‘Holy grail of vintage denim collecting’: Pair of Levi’s jeans from the 1880s sell for $87,000 at auction after they were found by a ‘denim archaeologist’ down abandoned New Mexico mine

• Pair of authentic vintage jeans found down an abandoned mine sell for $76,000
• The buy was a younger denim trader from San Diego named Kyle Haupert, 23
• Described as ‘the holy grail of vintage denim collecting’ from the gold rush era
• They feature suspender buttons on the waistband, and selvedge denim badges, a single back pocket and wax flecked over the legs

A vintage pair of Levis from the 1880s found down an abandoned New Mexico mine have been sold at auction for a whopping $87,400 – among the most expensive pair of jeans ever sold.

The pair of jeans, which were discovered some years ago by denim historian Michael Harris, in an abandoned mineshaft in the American West,

They have been described as the ‘holy grail of vintage denim collecting’ and would have been worn by a miner from the authentic gold rush era. 

They feature suspender buttons on the waistband, selvedge denim badges, a single back pocket and wax flecked over the legs from where the original owner labored under candle light.

The winning bid was placed by Kyle Haupert, 23, a vintage clothing dealer from San Diego, at the Durango Vintage Festivus in Colorado on October 1.

‘I’m still kind of bewildered, just surprised in myself for even purchasing them,’ Haupert told the Wall Street Journal.

Haupert put up 90 percent of the winning bid, with the other 10 percent put in by Zip Stevenson, an experienced old hand in the vintage clothing market who will help Haupert find a buyer. 

A pair of Levi’s jeans from the 1880s found down an abandoned mine shaft in New Mexico have sold at auction for a total of $87,400

They are among the most expensive pair of jeans ever sold after being auctioned at the ‘Durango Vintage Festivus‘

They feature suspender buttons on the waistband, copper buttons  and selvedge denim badges

They are flecked with wax over the legs from where the original owner labored under candle light

They were found down an abandoned mine shaft in New Mexico by self-described ‘denim archaeologist’ Michael Harris (stock photo)

Haupert is relying on the elder wisdom of Stevenson. ‘He’s seen everything under the sun. I trust him to confirm that they are an authentic pair from the 1880s.’

The winning bid was $76,000, but after buyer’s premiums the total for the jeans came to $87,400. 

‘These speak for themselves,’ Haupert wrote on his Instagram account. ‘One of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s to exist.’

They are listed as in ‘good/wearable’ condition on the auction house website. But with a waist of 38 inches and a length of 32, they may not successfully fit every denim lover set on wearing such authentic vintage jeans.

The jeans are some of the oldest known Levis from the gold rush era and were described as ‘the holy grail of vintage denim collecting’ by auction house HiBid.

‘You could wear them to a Starbucks,’ Stevenson told the Journal. 

The winning bid was $76,000, but after buyer’s premiums the total for the jeans came to $87,400

The winning bid was placed by Kyle Haupert, 23, a vintage clothing dealer from San Diego, at the Durango Vintage Festivus in Colorado on October 1

They are listed as in ‘good/wearable’ condition on the auction house website. But with a waist of 38 inches and a length of 32

The jeans still bear reminders of the time within which they were made. ‘The only kind made by white labor,’ is printed on the interior.

The phrase is a reference to 1882’s Chinese Exclusion Act, which forbid Chinese workers from entering the US. The phrase was abandoned in the 1890s, the Journal report.

The seller at the auction was Brit Eaton, another vintage expert who has been dealing in prized jeans since the 1990s. 

He said he purchased the jeans from self-described ‘denim archaeologist’ Harris five years ago for $23,000.

‘I knew they’d be a big draw,’ said Mr. Eaton of the jeans. 

The most expensive pair of jeans ever sold were made by Secret Circus Clothing for an unimaginable $1.3million. 

However, the price was informed by the 15 diamonds stitched into the pack pocket, so most probably just the jeans themselves would not have sold for nearly as much.

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