Interesting MA-1 copy

[watchmanjimg]

I ran across this unusual jacket while searching eBay and thought I'd post it in case anyone is interested. It may well be a period-worn jacket, but it's not GI issue. My guess is that it was made in a tailor shop in Korea or some other Asian country. In any case the patches are great and it appears to sport a "peg-tooth" Crown main zipper:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-Vintage-MA ... 58b63a4ca9

 

[Peter Graham]

"Jacket Aircrew Peavy" indeed. Well spotted Jim. I can understand theatre made jackets but to replicate labels (badly) seems mad, but it looks like that is the case here. I'd quite like that jacket. Pity it's stupid money, or maybe not, for the collector of such oddities ?

 

[watchmanjimg]

Peter, I'm inclined to think this one was worn in service but the price is tough to swallow. Considering what I've paid for some of my rarer sage examples I'd have a hard time justifying this, even in my size. Damn nice piece though.

 

[Rutger]

To me, it looks like a jacket that has been produced in larger quantities, given the industrial quality of the (double) stitching (including bar tacks and all) and the fact that it does have a tag that is quite similar to the original type of tag. The text on the tag combines the description of the N-series with the spec of the MA-1 which is quite comparable to many of civvy copies that have similar wording with its usual mistakes. I have a bit of a hard time someone would go through the trouble of having a tag specially made for his personal jacket and then with the wrong combination.
Maybe just maybe there's another tag inside the pockets.

 

[watchmanjimg]

To me, it looks like a jacket that has been produced in larger quantities, given the industrial quality of the (double) stitching (including bar tacks and all) and the fact that it does have a tag that is quite similar to the original type of tag. The text on the tag combines the description of the N-series with the spec of the MA-1 which is quite comparable to many of civvy copies that have similar wording with its usual mistakes. I have a bit of a hard time someone would go through the trouble of having a tag specially made for his personal jacket and then with the wrong combination.
Maybe just maybe there's another tag inside the pockets.

Rutger, I understand your point but we have to remember that the likely country of origin of this jacket (I'm betting Japan or Korea) would already have been a major supplier of manufactured goods at the time this jacket was produced. Thus, the industrial-grade workmanship comes as no surprise. If the label doesn't convince you, look at the green hanger loop and oxygen mask tab--neither of which is correct for an orange-lined jacket.

Ultimately there are too many telltale signs to explain away.

 

[Rutger]

All those (and other) mistaken details are actually my point that this wouldn't be a taylored jacket but rather an in larger quantities produced jacket by Japanese or Koreans who often show the mistakes that we see here, more so to be expected in older jackets from say thirty years ago.
Tayloring a one-off MA-1 would (by my definition of tayloring, which could be wrong) require determining the correct cut of all inside and outside panels, all lining panels, the inner and outer pockets and the (layered) pencil pocket etc.
That would be a rather expensive jacket, and if going through that sort of trouble I wouldn't want a misspelled label, an oxy tab of the wrong material and inner pockets that are not aligned like those on originals.