Brill Bros contract chocolate colored G-1

[NickG]

I just won this auction today for a Navy contract (decribed as Vietnam era) Brill Bros G-1.
It needs some work like, new knits but I got it for the starting bid of $79 bucks, so I think I did OK.
The leather looks good (cow?) and I love the non-traditional color!
(+ $10 bucks shipping... so $89 delivered...... and its a decent size (46).

I was drawn to it because of the rich chocolate color. I wonder if its even goat? Is that a rare color? Navy color even?
Is it an "E" contract? Vietnam era for sure? or later?
And is it possibly a Brill Bros contract overrun?
Note it has a factory added instructions/care label...so for the civilian market?

Its not in hand yet of course so I can't judge the quality yet...
but I did read on VLJ that some batches of E series white labeled Brill Bros. made jackets
have poor "cardboard-like" quality stiff leather...
So most likely not goat, but a treated cow hide...Wonder what this one is!
For $80 still worth taking a chance on, I think! Not in hand yet but I'm pleased!

Also is this color rare? Reminds me of an AN-6552 jacket (Army-Navy joint jacket), as these often came in a more "Army Aircorps" colored chocolate brown.

The auction was described as follows:

Original Vintage G1 Flyers Leather jacket in overall Good condition for age, Manufactured by Brill Bros., size is 46, tag is complete on back and readable, number mil-j-7823e 8415-268-7802 has U.S.N. marking on interior closure flap, Leather, collar and lining are in Very Good condition, elastic sleeves and bottom have some overall tearing and holes and show use. Leather is supple and wearable if desired, has some minor scratches and use areas. Zipper works but is tight from not being used.

 

[deeb7]

And is it possibly a Brill Bros contract overrun?
Note it has a factory added instructions/care label...so for the civilian market?

Maybe ... is the contract number (DSA) absent, or covered over by the care label?

Good colour ...

 

[CBI]

good catch - nice color

 

[NickG]

CBI: Yeah a great color...I'm an Air Corps fan!
Even better if it had come with a golden colored fur collar "AN6552" style!
Not too fond of that USN dark goat color you always come across...

David: Yes DSA is definately covered up with care instructions tag...
I'll probably remove that when its in hand!

 

[deeb7]

David: Yes DSA is definately covered up with care instructions tag...
I'll probably remove that when its in hand!

So that will give you the date, and if they covered it, I guess it was an overrun sold on the civilian market.

Good that it has the punched USN, and they didn't chop off the wind flap.

 

[NickG]

Removing the wind flap would have ruined it...but I guess it would be an effective way to demiliterize it! but why bother with so many repros having that information reproduced!

I read this on Fedora Lounge:
Fairly recently I came across G-1 in a large sized 46 with generous proportions. This jacket was a D model made by Brill. According to the nomenclature on it's label it appeared to have been made in 1970.

Besides being nearly in nearly unworn condition it was an extremely heavy jacket. The collar was a very dark brown mouton which was in fact faux material. Because of what I considered to be extra heavy jacket I often wondered if the jacket was cow or goathide. Later, while going over the jacket I discovered a hang tag in one of the pockets. That tag read "Made of Genuine Steerhide

I wonder if mine is steer (cow), far heavier and stiffer (harder to break in) compared with goat! I'll report on that when it comes in!

 

[NickG]

Well it is steer-hide after all. I'm answering my own question!
I found an old ebay auction from January which offered a twin of my coat,
another white label Brill which was described as steer-hide and has the same distinct brown color! Same batch for sure!

Note full tag on this one...not partially overlabeled with "civi" care tag, like mine!
Note blue outline where the care tag appears in earlier post,
intentionally covering up the contract number (DSA)...

This one sold in the UK in January for 84pounds and its a "Japanese" size...
I paid not even that in US dollars, delivered. Got very lucky!

 

[Atticus]

I think your jacket may have been sold at a PX aboard some military base. I would guess that it was made just after the "G-1 blackout" which was from 1977 until 1982. My opinion is based on having lived in Jacksonville, N.C. from '82 until '89 where I saw many white-tag G-1s such as yours sold at the Camp Lejuene Mainside PX. They were somewhat unique in that they were all that reddish color and bore civilian tags.

Interestingly enough, in those days civilians who knew someone in the military with PX privileges (and everyone did), could buy and proudly wear G-1s....but aircrew out at New River MCAS couldn't get G-1s from supply and, if they already had them, couldn't wear them except in very narrowly defined circumstances.

AF

 

[sixties.nut]

Atticus, what was this "G-1 blackout" since I got out in 77 I missed it. At both places Kaneohe and Cherry Point, they absconded my jackets back. Even after much effort and elbow grease to "steal them fair and square." As I had mentioned on the FL forum, at the time I considered the issued jackets to be knock offs themselves. Both were flimsy/chinsy made and offered little in the way of warmth.

At Cherry Point you couldn't even wear the jacket to the mess hall or mainside in general, unless of course you dined at the roach coach deli.

At Kaneohe it didn't much matter where you wore it but then again, you only needed it until nine a.m. unless you were at Pohakuloa were we wore field jackets and sleeping bags (an anything else we could get our hands on).

