The first pair of Levi’s jeans cost $1.25 in 1873.
That price belongs to the earliest copper-riveted work trousers associated with Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis. Davis developed the idea of reinforcing stress points with rivets, and the partners received U.S. Patent No. 139,121 on May 20, 1873.
These were not initially sold as fashion jeans. They were sturdy waist-high work overalls intended for laborers, including miners, railroad workers, and other people whose clothing faced heavy wear. The familiar name “jeans” became common much later.
A common mix-up is confusing the 1873 price with later Levi’s prices or with the modern 501 model. The 501 designation was introduced around 1890, after the original patent-era trousers had already established the company’s riveted design. The $1.25 figure is therefore a historical launch-era price, not the price of every early Levi’s garment.