A pair of Levis jeans from the 1800s has been sold for a handsome price. The jeans also have its racist slogan on it and with few stains and markings, it is believed to be in a good wearable condition that can be worn at Starbucks.
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A pair of Levi’s jeans with the brand’s original, racist slogan on the back have been bought for more than $76k and is believed to be one of the oldest pairs.
The jeans from the 1800s have been described as in a good'/wearable condition and still “good enough to wear to a Starbucks”.
It was 23-year-old Kyle Haupert who won the bid during the Durango Vintage Festivus auction in New Mexico, in the US, on October 1.
The item has been hailed as “the holy grail of vintage denim collecting” and Kyle, who collected vintage clothing, purchased them as an investment piece.
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The listing for the antique jeans said that they are “one of the oldest known Levi’s jeans from the mining/Gold rush era”.
It said they are “the holy grail of vintage denim collecting” and had previously been in private collection since their discovery in an abandoned mine shaft.
This was the first time they were up for public sale and “most likely the oldest Levi’s that have ever sold at a live auction”.
Credit: @goldenstatevtg/Instagram
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The 38-inch waist and 32-inch long jeans have several candle max marks on them which shows it might be from hunting in narrow tunnels and still has the suspender buttons and original racist label on the back.
The label, which details the year they were made, tells of the jeans’ origin, size, and place of production. However, inside it also includes the slogan “The only kind made by White Labor”.
These racist wordings were used by the brand during tensions between Chinese immigrants in the US as its citizens. This slogan also highlights the discrimination against migrant workers.
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According to the WSJ, the logo was used after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese people from working in the US for a decade.
A Levi’s spokesperson told the WSJ that the slogan was used to “improve sales and align with the views of consumers at the time”.
However, after a decade this controversial slogan was dropped.
Kyle teamed up with Zip Stevenson – the owner of a vintage store in LA – to buy the jeans.
Credit: @goldenstatevtg/Instagram
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Zip helped him with the last 10 per cent of the $76,000 bid.
Kyle told the Journal: “I’m still kind of bewildered, just surprised in myself for even purchasing them.”
While Stevenson, noted their good condition saying: “You could wear them to a Starbucks.”
Kyle shared a picture of the post on his Instagram page and many couldn’t believe the price he’d paid – especially with the marks.
“Idk man price seems a little high with the stains and stuff,” commented one.
And another person raised a very good question: “I just wanna know why he took his pants off in the mine.”
Credit: @goldenstatevtg/Instagram