The official thrift/discount store bragging thread - Part II (May 2015 - Sept. 2018)

[LooknGr8]

Hi all.

I had thought about posting this for a while, but I never did. I should have a year and a half ago.

THANK YOU MOTHERF@CKERS for all your advice and trading and cheers and jeers and ****. At 46 years old in late 2014 I made a career change from journalism to PR. I got the job interviewing in an H-F glenplaid suit I got at an SA in Portsmouth NH, custom white shirt w/french cuffs that fit me perfectly from SA in Philly, and vintage Florsheim or Nettleton wingtips I got in some damn thrift somewhere. No way could I have afforded the $2,000-$2,500 for this stuff new. But the outfit I wore looked as if I had spent that.

There is no question that the things I learned from everyone and the sometimes polite, sometimes harsh fit-crit helped me look a) credible, b) better than the competition, and c) supremely confident. I got the job, a beautiful pay bump, and now have stayed there long enough to know that I can swim in this pool.

I know this thread is more about the finds and the brags and the eBay/resale values...but the veterans here (some of whom I've talked to on the phone, some of whom I've met in person) were the ones who shaped my attitudes and outfits.

So thanks.

Why am I posting this today? Because I got back my first pro portraits in years. Tie, Polo discount store. Jacket, one of those Hong Kong Hotel specials (thrifted) that fits me just so. Shirt, BB from a Connecticut thrift. PS, Hickey-Freeman outlet. I will be wearing this tomorrow to a high-pressure presentation (I'll be on a team of 4) to persuade a new client to hire our agency.

 

[double00]

...I believe those are the real deal...

fair enough.

if i were a buyer i would keep in mind that there are so few of these turn-of-the-century jeans around that they first-name them. fewer in anything close to wearable condition and as far as i know none that are unworn. if i were a buyer i would ask myself how it could possibly happen that niche workwear from that long ago has been archived as these appear to be. and if i didn't get a provenance from the seller or their representative that made 100% sense, i would walk. personally i wouldn't even approach a deal like this because it seems so likely to be a forgery. why? because money - the same reason folks forge artwork, jewelry, watches, or anything else that makes people suspend disbelief when common sense says to run.

but hey maybe it's one of the greatest americana finds of the last 30 or 40 years.

 

[noob15]

Sneaker bros, are these pumas a thing?

 

[GMMcL]



in your back yard.

WAAAAAAT??

No, It's cool. I'm calm. The Universe has good things in store for me, I think.

FYI in case you do win I heard the Playboy Mansion is going up for sale soon.  The only caveat is Hef is supposed to have a special clause that will allow him to continue living there and is allowed to roam the halls in nothing, but his jacket and slippers...

Just don't ever bring your blacklight

 

[SpooPoker]



fair enough.

if i were a buyer i would keep in mind that there are so few of these turn-of-the-century jeans around that they first-name them. fewer in anything close to wearable condition and as far as i know none that are unworn. if i were a buyer i would ask myself how it could possibly happen that niche workwear from that long ago has been archived as these appear to be. and if i didn't get a provenance from the seller or their representative that made 100% sense, i would walk. personally i wouldn't even approach a deal like this because it seems so likely to be a forgery. why? because money - the same reason folks forge artwork, jewelry, watches, or anything else that makes people suspend disbelief when common sense says to run.

but hey maybe it's one of the greatest americana finds of the last 30 or 40 years. 

every time i walk into an estate sale, i have ill fantasies of finding some locked tool chest with a few pairs of these in there.

 

[eazye]



Not spoilering for sheer awesomeness. Well done.

