# Best $224 USA made Penny Loafer



## Ole Hickory (Jan 12, 2008)

Foghorn shared this with me:
https://sasshoes.com/men/men-footwear/men-dress-shoes/mens-penny-40-cordovan


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## Old Road Dog (Sep 4, 2015)

No doubt comfortable and well-made, but that shoe screams" orthopedic". Pennies need to have a short vamp and a smooth leather...and how about a little color? How much more would a cordovan penny be?


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## Old Road Dog (Sep 4, 2015)

Ole Hickory said:


> Foghorn shared this with me:
> https://sasshoes.com
> 
> Read that domain name quickly!:surprised:


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## Ole Hickory (Jan 12, 2008)

Better made "traditional" loafers have always had a higher vamp - to facilitate different widths.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Made in Texas, not a bad looking penny loafer design and SAS does have a reputation for selling comfortable shoes....what's not to like?


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

"A" $224 US made penny loafer? Sure. 

Best? The AE shoe bank is full of options at that or even a better price. B


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Several years ago, when SAS discontinued their classic penny loafers, I said I wish they still made them but with a non-gloss leather upper. If these new ones are a genuine re-introduction of those discontinued shoes -- i.e. they have not been compromised in terms of their original design and construction -- then these will be probably the best choice out there and worth every penny, especially for those who want some structure, made in the USA, and several different width choices. As for visual proportions, the photograph is clearly distorted. If these are the same proportions as the discontinued ones, then they will have virtually perfect proportions. I see no reason why SAS, which is a very conservative company, would come up with a new design when they had an essentially perfect design already in their files. In other words, these are probably a true re-introduction of their discontinued models and worth a look by our members. I will definitely look for a pair.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

SG_67 said:


> Best? The AE shoe bank is full of options at that or even a better price. B


If these are a true re-introduction of SAS's classic penny loafers, then they will be better than anything AE has to offer and worth paying more.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Old Road Dog said:


> No doubt comfortable and well-made, but that shoe screams" orthopedic".


No it doesn't.


> Pennies need to have a short vamp and a smooth leather...and how about a little color?


Making claims about colour based on a single photograph is pointless. Besides, dark brown would be just fine. As for smooth leather and a short vamp, that's just a matter of taste. If you see photos of penny loafers in the 50s and 60s you'll see that grain leather was common and higher vamps the norm.


> How much more would a cordovan penny be?


I assume you mean shell cordovan? The desire for shell cordovan among "the Trads" has reached the level of a fetish and is just about as well considered...


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## Old Road Dog (Sep 4, 2015)

Doctor Damage said:


> No it doesn't. "that's just a matter of taste."
> Taste aside, that's the best (only)$224. penny loafer made in the USA --- agreed!


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## Ole Hickory (Jan 12, 2008)

I have ordered mine.


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## egerland (Aug 18, 2008)

I have a pair of "non-orthotic" loafers from SAS that I bought last year. They're very comfortable to wear and look sharp. But the leather is corrected grain.


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## Toto (Oct 27, 2009)

There was quite a bit of praise for them on this forum years ago before they were discontinued.
I would love to try on a pair but I’m in Australia.

How does SAS sizing compare to Allen Edmonds?


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## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

They look like the old Barrie Ltd. penny loafer from the mid-1970's, except in cordovan color instead of antique brown, and with rubber toplifts instead of the old stacked leather heels that took about a month to delaminate and fall off in the slushy weather.

Next week, I think I'll have puffy tacos at Oscar's, then drive down Zarzamora Street to New Laredo Highway and try on a pair.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

They look fine to me. I had a pair of SAS loafers but they never quite fit right so I passed them along.

The perfect penny loafer is an unattainable goal. 

But I persevere.


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## Ensiferous (Mar 5, 2012)

I have a pair of these, bought them years ago, then I think they dropped the model.

