Levi’s Jeans With Racist Slogan From 1880s Sold At $76k At An Auction

One of the world’s oldest existing pairs of Levi’s jeans was sold at an auction at $76,000. The jeans, made in the 19th century, have a racist slogan that was considered normal during its time, snapped up by Kyle Hauper and a fellow vintage jeans enthusiast on October 1st.

The 23-year-old showed off his catch from the Durango Vintage Festivus auction that was held in New Mexico. The jeans, which appeared to be secondhand, could be dated to the 1880s.

After the auction, he said, “I’m still kind of bewildered, just surprised myself for even purchasing them.”

It was hailed as “the holy grail of vintage denim collecting” and was found within an abandoned mineshaft several years ago. The label that was printed on the interior has even a racist remark that was considered typical in its days.

“The only kind made by White Labor,” read the label. It referenced the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which wasn’t repealed until 1943.

The Wall Street Journal was the one to dig into the reason for the slogan from the 19th century. The xenophobic regulation prevents Chinese laborers from entering the US for 10 years, said Levi’s spokesperson. They believed the slogan would “improve sales and align with the views of consumers at the time.”

But the slogan was scrapped soon in the 1890s.

Kyle paid for 90% of the bid with a fellow investor, Zip Stevenson, who footed in 10%. The latter was an owner of a vintage denim store in Los Angeles.

Since getting the jeans, the two have been hearing from potential buyers interested in getting vintage pair, and they’re hoping to resell this at twice the price they paid.

Kyle jokingly said, “You could wear them to a Starbucks.”