 

[the2ndhandman]

@double00

I think they were never worn because of the size. Its just like my display jeans they are never going to be sold and there pushing 50 years old and they still have the factory tags on them. There tucked away in a space bag inside a plastic container and don't come out. It's not that far fetched. Things get passed down and forgotten about allot. It's one of those things that are out there and will eventually pop up. Now obviously being 2015 there's easy ways to definitely find out. If I was going to spend 100k on them then pictures would obviously be submitted to Levis curators to check out prior. They would have the best knowledge. Hard part is all there archives that old are gone to the fire and quakes so it you'd still be Taking there word for it. You can also have lab testing done on fabric to show how old it is. I have before it's pretty cheap. I think the only thing that makes me question is the blah blah 17 years thing on the pocket. Would Levis have changed that stamp every year?

 

[double00]

@double00

I think they were never worn because of the size. Its just like my display jeans they are never going to be sold and there pushing 50 years old and they still have the factory tags on them. There tucked away in a space bag inside a plastic container and don't come out. It's not that far fetched. Things get passed down and forgotten about allot. It's one of those things that are out there and will eventually pop up. Now obviously being 2015 there's easy ways to definitely find out. If I was going to spend 100k on them then pictures would obviously be submitted to Levis curators to check out prior. They would have the best knowledge. Hard part is all there archives that old are gone to the fire and quakes so it you'd still be Taking there word for it. You can also have lab testing done on fabric to show how old it is. I have before it's pretty cheap. I think the only thing that makes me question is the blah blah 17 years thing on the pocket. Would Levis have changed that stamp every year?

the ones that i've seen - the Homer, etc actually have that same year on em. 17. so they must have put that on in 1890 and rode it for awhile... look i read you i have an unwashed big E trucker in my closet right now so yes it happens but that is extraordinarily old for essentially deadstock workwear. if it happens so often why isn't there another one extant? but you could be right, maybe there is another one out there and Spoo will find it...

every time i walk into an estate sale, i have ill fantasies of finding some locked tool chest with a few pairs of these in there.

see? but this was my point, people don't find these things in tool chests. you know where they find em? in mines. in sierra bunkhouses. in attic walls. there's a dude who literally mines old landfills in the deserts outside of reno. grab a shovel Spoo.

 

[Timmah]

Picked up this made in the usa Jhane Barnes tux.

37L.

 

[Ace_Face]

More details about those Levi's that make it sound more plausible: sellers are descendants of an 19th century AZ dry goods store owner. They say the jeans were in a trunk and forgotten about.

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/lewi...r-thinks-jeans-owners-sitting-fortune/1848984

 

[ATLjon]

Hi all.

Good to hear that you're doing well. This thread needed a dose of the old guard. Too many youngins round these parts now.

 

[Timmah]



Whose size would that be?

Maybe he left them since they didn't fit.

 

[jamesmkeart]

Gave it to a friend who loves that 90's ****. Fake or not, I'm sure he'll rock it so I guess it's a moot point! Appreciate it, though. I'd just assume you are right.

I was kinda wondering what the reasoning for Spoo thinking that was fake. Ive owned a bunch of 90s Tommy **** and never saw a white content tag like that. Curious if there were other give a ways

Also, to add to the vinyl debate. My brother is an audio engineer that makes equipment for some pretty famous musicians, and swears most people cant tell a difference between vinyl and high quality digital. He's also a vinyl collector because he likes having an object that can last much longer than cds.

 

[vexco]

I was kinda wondering what the reasoning for Spoo thinking that was fake. Ive owned a bunch of 90s Tommy **** and never saw a white content tag like that. Curious if there were other give a ways

Also, to add to the vinyl debate. My brother is an audio engineer that makes equipment for some pretty famous musicians, and swears most people cant tell a difference between vinyl and high quality digital. He's also a vinyl collector because he likes having an object that can last much longer than cds.

TBF I only scooped because all sweaters/sweatshirts were a buck(hooray for cheap Ben Silver). Looked right but again, def could be wrong. Not a big deal either way I guess!

 

[jamesmkeart]

TBF I only scooped because all sweaters/sweatshirts were a buck(hooray for cheap Ben Silver). Looked right but again, def could be wrong. Not a big deal either way I guess!

Yeah, I wouldv'e grabbed it for a buck either way. People collect the bootlegs so someone would want it.