At the time, every other shoe they had on the shelf was odd and exceedingly ugly. But these were a stand-out as the only classic in their line, and they were very well made, with the insides done so nicely that there was not a single hot spot from rubbing.

Some don't like the stitch detail, but I am fine with it.

They fit me well-- fyi, I have a narrow heel and a wide forefoot.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
Ensiferous: Your words and pictures are problematically persuasive. I need another pair of shoes, or specifically, penny loafers, like I need an additional hole in my head, but based on your review, we will be visiting the SAS store during our pilgrimage to Melbourne today. Egad, I think I may have a problem! LOL.


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## Ensiferous (Mar 5, 2012)

eagle, 

A guy with a problem motivating a guy with a problem. What could go wrong?


Anyway, please remember that while I like those older examples, I can't attest to these new offerings, or how similar they really are. But good luck, and please let us know what you think following your inspection.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
Found the SAS store in Melbourne and fortunately they had the40th Anniversary penny loafers in stock in a 9.5 medium size and they fit perfectly. Unfortunately the ones in a size 9.5M were black and I am not a fan of black penny loafers. Fortunately the sales lady assisting me was very helpful and we ordered a pair to be drop shipped to our front door! Gawd willing and if the creek don't rise, I should have my new SAS Anniversary Pennies by the end of next week!


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

My SAS 40TH Anniversary penny loafers were delivered to our front door, late yesterday afternoon. The quality of the aniline leather appears to be very good. The hide is pliable and the finish is close to perfect. The shoes are leather lined, with nicely padded insoles providing commendable arch support. Of particular note, there are absolutely no rough spots to be found on the interior of either shoe. The perfect stitching found throughout the shoes is a testament to the ability of the SAS manufacturing teams to make those sewing machines virtually sing! On my feet the SAS Penny Loafers provide a snug, yet comforting and supportive feel. While the uppers are nicely, almost seductively pliable, the robust leather sole presently seems a bit stiff. However, that is to be expected and even straight out of the box, there appears to be no heel slippage. LOL, my pending experience with these shoe promises to be a long and very pleasant relationship...and the addiction continues! These could indeed turn out to be "the best $224 USA made penny loafer." Time will certainly tell.


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## Ensiferous (Mar 5, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> ..and the addiction continues!


eagle, I won't count my shoes, if you don't count yours.

Good news that these are to your satisfaction so far.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
My friend, you are a wise and consistently well dressed gentleman and I would be foolish not to heed such well intended counsel! However, in parting ways with this present thread I will offer a final experience with the shoes and my own bit of advice for the benefit of our fellow footwear mavens.

Wearing my brand new SAS 40th Anniversary Penny Loafers about the house, pretty much all day yesterday, I was truly impressed with the comfort afforded by the padded, contoured insoles and with the incredible lightness of the shoes. Honestly, at one point I forgot I already had shoes on my feet and began casting my eyes about, looking for my shoes (they are really that light). Realizing my error, I just had to weigh the damn things, but the bathroom scale would not yield for me a sufficiently accurate measure of the weight of the shoes. Then, I noticed, sitting there on our kitchen counter, the highly accurate scale the wife and I use to measure our food portions in seemingly never ending dieting efforts. I proceeded to individually weigh my (at this point) not quite new shoes on the "Weight Watcher's scale!" At a point toward the end of the process I head a pitched, "what the hell are you doing! We weigh our food on that scale." 

My advice to my fellow 'Ask Andyites', if you ever use your wife's food scale to weigh anything other than food, don't get caught doing so! LOL. 

PS: The right and left shoes weighed 13.8 oz and 13.7oz, respectively!


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

Eagle2250, could you please comment on the color of the pair you purchased? Do they appear the same as the ones in the pictures Ensiferous posted?

I'm in the market for some new burgundy loafers and am interested in this particular pair.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^



Ensiferous said:


> .............


