 1940s to early 1950s marker, and these sit at the top of the big E market.
Text us a photo Send us a photoBig E zip-fly jeans: 501ZXX and 551ZXX
The 1950s zip-fly 501ZXX and the 1960s 551ZXX, which Levi’s renamed the 505 in 1967. Short-lived, scarce, and often overlooked because people expect a 501 to have buttons.
Text us a photo Send us a photoBig E jackets: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3
The one-pocket Type 1, the two-pocket Type 2 (507XX), and the big E Type 3 trucker (557XX, later 70505). On a jacket the red tab sits on the left chest pocket. Our jacket page has the full list.
Text us a photo Send us a photoBig E kids’ and women’s Levi’s
Kids’ 503ZXX and boys’ Levi’s, and the women’s 701 and other Lady Levi’s. Small sizes are easy to dismiss, and the right ones are worth a photo.
Text us a photo Send us a photoBig E shirts
Levi’s western and work shirts carry a tab on the chest pocket, and the same rule applies: capital letters mean before 1971.
Text us a photo Send us a photoWhole closets and collections
A drawer of a working man’s old jeans, a collector’s shelf, or a store’s leftover stock. We buy the lot in one agreed price and travel for the big ones.
Text us a photo Send us a photoCheck the tab, then the inside, then text us
Find the red tab on the right back pocket of jeans, or the left chest pocket of a jacket, and read the E. Then look inside: a big E made before 1971 has no washing or care label, because care labels only became standard in 1971. Then look at the back of the top button: originals carry no number or one or two digits, while reissues and later pairs carry three digits, often 555. Do not wash, mend or cut anything. Take photos of the tab, the patch at the waistband, the back of the top button, the inside of the waistband, and the whole pair front and back, and text them to (949) 449-1255. If it is a pair we buy, we set up a short video call, agree the price while you hold it, and send payment through PayPal before anything is packed. Shipping is on us. If it is a reissue, we will tell you that too.
Is it really a big E, and what big E Levi’s bring
Real sales where we have them, labeled ceilings where we do not. A capital E alone is not proof: Levi’s has put it back on modern lines, so read the inside before believing the tab.
| What you have | How to spot it | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| 1940s to 1950s 501XX, hidden rivets | Capital E, leather or paper patch, selvedge outseam, one-sided tab on the oldest | Sold about $700 to $2,500 on eBay, June to August 2026 |
| 1960s big E 501 | Capital E, paper patch, hidden rivets until about 1966, no care label | Wearable pairs sold about $540 to $1,600 on eBay, June to July 2026; thrashed pairs as little as $60 in September 2026 |
| Any pre-1971 big E 501, broad bracket | Capital E and no care label | Can bring $500 or more, with the best pairs past $10,000 (our August 2026 read; a ceiling, not an expectation) |
| Big E Type 3 trucker jacket | Pointed pocket flaps, V seams, capital E on the chest tab | $150 to $2,000 and beyond (August 2026 read) |
| Small e redline 501, 1970s to mid-1980s | Lowercase e, red line at the selvedge, a care label | Most pairs sold $200 to $1,000 on eBay, June to September 2026; not a big E |
| Levi’s Vintage Clothing reissue | Capital E and hidden rivets outside, a modern barcoded care label and a three-digit button number inside | Used reissues sold about $100 to $300 on eBay, June to August 2026 |
| Modern Big E Premium (2018 on) | Capital E on a new pair with a modern care label | Sold $27 to $68 on eBay, June to September 2026; not vintage |
eBay completed sales read June to September 2026 (growth research, section 3v), Levi Strauss and Co. tab history, Heddels, and CVB’s own buying. Sales on Best Offer are shown at list price, so the accepted price may be lower.
A Recent Find
A 1940s Levi’s Type 1 jacket, sold to us by a former dealer who knew exactly what he had. We paid $12,000 in cash, the same day.