Regards,
Mike

 

[Atticus]

Mike, I'm not sure as to the reason, but the Navy took the G-1 out of the supply system in 1978 and severely restricted when and where you could wear your G-1 if you already had one. This lasted until 1982 or 1983 when, Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman caused the Navy to reintroduce the G-1...but only to qualified flight crew.

Dave Parsons (Hey Joe, on this site) writes about it in his book, Hell Bent For Leather. I'm pretty sure Dave was a naval aviator during this period that he now refers to as the "flight jacket wars".

AF

 

[Curahee]

Iteresting post Nick, the colour is not rare I have seen plenty of other jackets like Ralph Edwards with the same colour. It has a white spec label so it's an E series and the E series was introduced in 1971 so it could be from the Vietnam era. About the overrun, I assume you have read my post and I have the same questions.

The quality of my Brill G-1 is excellent it's just a very well made jacket and up to USN standards I think. The only thing that's missing is goatskin instead of steerhide. The colour on mine is standard USN dark seal and it has had an goatskin embossing finish wich I don't particulary like and the zipper is an IDEAL instead of a SCOVILL. But all and all it's a nice jacket.

But still why and how these jackets ended up like this, is strange indeed. Most of them in unussed condition like mine, all made to USN specs and all made from steerhide and some embossed others not etc etc.

 

[Curahee]

Mike, I'm not sure as to the reason, but the Navy took the G-1 out of the supply system in 1978 and severely restricted when and where you could wear your G-1 if you already had one. This lasted until 1982 or 1983 when, Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman caused the Navy to reintroduce the G-1...but only to qualified flight crew.

Dave Parsons (Hey Joe, on this site) writes about it in his book, Hell Bent For Leather. I'm pretty sure Dave was a naval aviator during this period that he now refers to as the "flight jacket wars".

AF

Do you know why they severely restricted the wearing of the G-1 ? (don't own a copy of Hell Bent For Leather)

 

[Atticus]

Do you know why they severely restricted the wearing of the G-1 ? (don't own a copy of Hell Bent For Leather)

I've no idea beyond what Dave discusses in his book. I do recall hearing that the restrictions were enforced to a greater or lesser degree depending on the feelings of the individual base C/O.

AF

 

[airfrogusmc]

We were not allowed to wear or G-1s/flight jackets out in town or our utilities but we could wear our utilities to and from work but not out flight jackets. We would wear them to about a block before the front gate and throw them on the floor then put them on again a block or so away. This was New River in the early to mid 1970s. We were not allowed to were them out in town at all.

 

[Atticus]

I'm not at home so that I can look at my copy of Hell Bent, but google tells me that the discussion we are interested in occurs at pages 99-102.

I notice that Dave hasn't yet posted on this version of VLJ, though he's registered here. He used to post a bit on an older version of this forum...about the time we were in the Skeeter Crisis, as I recall.

AF

 

[sixties.nut]

NickG, I was curious as to why your jacket looked much better than the ones issued to me almost twenty five years ago. Then I re-read you original comments. Steerhide, looks like it'll hold up much better and since you live on the west coast it should provide more comfort in the months where you will need to wear a jacket. That was indeed a great purchase. Enjoy it for many years Bubba!

Atticus, thanks for the information as I suspected that the directive had some small part to play in the reasons these jackets are pretty hard to find. That and the fact so many people admire them in addition. Being relatively new to searching for one again I'm amazed at how many different companies made them and how some are more coveted than others.

Just like any other collectable I imagine, especially so when you can tie some history to them.

Many Thanks Fella's !

 

[airfrogusmc]

sixties.nut
Actually goatskin is much more durable than cow and there are old M 422a 70 years old that the goatskin is still incredible on.

 

[Curahee]

Goat just rocks man forget horsehide,steerhide or what have you. And it has one more benefit it's the most waterproof of all these leathers and the reason the USN used it for their G-1 jackets, wich of course are by far superior to lets say an A-2

 

[chancerider]

My ca. 1960 G-1 of unknown -- or at least unverifiable -- lineage is the same color...chocolate, not seal, and I have seen a couple of pics of Korean conflict aviators sporting jackets of a similar color.

 

[NickG]

I guess the chocolate color is more common than I thought...
The majority of the repro G-1's on the other hand have the traditional darker color, which I am so used to seeing.

OK the coat has arrived and I can inspect it now! This is what I found:
If you lift the edge of the factory added civi "leather care" tag you can still read the DSA contract code on the mil-spec tag
(which this "civi care" tag partially blocked...=last line).
They actually made an attempt to blacken the code out with a black marker (like we've seen on the black mil-spec tags)
and than cover it up with the "care" tag, but its still very much visible and readible if you peel back the other tag...
It revealed a '72 date on this garment, which is exactly what you would expect with a white tag G-1.

Conclusion : factory overrun military contract garment with (now hidden) DSA code and modified for (civi) "PX" sales...

Its a nice flyers jacket, definately steer (cow) hide as opposed to the traditional G-1 goat skin (or cardboard-like equivalent of that...as often found in certain late "E" contract G-1's).
The steerhide is not too stiff and broken in and as suspected been treated with rollers to give it that pebbled look of conventional goat.
No doubt its stiffer than goat, but broken in moo-hide is very comfortable and I am pleased with the coat even though the leather is not the highest quality out there...
which figures... its a G'ment contracted piece...and it does need the knits replaced which is no big deal...as I have little money in it so far ($79).