This picture, posted by Ensiferous, is a near perfect depiction of the color of my SAS loafers...more red than brown and absent the purplish plum character of the cordovan hue of my Alden LHS's. I pulled on the LHS's yesterday and wore them most of the day and, at risk of being Cyber-pummeled by our fellow LHS fans, these SAS Pennies were every bit as comfortable and much lighter on the foot as are my LHS's...and that was just out of the box on their first day of wear! Gamma, my friend, I think you will be very happy with them, should you choose to get a pair. Enjoy the hunt. 

PS: If you can find a pair to fit in an SAS brick and mortar location, the Anniversary Pennies can be had for $214 (vs $224 on the SAS website.


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

^ Thank you, sir.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

Bringing back an old thread. I had been interested in trying a pair of these after I couldn't get a good fit with a pair of AE Randolphs (a shoe that used to work for me). 

One issue with these shoes is finding a place to try them on without ordering online. As some of you may know, a big market for SAS shoes in general is the "othoropedic/comfort shoe" market, and not all of the stores that stock SAS shoes stock this loafer.

I did find a shop that had them in stock recently. They were marked down as well, but after trying a few sizes they only had my proper size (10E) in black. Typically I don't buy black shoes too often anymore but since the fit was right, they were very comfortable, and they were on sale (marked down to $150) I ended up getting them. 

For reference I currently wear a 9E in Allen Edmonds Park Avenues and MacNeils, a 10D in New Balance, and a 10D in Red Wing Heritage shoes.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^My friend, you got a great deal on those SAS 40th Anniversary Penny Loafers, at $150. May you long wear them and may you do so only in good health!  I think I will wear mine to Sunday services today.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

Wore them on Monday, very comfortable. I liked them enough that I ordered a burgundy pair that I also found on sale for even less than the black ones. 

SAS also has a "special make up" program, so I inquired about having a pair made up in medium brown. I should know more about whether this is a possibility in a couple days.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^The lure of a bargain is tempting me to pick up a back second pair for myself. Could you disclose your source for these great bargains, member Truth&Rights?


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^The lure of a bargain is tempting me to pick up a back second pair for myself. Could you disclose your source for these great bargains, member Truth&Rights?


I picked up the black pair from a local store. Not sure if they ship but if anyone wants the info let me know via PM.

The Burgundy pair I bought from Amazon through a marketplace seller. I will share my experience with that seller once I have the shoes in hand.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Fair enough!


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

I'm wearing my second discounted pair now. These are the burgundy loafers. They came from a third-party seller called Shoe Station on Amazon Marketplace. The only difference from these and the ones that I bought locally are that these came in a blue box instead of a brown and black box. Inside the blue box Shoe Station was kind enough to include a shoe horn and SAS tote bag. I can't find anything wrong with the loafers so far. These are so much nicer than the cheap junk that Florsheim, Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Bass, Etc. Are selling these days it's not even funny. For about the same price you can get these discounted Texas made SAS loafers that are much better quality and much more comfortable.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
Truth&Rights, may you long enjoy wearing those handsome penny loafers and may you do so only in good health! As said in an earlier post, I may check out the third party seller you reference to pick up a back up pair for the SAS 49th Anniversary Pennies that I have been enjoying. LOL, member Ensiferous may have started a trend here!


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

Here is another update on the SAS 40th loafers. As I may have mentioned, SAS offers a "special make up" option for some of their shoes. You make a request and wait a week or so for a reply on whether they can make up a particular shoe using a different material/color they have on hand. On the 40th Pennies, there is a $35 upcharge for this service, which is not bad at all in my opinion. I'm having a 3rd pair made up in russet brown leather. Turnaround time is supposed to be around 6 weeks.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Having purchased only three pair of SAS shoe designs, I was not aware they would do custom work. Thanks for that very motivational information! SAS shoe are one of those increasingly rare purchases in which we might get greater value than we expected.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Having purchased only three pair of SAS shoe designs, I was not aware they would do custom work. Thanks for that very motivational information! SAS shoe are one of those increasingly rare purchases in which we might get greater value than we expected.


