How to Spot Valuable Vintage Levi's: Tags, Red Tabs and Selvedge

Quick answer: To tell if Levi's are vintage, start with the Red Tab. A capital "E" (LEVI'S) means the pair was made before 1971, when Levi's switched to a lowercase "e." Then check the inside for care tags, look for selvedge on the outseam, and read the back of the top button. Big E pairs with selvedge, single-stitched back pockets and no care tags are the ones collectors pay the most for.

Old Levi's turn up at thrift stores, estate sales and in the back of closets all the time. Most are ordinary used jeans. A few are decades older than they look and worth far more than a modern pair. The good news is that Levi's left a trail of small details you can read in a couple of minutes, right in the aisle.

Start with the Red Tab

The Red Tab is the little folded ribbon sewn into the right back pocket. Levi Strauss & Co. says it debuted on September 1, 1936. It is the fastest way to put a rough date on a pair.

• Big E (1936 to 1970). The tab reads LEVI'S in all capital letters. In 1971 the company changed it to "Levi's" with only the L capitalized. Since the E is the letter that looks most different, collectors call the older version the "Big E."
• One-sided tab (1936 to about 1952). On the earliest tabs, LEVI'S is stitched on one side only. By around 1953 it appears on both sides.
• Small e (1971 on). Most Levi's you will find have this tab. Many are still good, wearable jeans, and some 1970s and 1980s pairs have collector appeal of their own.
• Tab with only the ® symbol. This is not a fake. Levi's makes a share of its tabs blank except for the registered mark to protect the trademark.
• No tab at all. Check for a cut-off stub. Levi's notes that some early discount stores and shoppers removed tabs and labels. Also keep in mind that the lower-priced Levi's Signature line has no tab.

One big catch: Levi's brought the Big E back in 2018 on some premium products, and its Levi's Vintage Clothing line makes faithful copies of old 501s. A Big E tab alone does not prove age. You need the other clues below.

Check the inside for care tags

Flip the jeans inside out and look along the waistband and side seams. Levi's says it began sewing production tags inside its garments in the 1970s, and that the tags in current Levi's would not have been on pre-1971 products.

So a Big E pair with a modern care tag full of washing symbols is a newer reissue. A pair with no care tag, plus the older details below, is a much better sign. Orange Tab jeans follow the same rule. Levi's used the orange tab in the 1960s to set its fashion denim apart from the 501, and the earliest orange tabs have no care labels inside.

Selvedge, stitching and rivets

These construction details help you narrow the date further.

• Selvedge. Turn up a leg and look at the outseam. A clean, finished edge, often with a red line running along it, means the denim was woven on an older shuttle loom. On 501s this usually points to a pair made before the mid-1980s.
• Single-stitched back pockets. Look at the top edge of each back pocket. A single row of lock stitches, instead of a chain stitch, suggests a pair made before the late 1970s.
• Hidden rivets. Older 501s have copper rivets hidden under the back pockets. Levi's replaced them with bar tacks around 1966. If you can feel rivets behind the pockets, you are holding an older pair.
• Patch. The earliest jeans have a real leather patch on the waistband. Later pairs use a leather-like card patch. Read the lot number on it, such as 501.
• Back cinch. A buckle strap on the back of the waist is a feature Levi's dropped in 1937. If you ever find one, slow down and get an expert opinion.

Read the back of the top button

Most Levi's have a number stamped on the back of the top fly button. It is a factory code. As a rule of thumb, a single digit tends to mean the pair is from before the mid-1970s, when Levi's moved to three-digit codes. Newer Levi's Vintage Clothing reproductions often carry four digits. Factory codes are not fully documented, so treat this as one clue among several.

What makes vintage Levi's worth money

Age gets attention, but condition and details set the price. Here is what moves the needle with buyers:

• Era. Big E pairs sell for more than small e pairs. One-sided tabs, hidden rivets and leather patches point to even older jeans and draw serious collectors.
• Selvedge and single stitch. Together with a Big E tab, these are the details denim buyers search for first.
• Condition. Heavy fading, holes and repairs do not kill value, and some buyers like honest wear. Still, a dark, lightly worn pair of the same era usually sells for more.
• Wearable size. Many people buy vintage jeans to wear them. A pair that fits a common modern size tends to sell faster than a very small or very large one.
• Style. The 501 is the main event, but older orange tab and other 1960s and 1970s styles have their own following.

How to check what your pair is worth

Never price off asking prices. Plenty of listings sit unsold for months at numbers nobody will pay. What matters is what similar pairs actually sold for.

1. Write down the details. Tab (Big E or small e), selvedge or not, single stitch or chain stitch, button code, patch, care tag, size and condition.
2. Search sold listings. On eBay, turn on the "Sold items" filter and search for your exact combination, such as "Levi's 501 Big E selvedge." Compare only pairs with the same details and similar wear.
3. Look at several sales. One high sale can be a fluke. A cluster of sales at similar prices tells you the real range.

If you want a faster first look while you are standing in the store, you can scan the jeans with Moe to identify them and see current market value before you decide to buy.

Where to sell vintage Levi's

Different marketplaces attract different buyers, so it helps to know where denim fans shop.

• eBay. The biggest audience and the best place for collector-grade pairs that people search for by detail.
• Grailed. Popular with menswear and vintage denim buyers.
• Depop. Good for wearable vintage aimed at a younger crowd.
• Etsy. A natural home for vintage clothing, with shoppers who browse by era and style.
• Poshmark. Works well for everyday vintage and modern Levi's.

Listing on several of these at once gets your jeans in front of more buyers. Moe can cross-list to multiple marketplaces and keep buyer messages in one place. For a side-by-side look at the big platforms, see our guide on where to sell collectibles online.

Tips for buying and listing

• Photograph the proof. Shoot the tab, the selvedge outseam, the back of the top button, the patch, the inside with or without care tags, and any damage.
• Measure the jeans. Vintage sizing runs differently from the tag. List the actual waist, inseam, rise and leg opening.
• Use the right words. Buyers search for "Big E," "selvedge," "redline," "single stitch" and "hidden rivets." Put the ones that apply in your title.
• Be honest about reissues. If the care tag says it is a modern Levi's Vintage Clothing pair, say so. Mislabeled reissues lead to returns and bad feedback.
• Check the whole rack. Denim jackets, shirts and other tab styles hide in the same aisles. Our list of what to look for at thrift stores covers more items that resell well.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Levi's are vintage?

Look at the Red Tab first. A capital "E" means the pair was made before 1971. Then check for care tags inside, selvedge on the outseam, single-stitched back pockets and a single-digit code on the back of the top button. The more of these older details a pair has, the older it is likely to be.

What does Big E mean on Levi's?

Big E refers to the Red Tab spelling LEVI'S in all capital letters. Levi's used it from 1936 until 1971, when it switched to "Levi's" with a lowercase e. Levi's reintroduced the Big E in 2018 on some premium products, so check the care tags before you assume a Big E pair is old.

What year did Levi's stop making selvedge 501s?

Selvedge on 501s generally points to a pair made before the mid-1980s. Levi's still makes selvedge reproductions today, so pair this clue with the tab, care tags and button code.

Are Levi's with a blank red tab fake?

Not necessarily. Levi's makes a portion of its tabs with only the ® symbol to protect its trademark. A tab that has been cut off is a different story, so look for a stub in the pocket seam.

Where is the best place to sell vintage Levi's?

eBay reaches the most buyers and works well for collector pairs. Grailed, Depop, Etsy and Poshmark are also popular for vintage denim. Listing on several at once usually gets the most views.