Lee · 101B · Originals from the 1920s to the 1940s; reissued since the late 1990s
The B in 101B stands for button fly. Lee's 101 Cowboy pants started out with buttons in 1924, and when Lee added a zip fly in the late 1920s, the zip version became the 101-Z. The button-fly Cowboy pant carried on beside it into the 1940s. A wartime pair documented by Denim Archives has iron buttons, a black-painted laurel top button and no rivet on the coin pocket. Lee kept the letter for its reissues, and today almost every listing titled 101B is one. Lee's premium and Japanese lines have copied the button-fly Cowboy and Riders jeans for decades, with crotch rivets, cinch backs and left-hand-twill selvedge. It isn't a bootcut. Buy a reissue for a raw selvedge jean with the 1930s Lee look, and keep an eye out for the rare original with a Lee Cowboy donut button.
Date it from the photos
Reissues and repros
Most listings titled 101B are reissues from Lee 101, Lee Archives or Lee Japan, in left-hand-twill selvedge with cinch backs, crotch rivets and cowboy-style leather patches. They're good jeans, but judge them as reissues. Expect Made in Japan or a modern care label inside.
If you’ll wear it
A reissue gets you a raw selvedge jean with the 1930s Lee look and a fit you can choose. Check the measurements and whether it's been soaked.
If you’ll collect it
An original button-fly Lee Cowboy pant with its Lee Cowboy donut button and leather patch is the rare find. Wartime pairs with laurel buttons are scarcer still.
Measure, don't trust the tag. Originals are a wide straight leg that tapers a little to the hem, and many have been re-hemmed. Some reissues use unsanforized denim (Lee Japan's 1946 Riders 101B does), so a raw pair will shrink when it's first soaked. Ask for the waist flat and doubled, inseam, front rise and leg opening, and whether the pair is raw or washed.
New to measuring old denim? Our measuring guide shows where to put the tape.
Measurements first, then the details
Raw reissues wear like any raw jean, so check the crotch, knees and back-pocket edges. Originals usually come with repairs, re-hemmed legs or a missing leather patch, which are fine if you know about them.
Buying guide
Most listings titled 101B are Lee's own reissues, and that's what we'd buy here, the Made in Japan 40s Reprint titled W31 L33, at $189 delivered. There are at least 72 for sale, most shipping from Japan, and the reissues from Lee Japan, Lee Archives, American Riders and the 1946 and 1954 Redux lines mostly ask $160–390 delivered. A handful of Japanese dealers title pairs as 1950s or 60s originals at $1,300–2,900, but originals run from the 1920s to the 1940s, so treat those titles as claims. On any pair sold as original, ask for the top button stamp (Lee Cowboy on a donut button is the Cowboy era), a crotch rivet, and the inside, where a care label or Made in Japan means a reissue. Go by the waist measured flat and doubled, the inseam, rise and leg opening, and ask whether a raw pair has been soaked, since some reissues use unsanforized denim. eBay's search cards don't show seller feedback for these, so check it on the item page.
$47.70est. delivered
The lowest delivered pair, titled 90s Lee Riders 101 B, made in USA and Sanforized, with an actual 30x28. Check the photos for a button fly, because a zipper makes it a 101-Z whatever the title says.
Vintage 90s Lee Riders 101 B Union USA Made Sanforized Denim Jeans ACTUAL 30x28
$188.99est. delivered
Titled a 90s Made in Japan 40s Reprint of the WW2 type, so it's a reissue and says so, in W31 L33 at the low end of the band. Ask whether it's been soaked, since a raw reissue loses length in the first wash.
90s Lee Riders 101B. "40s Reprint. WW2 type." W31 L33. Made in Japan. arcuate.
$139.85est. delivered
A Lee American Riders 101B, lot LM5010, made in Japan in organic cotton, from a US seller under the band. It's a modern reissue with the 101B look, so buy it on the waist measured flat and the inseam.
Lee American Riders 101B LM5010 Jeans 32 Made in Japan Organic Cotton Button Fly
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$47.70est. delivered
$35.00 + $12.70 shipping
Buy It Now$35.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled 90s Riders 101 B, made in USA, actual 30x28. Check for a button fly.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$188.99est. delivered
$169.99 + $19.00 shipping
Buy It Now$169.99
Good buy
Titled 40s Reprint, made in Japan, W31 L33.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$139.85est. delivered
$125.00 + $14.85 shipping
Buy It Now$125.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
American Riders LM5010 reissue, made in Japan, waist 32.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$184.95est. delivered
$175.00 + $9.95 shipping
Buy It Now$175.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Cinch back and hair-on-hide patch, 38x31. Those details match Lee's reissues.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$201.90est. delivered
$154.90 + $47.00 shipping
Buy It Now$154.90
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled 1990s reissue, lot 12000, made in Japan, W30.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$232.10est. delivered
$172.10 + $60.00 shipping
Buy It Now$172.10
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
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Our take
Titled 40s Lee Cowboy with a red tag, at reissue money. Ask for the label and top button.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$1,558.30est. delivered
$1,333.30 + $225.00 shipping
Buy It Now$1,333.30
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
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Priced high
Titled 50s Riders, W31 L28. Ask for the top button and inside. Over seven times the band median.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Used$2,872.05est. delivered
$2,849.05 + $23.00 shipping
Buy It Now$2,849.05
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
Titled 1950s to 1970s, which pins it to no era. About 13 times the band median.
Seller: Seller on eBay
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Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 11, 2026.
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