A Gold Mine In Paris: Original 1970s Levi’s 501

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For vintage lovers, Paris is a fantastic city. I went there myself for the first time in August 2011 and found this treasure. On almost every street you’ll find vintage shops with bountiful selections and cheap prices that will make the hunt a feast. Close to the junction of Rue de Rivoli and Rue Vieille du Temple is a blandly looking second-hand shop that turned out to be a cornucopia of treasures.

This is a pair of deadstock Levi’s 501 “small e” jeans with the original redline selvage, chain stitched hems, bottom stamp “6″, single stitches on the inside of the back pockets, and one of the very early care tags. All in all, this means that these jeans were produced in an American factory sometime between 1971 and 1976. Therefore, I became the extremely happy owner of a genuine pair of a pair of vintage Levi’s jeans, which I even have had the pleasure to wear in myself. The price: 40 euros!

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A very happy denimhunter:

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Written by Thomas Bojer.

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Thomas Bojer

Founder and editor-in-chief at Denimhunters
Thomas got into denim through a keen interest in manufacturing and a love for the well-faded jean. He's based in Copenhagen, Denmark, but he travels as much as his job allows. Through Denimhunters he has found a way to share his passion with likeminded enthusiasts while learning more about the blue fabric. Thomas' favourite jean is the 1947 501XX and he has a soft spot for Red Wing Shoes.
734019 10152300210237195 839581040 n 2 A Gold Mine In Paris: Original 1970s Levis 501
Published on 5 April 2012 6 Comments
  • http://patrikrunsfast.blogspot.com/ Patrik

    Wow nice catch! Keep up the good work, you have very good blog/webpage. Greetings from Helsinki! -Patrik

  • http://deadunionvintage.blogspot.ca/ Kirby

    Nice find!!!

  • Arie van den Berg

    Wonderful deadstock Levi´s 501 shrink-to-fit. Enjoy your everyday-wear, don´t wash it and you will posses a great iconic jeans.

    • Thomas Bojer

      Hi Arie,
      Actually, I’ve already washed it several times and I’m very happy about it. It shrunk a bit in the length, but by stretching it out I’ve minimised the skrinkage to about 3-4 cm.
      /Thomas

      • Arie van den Berg

        Hi Thomas,
        I prefer to wear the STF 501´s raw and unwashed for a long time and than take a swim in the sea and dry in the sun on your body for a very very perfect fit. For me it´s better than wash it too soon. /Arie

  • JPE

    Hi, I went to look for that vintage shop in Marais too! Actually, there’s two vintage shops with loads of denim close by. First one in the corner of rue du Temple and rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie and another one in rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie closer to rue Vieille du Temple. From the second one I found a Levis 1969 big E, third edition denim jacket in very good condition and my size. Price was 10 euros!! And the LVC shop in rue Vieille du Temple had -50% sale. It is closing down soon as they have opened the new Levis flagship store in Champs-Elysees.