3480

Neustatter Bros. Standard Pants, Brown Canvas c1875-1880 [186632]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Neustatter Bros. Standard Pants, Brown Canvas c1875-1880 [186632]
SOLD
13,500.00USD+ (3,375.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2024 Aug 24 @ 18:38UTC-7 : PDT/MST
UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE: In the event that a successful bidder has paid in full for their merchandise but fails to settle outstanding shipping invoices or make arrangements for merchandise pickup within 60 days, HWAC reserves the right to declare the merchandise forfeited. This forfeiture will result in the merchandise becoming the property of HWAC and the successful bidder shall have no claim to or rights over the forfeited merchandise.
Standard Pants by Neustadter Bros. patent date April 20, 1875. Full label, brown canvas metal buttons embossed "Standard Pants" knees out, upper right thigh torn, indicating underground work. Calf torn, crotch re-enforced with three chevrons. 38"W/37"L. Right rear pocket and back buckle intact. This model is not lined, while the other in this sale is wool lined. The buttons are embossed "Standard Pants." c1875-1880. Neustadter was a Gold Rush clothing seller, and like others including (Levi) Strauss & Co., was originally based in New York. The overall quality of the Neustadter "Standard" pants here is very high. They were made for very tough laborious use outdoors, a classic "miner's" pants.
Neustadter was a competitor to Levi Strauss & Co. As such, they watched with great interest the patents and subsequent sales of the Levi Strauss & Co. riveted "jeans." Elfelt had tried copying the rivets and got justifiably sued for their efforts. When the rivet patent expired in 1890, Neustadter was all over it, immediately producing at least one model using rivets, "Boss of the Road" of which they made at least three varieties - overalls, jumpers and blouses (jackets). By that time, Neustadter was producing a number of different pants that included: ""Red Hot Overalls"(1890), "Boss of the Road" overalls (1888), "Engineers pants" (1888), "Plasterers Pants" (1888) . This pair was found used as insulation in a house in Hailey, Idaho built in 1884.
Neustadter, like other companies, often had difficulties collecting from dry goods stores in remote mining regions of the West. In Helena and Virginia City, Montana, a couple stores were particularly late in payments, one with invoices due for over a year in the 1880s. In an 1888 letter to dry goods merchants Greenhood, Bohm & Co. in Helena, Neustadter wrote: "We trust you will send us by return mail a check to cover overalls ... less 5%. We do not like to be too exacting, but on the article of overalls, there is no margin for philanthropy; it is spot cash or no sale, so please favor us with exchange on New York and oblige." (5/5/1888)