From the Shop
Capital E or Small e? How to Read the Levi's Red Tab
Read the transcript
This Short has no spoken words, only music and on-screen text. What it shows: The little red tab on old Levi's narrows the era fast: no tab at all means before 1936, LEVI'S on one side only runs from 1936 to the early 1950s, on both sides from the mid-1950s to 1971, and a small e means 1971 or later. A capital E with no care tag inside is a pre-1971 pair, so have it read before it goes to the thrift store. Text a photo of the tab to (949) 449-1255 for a free answer the same day. House calls across Southern California, buying nationwide.
How it works
Text us photos.
Send shots of the piece, the tags, and the buttons to (949) 449-1255. A real buyer answers the same day.
Video call, price agreed.
Ten minutes on FaceTime or whatever you already use. We agree the number while the piece is in your hands.
Paid before you ship.
The PayPal payment lands before you pack a box, and shipping is on us. In Southern California we can come to you and pay cash instead.
Common questions
Who buys big E Levi’s?
California Vintage Buyers does, from every state. Text photos to (949) 449-1255 for a free video appraisal; we agree a price on the call, pay you through PayPal before you ship, and pay the shipping. We buy big E 501s, 501XX, zip-fly 501ZXX and 551ZXX, big E jackets, shirts, kids’ and women’s Levi’s. In Southern California we come to you and pay cash.
What does the big E on Levi’s mean?
It means the red tab reads LEVI’S in capital letters, which Levi’s used from the tab’s introduction in 1936 until 1971, when the lettering changed to Levi’s with a small e. A genuine big E is therefore older than 1971, and it is the line vintage collectors pay across.
How do I know if my big E Levi’s are real or a reissue?
Look inside. Care labels only became standard in 1971, so an original big E almost never has one, while Levi’s Vintage Clothing reissues and the modern Big E Premium line carry a modern, often barcoded care label. Then check the back of the top button: originals carry no number or one or two digits, and reissues carry three, often 555. Send us photos of both and we will tell you plainly.
How much are big E Levi’s worth?
It depends on the era and the wear. On eBay between June and August 2026, wearable 1960s big E 501s sold for about $540 to $1,600, and 1940s to 1950s hidden-rivet 501XX for about $700 to $2,500. Thrashed pairs can sell for under $100, and exceptional early pairs go far higher. The fastest honest answer is a video call with the pair in your hands.
Do I have to ship my big E Levi’s before I get paid?
No. We agree the price on a video call, then the money lands in your PayPal before you pack anything. We send the shipping label, so shipping costs you nothing. You never send a pair to us on trust.
My big E jeans are ripped and faded. Are they still worth selling?
Often yes. Fading, honest wear and old repairs are part of what collectors want on a big E pair, and a worn original beats a clean reissue. What costs money is washing, new repairs, and cutting them into shorts, so please leave them exactly as they are and send photos first.
Should I trade my big E Levi’s in at a Levi’s store?
Not before you know what they are. Levi’s SecondHand pays a gift card, $30 for jeans made more than twenty years ago as of August 2026, whatever the pair turns out to be, and the trade cannot be undone. A big E 501 that a collector would pay hundreds or thousands for earns the same $30 card.
Should I sell big E Levi’s on eBay myself?
You can, if you can date and photograph them well. eBay’s fee on clothing was 13.6 percent of the sale up to $7,500 when we read it in September 2026, plus a small per-order fee, and high-value denim draws return claims and questions. Selling to us means one price, paid before you ship, with shipping on us.
Know what it’s worth before you sell.
Our field guides explain how the market actually prices these things. No fishing, no hype: real ranges and the details that move them.
One call. We’ll take it
from there.
(949) 449-12555.0 on Google · Free video appraisal · Paid before you ship, shipping on us
Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm
A real person answers seven days a week, weekends included. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.
Or send your photos online Photos on your phone? Text them to (949) 449-1255
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