We checked everything on each model page (years made, dating signals like tabs, selvedge, rivets, care tags and button stamps, and the stories behind them) against sources we could cite. Those include the brands’ own histories, denim collector guides and blogs, old store catalogs and reference works. When we couldn’t confirm a detail, like an exact year, we left it out or wrote it loosely. Brands changed their jeans gradually and used up old parts as they went, so a single detail rarely dates a pair on its own. Use every page as a starting point and read several signals together.
We don’t publish price ranges from memory. A price shows on a model page only when it comes from a dated snapshot of that model’s eBay listings (more below), and it always carries the date we checked. Asking prices aren’t selling prices. Before you make an offer, look at eBay’s sold listings (filter to “Sold items”) for the same model in similar condition and size and base your offer on those.
Models without a snapshot link to a plain eBay search for the model. It’s a plain keyword search, so expect reissues, women’s cuts and the wrong lot numbers mixed in, and run each listing through the checklist on the model page.
The size on an old tag is where a search starts, not an answer. Denim shrinks, older pairs were sized differently and decades of washing change them again, so the checklist on each model page starts with the measurements to ask for, then the dating signals, then wear and repairs. Our measuring guide shows where to put the tape. We want you to buy a pair that fits and is the age the seller says, and never overpay for a reissue described as original.
The big photo on a model page and its cards is a representative image, not a photo of any pair for sale. We make it with an AI image model from several real seller photos of that exact model, then compare it with those photos before we publish. Every model gets the same plain studio backdrop so they look consistent side by side.
So the photo shows what the model looks like, not the condition of any one example. Wash, fade and wear vary from pair to pair, and some small details may be simplified. Judge condition from the seller’s own photos, and ask for close-ups of the tab, labels, buttons and any holes before you buy. Wherever a representative photo appears large, it carries the caption “Representative photo, made by AI from real seller photos. Every listing differs.” Models without one show no photo.
For each model with a buying guide, we go through the matching eBay listings on one date. We record how many there are, the price range, where most asking prices sit, and a set of listings with their price, shipping, format, seller feedback and condition. The date sits next to the listings, and by the time you read it some will have sold or ended. The “See every listing on eBay” link always opens the live search. When a snapshot has listings, the model’s typical price on the page comes from it. When nothing was listed, the figure is labeled an estimate.
Then we tag the listings worth a look. Cheapest is the lowest delivered price for a sound pair with measurements. Best value is a pair with clear photos and measurements at a below-typical price. Best for beginners goes to an easy, wearable pair. Collector’s pick is a sought-after variant or year at a sane price, and Project piece is a cheap pair worth repairing. Two warning tags flag listings to approach with care. Check the seller means little or no feedback, and Priced high means well above the typical range with no clear reason. These are judgment calls from the listing text and photos. We haven’t handled the pieces, and nobody pays for placement.
No affiliate links. We earn nothing (see the disclosure). We’re not paid by sellers and we’re not affiliated with any of the brands we cover or anyone who owns those names today.