The white, heavy-duty miner's pants with a five-button fly were among 270 Gold Rush-era artifacts that sold for a total of nearly
There’s disagreement about whether the pricey pants have any ties to the father of modern-day blue jeans, Levi Strauss, as they predate by 16 years the first pair officially manufactured by his
But the company's historian and archive director,
“The pants are not Levi’s nor do I believe they are miner’s work plans,” she wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Regardless of their origin, there’s no denying the pants were made before the S.S.
“Those miner’s jeans are like the first flag on the moon, a historic moment in history,” said
Other auction items that had been entombed for more than a century in the ship's wreckage 7,200 feet (2,195 meters) below the surface of the
Tens of millions of dollars worth of gold has been sold since shipwreck recovery began in 1988. But last Saturday marked the first time any artifacts hit the auction block. Another auction is planned in February.
“There has never been anything like the scope of these recovered artifacts, which represented a time capsule of daily life during the Gold Rush,” said
The lid of a
Most of the passengers aboard the S.S.
The unique mix of artifacts from high society San Franciscans to blue-collar workers piqued the interest of historians and collectors alike. The pants came from the trunk of an
“At the end of the day, nobody can say these are or are not Levi’s with 100% certainty," Manley said. But "these are the only known Gold Rush jean ... not present in any collection in the world.”
Holabird, considered a Gold Rush-era expert in his over 50 years as a scientist and historian, agreed: “So far, no museum has come forward with another."
Panek said
She said before the auction that the shipwreck pants have no company branding — no "patches, buttons or even rivets, the innovation patented in 1873.”
Panek added in emails to AP this week that the pants “are not typical of miner’s work pants in our archives." She cited the color, “unusual fly design with extra side buttonholes” and the non-denim fabric that’s lighter weight “than cloth used for its earliest riveted clothing.”
Holabird said he told Panek while she examined the pants in
Everything had changed — the materials, product availability, manufacturing techniques and market distribution — between 1857 and the time Strauss came out with a rivet-enforced pocket, Holabird said. He said Panek didn't disagree with him.
Holabird believes the pants were made by a subcontractor for Strauss. He decided to “follow the money — follow the gold" and discovered Strauss' had a market reach and sales “on a level never seen before.”
“Strauss was the largest single merchant to ship gold out of
The list of the
“Strauss is selling to every decent-sized dry goods store in the
“In short, his huge sales create a cause to be manufactured. He would have to contract with producers for an entire production run.”
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