Man Pays N50.78 Million to Buy World’s Oldest Known Jeans Found 165 Years Ago in a Shipwreck

Man Pays N50.78 Million to Buy World’s Oldest Known Jeans Found 165 Years Ago in a Shipwreck

  • A man has paid a whopping N50.78 million to buy jeans found in the deep of an ocean
  • The last person to wear it died in a shipwreck 165 years ago, and it is unknown if the man who paid for it will wear it 
  • The white, heavy-duty miner's trousers with a five-button fly received many bids in a US auction

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A pair of men's work pants said to be the world's oldest pair of jeans has sold at auction for $114,000 (N50.7 million).

BBC reports that the white trousers were pulled from a sunken trunk at an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina.

The five-button fly was among 270 Gold Rush-era artifacts that sold for a total of nearly $1 million.

Jean trouser 1897
The jean trouser was found in a shipwreck 165 years ago Credit: Guardian uk
Source: Facebook

The auction took place in Reno, Nevada in the western US, as well as online, on 3 December.

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Speaking on the successful sale Dwight Manley, the managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group said:

"Those miner's jeans are like the first flag on the moon, a historic moment in history, there are no earlier five-button fly jeans in existence."

Details about the ship

The ship sank in September 1857 during a Category 2 hurricane, killing 425 of the 578 passengers and crew members.

Passengers were carrying an estimated 21 tonnes of gold coins and artifacts when the ship sunk. The wreckage was discovered for the first time in 1988.

Who paid for the Jean trouser?

A man from Oregon, who may have purchased them in San Francisco, the auction company said.

Auction officials say the five-button fly strongly suggests the jeans could be an early manufacture of work pants sold by Levi Strauss, in the 17th century, the Guardian reports.

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Reactions

@DariuszNawrock7 wrote:

"Well, we already know what will be fashionable next year"

@stevedw82 added:

"I hope the man who paid for it at least going to wear them."

@Vallabh Sonawane said

"I will give you same jeans just for $2"

Police react to the discovery of rotten naira notes in Benue, name the real owner

Meanwhile, the Nigerian police force has responded to a social media video that went viral showing rotting Naira notes in Benue.

The viral video has sparked a lot of emotional outbursts among Nigerians with many fingers pointing at politicians.

Several discoveries of old, rotting notes have made their way into social media after CBN introduced new Naira notes

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.