3486

Unusual Denim Overalls, trim is modeled after Levi Strauss spring bottom trim [186639]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
Unusual Denim Overalls, trim is modeled after Levi Strauss spring bottom trim [186639]
SOLD
2,600.00USD+ (650.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2024 Aug 24 @ 19:02UTC-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.
Unusual blue denim overalls, no label with label remnants at left of split back, with unmarked rivets at pocket corners. This pair has only one rear pocket, and it is in the style of older pants where the pocket is inside, rather that outside the pants, as they are constructed on "jeans" of today.
These pants appear more modern in style than the others in the collection, with a bit more "finesse" in the overall design, showing a more tailored style, probably made for business wear rather than mining or outside hard labor. The lack of significant wear in the regular places confirms this hypothesis.
The pants have an upper split back above the buckle as manufactured and have a back strap on the right side opposite the metal buckle that is cut and trimmed exactly the same as the "Spring Bottom pants" illustrated on the Levi Strauss website, and dated to 1889. They are also tailored in the lower leg portion, wider at the bottom, and 2î skinnier about 9î up the pant leg. The rivets on this pair are also in identical places to those of the "Spring Bottom," though they are unmarked. The buttons are plain with a stippled embossing and black stained background. The buttons are similar to, or the same as, the E. S. Wheeler patent of 1880 (233587). The fly on these pants is manufactured in a far different manner than the other pants here, stitched closed between buttons, which may have been a specific patent attribute.
The remnant label is left of center in the rear. The rectangular Spring Bottom Strauss label was placed at right of center, or a triangular label directly under the buckle.
In the 1870s, other companies such as Elfelt used rivets and were subsequently sued by Levi Strauss for patent infringement. This pair is an attempted copy of the Spring Bottom. To avoid patent infringement, the pants must post-date 1890 when the original Levi Strauss rivet patent expired about 1890. One company that copied Strauss immediately after the expiration of the rivet patent was Neustadter Bros. (See same in this catalog)
Repair in crotch, with waist 34"/Length 30" with flap pocket.
Special thanks to Tracy Panek of Levi Strauss for help with these unusual pants. Collectors are reminded to visit the Strauss museums in San Francisco and Germany. Their 501 jeans remain my all-time favorites! (FH)