Stifel Cloth Labels: History and How to Date Them
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J.L. Stifel & Sons was a calico printing mill in Wheeling, West Virginia, founded in 1835, whose indigo-dyed prints and drills were made into workwear by many clothing makers. The mill closed in December 1957, so a garment in Stifel cloth is almost always 1957 or earlier, and its boot trademark stamped on the fabric is the clue to look for.
Company history
e-WV, the West Virginia Encyclopedia, records that German immigrant Johann Ludwig Stifel founded the business in Wheeling in 1835. Four generations of the family ran it, producing indigo-dyed prints and drills for clothing manufacturers. Its trademark was a boot ("stiefel" in German), and at its peak the North Wheeling plant produced 3.5 million yards of cloth a month. The company helped introduce Sanforizing to the textile industry and won an Army-Navy "E" Award in the Second World War for fatigue and battle dress cloth. After a merger with Indian Head Mills, the plant closed on December 17, 1957.
Label timeline
| Label or clue | Approximate dates | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Boot-shaped trademark stamped in the cloth | Through the mill's life | Stifel fabric, whoever sewed the garment |
| Wabash, polka-dot and shadow-stripe prints | Before 1958 | Typical Stifel prints |
| Mill closure | December 1957 | Stifel cloth points to 1957 or earlier |
The prints and stamp come from our vintage workwear values guide, citing California Vintage Buyers.
What it helps date
- Stifel cloth was sold to garment makers, so look for the maker's label and any union tag as well: union labels, date by labels.
- "Sanforized" on a tag points to 1930 or later: date by labels.
Values
Our vintage workwear values guide puts pieces in Stifel cloth at $400 to $1,500, with 1920s shadow-stripe overalls at $1,500 and wabash railroad pants at $748 (California Vintage Buyers); what makes vintage valuable uses Stifel as its example of a short-lived maker commanding a premium. Prices are estimates as of 2026.
check sold prices for stifel vintage wabash workwear on eBay
Sources
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Guides that mention Stifel
- Vintage Workwear Values: Carhartt, Filson, Stifel and More2026 sold-price ranges for vintage Carhartt, Filson, Stifel, Sweet-Orr, Big Mac, Pendleton, Woolrich and WWII Navy denim, and what moves each.
- What Makes Vintage Clothing Valuable? The 8 Value DriversWhy one vintage piece sells for $20 and a similar one for $2,000: age, label, rarity, condition, size, provenance and demand, with 2026 sold prices.
Related
- How to Date Vintage Clothing by the LabelUse the laws, postcodes, fiber names and country names printed on a garment label to work out the earliest year it could have been made.
- Dating Vintage Clothing by ILGWU and Other Union LabelsHow to date American garments by their ILGWU, ACWA, NRA and Consumers' Protection labels, with a period-by-period chart and where the dates disagree.
- Vintage Workwear Values: Carhartt, Filson, Stifel and More2026 sold-price ranges for vintage Carhartt, Filson, Stifel, Sweet-Orr, Big Mac, Pendleton, Woolrich and WWII Navy denim, and what moves each.
- What Makes Vintage Clothing Valuable? The 8 Value DriversWhy one vintage piece sells for $20 and a similar one for $2,000: age, label, rarity, condition, size, provenance and demand, with 2026 sold prices.