What it's for
Everyday wear
Jeans to wear hard, not to keep in a drawer. Late US-made Levi's, Wrangler Cowboy Cuts and department-store denim are plentiful, already broken in and sized in ways you can check with a tape. Buy on measurements and condition, and don't pay extra for a collector's detail you won't use.
11 models we cover.
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Where we’d start
Levi's · Straight leg
501-0115Levi's 501 Rinse 0115
USA-made pairs from the 1980s and 1990s; the 0115 code is still sold
$50–$120 typical ask
175 on eBay
Levi's · Straight leg
501Levi's 501 Made in USA, 90s
Late 1980s to 2003
$70–$130 typical ask
183 on eBay
Levi's · Straight leg
501Levi's 501 Made in Mexico
Mostly from the 2000s on
$35–$70 typical ask
208 on eBay
Levi's · Tapered
501 CTLevi's 501 CT
From early 2015
$30–$50 typical ask
179 on eBay
Levi's · Relaxed
550Levi's 550 Relaxed Fit
1985–present
$30–$50 typical ask
234 on eBay
Levi's · Relaxed
559Levi's 559 Relaxed Straight
1990s–present
$25–$45 typical ask
211 on eBay
Levi's · Relaxed
569Levi's 569 Loose Straight
1990s–2020s
$30–$45 typical ask
233 on eBay
Wrangler · Straight leg
13MWZPWWrangler 13MWZPW Prewashed Cowboy Cut
PW versions by the late 1970s or early 80s, still made
$25–$40 typical ask
215 on eBay
Wrangler · Slim
936DENWrangler 936DEN Cowboy Cut Slim Fit
About 1988–present
$30–$55 typical ask
211 on eBay
JCPenney · Straight leg
Plain PocketsJCPenney Plain Pockets Jeans
Mid-1970s to the late 1990s
How to date it and what to check →
Sears · Straight leg
RoebucksSears Roebucks Western Jeans
1949 into the 1990s
$20–$45 typical ask
117 on eBay
Keep exploring
Cut