--- description: Levi's announced on Wednesday that it had acquired a pair of jeans that dates back to the 1880s title: This Is What a 130-Year-Old Pair of Jeans Looks Like image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3e37a3294386827/6988512ecd1bba390a6fb72a/new_nevada_jeans_front_02805b15d.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Retail](/tag/retail/) ## Retail Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is What a 130-Year-Old Pair of Jeans Looks Like by [Scott Olster](/author/scott-olster/) ## Scott Olster Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 21, 2015 5:15 PM CUT  Levi Strauss by [Scott Olster](/author/scott-olster/) ## Scott Olster Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 21, 2015 5:15 PM CUT How old is your oldest pair of jeans? (And, while we’re on the topic, [when was the last time you washed them?](http://fortune.com/2014/05/20/levi-strauss-ceo-stop-washing-your-jeans/ "undefined")) No matter your answer, Levi Strauss & Co. almost certainly has one on you. To mark the 142-year anniversary of Levi’s 501 jeans, the apparel maker announced on Wednesday that its archives department had acquired a pair that dates back to the 1880s. And, despite the fact that they are one of the oldest pairs of jeans in existence, they look pretty good. “Except for wear marks and a few minor holes and tears, the pants, which date to around the 1880s, are pristine,” according to a Levi’s [blog post](http://levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2015/05/new-nevada-jeans-acquisition/ "undefined") on the acquisition. Levi’s has named the duds the “New Nevada Jeans,” as they were discovered in the Silver State. They sport a few minor differences from the ubiquitous 501 model. “The yoke is narrower, and the leather patch is in the middle of the waistband, rather than on the right side,” according to the company. Originally called “overalls,” [blue jeans date back to the American Gold Rush era](http://fortune.com/2014/09/18/brief-history-of-blue-jeans/ "undefined") of the late 19th century. In 1873, the U.S. government granted a patent to Levi Strauss for what would become the company’s 501 jeans, based on its rivet-reinforced fastenings. Jeans were practical, tough work pants, the kind that could take a beating when you were out in the field. By the early 20th century, though, they had become a fashion statement, fit for the kind of people who had never even set foot on a working ranch. [A Fortune story](http://fortune.com/2014/09/18/levi-strauss-chip-bergh/ "undefined") late last year chronicled the company’s ups-and-downs: --- > “” --- Things have [begun to turnaround](http://fortune.com/2015/02/12/levi-strauss-earnings/ "undefined") since then. By the end of 2014, the company had hit its financial goals for the second year in a row. Full-year revenues increased 2% to $4.8 billion. Net income was down year, but adjusted EBIT—the company’s preferred measure to track profitability—was $504 million last year compared to $467 million in 2013\. The company also grew revenue in both Europe and Asia for the first time in three years. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/"},"headline":"This Is What a 130-Year-Old Pair of Jeans Looks Like","datePublished":"2015-05-21T17:15:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:57:02.728Z","description":"Not in bad shape considering","url":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/","keywords":["Retail","Living"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3e37a3294386827/6988512ecd1bba390a6fb72a/new_nevada_jeans_front_02805b15d.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Scott Olster","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/scott-olster/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc3e37a3294386827/6988512ecd1bba390a6fb72a/new_nevada_jeans_front_02805b15d.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Levi's 1880s 501","caption":"","creditText":"Levi Strauss","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/retail/","name":"Retail"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/","name":"This Is What a 130-Year-Old Pair of Jeans Looks Like"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"10 Questions for Tim Gunn","description":"Tim Gunn advises the fashion-challenged every week on Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, and starts his 5th season on Project Runway July 16","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WNyE3X6e/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2008-07-09T18:23:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WNyE3X6e.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/","duration":"PT6M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3892745/old-levis-jeans/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```