I was told that as long as they have the sole material and leather in stock at their San Antonio factory, they can make the shoes. That means if you wanted say, navy pebble grain leather that is only used on a women's model, you could get that made up in a 40th penny. I also was told that they would not be making the 40th penny forever. No idea on when exactly they would stop making them.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Thanks much for the feedback. :beer:


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## DCR (Apr 6, 2015)

Truth&Rights said:


> Here is another update on the SAS 40th loafers. As I may have mentioned, SAS offers a "special make up" option for some of their shoes. You make a request and wait a week or so for a reply on whether they can make up a particular shoe using a different material/color they have on hand. On the 40th Pennies, there is a $35 upcharge for this service, which is not bad at all in my opinion. I'm having a 3rd pair made up in russet brown leather. Turnaround time is supposed to be around 6 weeks.


So based on this thread I just picked up a pair in cordovan shade and can confirm they run true to size and are very comfortable out of the box. I mentioned to the sales associate that this would be a great shoe to have in a walnut or tan shade. I'm curious to see the color of yours when they arrive.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

Here are my "imperial russet" SAS loafers. The color looks even better in person. These took a bit longer to make than expected, so SAS threw in some shoe trees with my order. Note: FYI how these look on your screen is going to depend on your monitor and settings. I have two different screens in front of me and the pic looks different on each.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

^ oh man, those look great!
excellent choice of leather!!


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## mhj (Oct 27, 2010)

Doctor Damage said:


> ^ oh man, those look great!
> excellent choice of leather!!


I recently bought a pair of SAS pennies on eBay. I think they may be the originals, not the 40th Anniversary edition as they are in the teriyaki glaze finish rather than the flat brown. In any case, as others have said they are amazingly comfortable and well built.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

mhj said:


> I recently bought a pair of SAS pennies on eBay. I think they may be the originals, not the 40th Anniversary edition as they are in the teriyaki glaze finish rather than the flat brown. In any case, as others have said they are amazingly comfortable and well built.


The brown ones I posted were a special order. If you got a pair in some sort of brown they must have been old stock. Currently the shoes are only offered in black and burgundy.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Truth&Rights said:


> Here are my "imperial russet" SAS loafers. The color looks even better in person. These took a bit longer to make than expected, so SAS threw in some shoe trees with my order. Note: FYI how these look on your screen is going to depend on your monitor and settings. I have two different screens in front of me and the pic looks different on each.


Now isn't that just great? Looking at the picture of your imperial russet SAS Loafers, I am for the first time in well over a year, not quite satisfied with my burgundy hued SAS 40th Anniversary Loafers...they remain uber comfortable on the feet, are surprisingly light in weight and have proven durable with fairly heavy wear, but now I've just got to have them in the imperial russet hue! The "green eyed monster" is a difficult master to please! LOL. 

May you long wear those very handsome penny loafers and may you do so only in good health.


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## Truth&Rights (Feb 15, 2018)

eagle2250 said:


> Now isn't that just great? Looking at the picture of your imperial russet SAS Loafers, I am for the first time in well over a year, not quite satisfied with my burgundy hued SAS 40th Anniversary Loafers...they remain uber comfortable on the feet, are surprisingly light in weight and have proven durable with fairly heavy wear, but now I've just got to have them in the imperial russet hue! The "green eyed monster" is a difficult master to please! LOL.
> 
> May you long wear those very handsome penny loafers and may you do so only in good health.


If you do go for it, I think you'll be pleased. I have three pairs of these now, black, burgundy, and the russet. It's hard to for me to find loafers that fit well so that's why I went for these. If I had unlimited money to spend I'd probably order a few more pairs in different colors as well. If you look at the different men's and women's shoes SAS sells, they can make pretty much anything up, provided they have the soles and sheets of leather in stock.


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