# Decoding Allen Edmonds markings



## ButchHusy (Dec 2, 2005)

Which marking refers to what on the inside of the shoes? The model number, last, color & build date are probably in there, but which one is which? Here is what's inside a pair of Sanfords I have

10 C 52974 9
5237 3044 COMB

Obviously 10 C referes to the size and width, but I am stumped on the rest.


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## bigCat (Jun 10, 2005)

This is how much I know (with some guesses):

5237 is the model number (last is 7, 3 is leather type - not uniform across styles, 52 is style).

Based on my shoes: that configuration of markings is found on AE shoes from about 3+ seasons ago. Newer ones have only model, size and some kind of sequence number. AE runs are in thousands, so I would assume 3044 is some sort of sequence (may not start from 0).

The old sequence number (3044) is easy to confuse with model number, new shoes have 000 preceding the number.

COMB may be for combination heel, although I have a very recent pair of shell cordovans with combo heel without the letters. 3 does not seem to be current code for shell cordovan leather.

Number 52974 may also be some sequence number (rather than 3044), but this number is a similar 5 digit number around 50K both for my Park Avenues and Lexingtons as well as those Sanfords, so it's probably not.

9 is probably a check digit.

Newer shoes are simply marked in this style:

10 C 5237
0003044


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## ButchHusy (Dec 2, 2005)

Thanks for the reply!


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## Teacher (Mar 14, 2005)

Hreljan has it right, but the COMB stands for "combination last," meaning the heel is two widths narrower than the forefoot.


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## bigCat (Jun 10, 2005)

How does one get AE to make shoes on combination lasts? Alden lasts are all marked as such.


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## well-kept (May 6, 2006)

The "COMB" marking appears in all of their older shoes. I haven't seen it in any recent production. I don't know if the lasts have changed or just the marking. Anyone know differently?


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## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

I have an older brochure from AE which has pictures of their lasts. Most have a two digit ID number. The brochure states that the fourth digit in the model number refers to a specific last, but is not itself the last number. I see references frequently here that the fourth digit is the last number. Has AE adopted a new system or is my older (1992) brochure correct?


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## JSK (Dec 17, 2005)

I forget who linked to this page, but it's apparent how the last numbering works here. Also gives you a very rough idea of fit.



windsor said:


> I have an older brochure from AE which has pictures of their lasts. Most have a two digit ID number. The brochure states that the fourth digit in the model number refers to a specific last, but is not itself the last number. I see references frequently here that the fourth digit is the last number. Has AE adopted a new system or is my older (1992) brochure correct?


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## Teacher (Mar 14, 2005)

windsor said:


> I have an older brochure from AE which has pictures of their lasts. Most have a two digit ID number. The brochure states that the fourth digit in the model number refers to a specific last, but is not itself the last number. I see references frequently here that the fourth digit is the last number. Has AE adopted a new system or is my older (1992) brochure correct?


There are two ways of looking at it. For most of our own purposes, just using the final digit is fine, as AE generally only has one last with that number at any given time (with exceptions; the Garner and Park Avenue, for instance, were concurrent models on two different "5" lasts). However, for more precision, each of their lasts has a longer number. These numbers are from two to (I think) four digits. Those are the _real_ last numbers.


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## af_schulten (Aug 17, 2020)

I won an auction for a pair of “burgundy cordovan” Grayson loafers size 10.5B, but the rest of the code has me stumped:

10 1/2 B 30949 2
8287 4656

Help please?! i don’t trust most people to know the difference between “cordovan” the colour (e.g. burgundy/oxblood/etc) and “shell cordovan” the material.

Thank you.


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## Woofa (Dec 23, 2014)

8287 is shell cordovan #8 Grayson.

i use google to find

hunters guide to shell cordovan

usually get a quick confirmation there.


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## af_schulten (Aug 17, 2020)

Woofa said:


> 8287 is shell cordovan #8 Grayson.
> 
> i use google to find
> 
> ...


thank you


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