"Lucky Dice" zipper pulls

[WBOONE]

I'm thinking about making up a set of "lucky dice" zipper pulls to use on a A2 and Aero B3 jacket and was wondering how many on here have them. I see them online for $35 but can get a vintage pair of dice and make up a set for about a 3rd of that. anyone know some history on the use of these in WW2? when did they start showing up? How prevalent where they in the war? Where they actually considered to be 'lucky" like a rabbits foot or where they considered to be more of a ornament? Anyone on here buy a original jacket that still had the dice on the zipper?

 

[Bombing IP]

I have personally never seen this on an A-2 jacket .One of the previous members here used to make them up ,and yes they are a good money maker !. Bomb pins tags ,Capri bells ,whistles and rabbits foot yes , dice I think are fantasy items more in line with the 1950s . Or maybe I am wrong lets see what other members say .

BIP

 

[CBI]

I didn't like the way mine stuck out from the zipper and pushed out the zipper flap.

 

[Garylafortuna]

Eastman uses them on their Roadstar motorcycle jackets, but they are attached to one of the pocket zippers, not the main one. They are also a little smaller than regulation dice.
The holes are drilled from the one dot through to the six on both dice. Perhaps not period correct but who cares. A very cool look. The Fonz would approve.

 

[colekwok]

I have one (more like a pair), hooked to my main zipper (which I rarely zip up). It 'spices up' to my plain A-2 a little bit. But I agree with the price, if I had the tools, I would easily make them. You just need a clamp to hold the dice and drill it right through.

As for whether it is historic, I suspect it came from the bikers rather than the flying boys. Or it was inspired by the 506PIR patch?

 

[Cocker]

Not a bad look, but as other stated, not sure it's period correct. I personally dig the chinese lucky coin better.

 

[WBOONE]

yea i can see this being more of a biker thing than a ww2 era aviators. I'm sure a lot of bikers in the 50's and 60's were WW2 vets that probably "re-purposed" their issued A2's to a biker jacket. Even though we at this late date revere those historical original A2's with all that great art work on the back and handmade painted leather patches and bid thousands for them and display them with pride, I can also imagine a whole lot of young wifes/girlfriends that took one look at those leather jackets with the buxom babe straddling a bomb painted on the back and told their boyfriend/husband.." your not wearing that thing out of this house"!!! so into storage for the next 70 years it went while they took them to JC Pennys or Montgomery Wards store to buy them a decent and presentable jacket. If they only knew,

 

[Bombing IP]

If any game thing was more prevalent it was the 8 ball , but this surfaced as a painted thing . For me the dice was a car thing of the 50s and furry at that . Yes Cocker was right about the Chinese coin with the square hole in the center . If any thing the zipper pull came about because the pulls them selves were so small on an A2 and unfriendly when wearing gloves . The G1 and the MA1 have much bigger pulls .I know some jackets had leather looped thought the pull but how long would of that lasted ? . Dice I don't think so ! .

BIP

 

[Smithy]

Anyone wants them done, send them to me. I'll whack them in the vice in the shed and the old Black and Decker will do the rest I'm even going to undercut the market too, just 20 bucks plus p&p and I even take Diners and Amex...

 

[Bombing IP]

WBOONE if you want to make up your own pull how about this ,I have had it for many years .Pay pal me $2.50 for the postage and I will send it to you .it has an 8 on both sides .I think this would look cooler than the dice ,get a 44th BG patch and your all set .


BIP

 

[Garylafortuna]

Anybody who can say with any degree of certainty that dice were or were not ever attached to the zipper pull of an A-2 jacket before and during the WW2 period is suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. But I have it on high authority that seven out of ten airmen in WW2 carried dice in the pocket of their A-2. As for Chinese coins; one of my A-2 repros came with no less than three attached to the leather zipper pull tab, but they all have round holes. If this means that good luck is a matter of degrees, and the square holes represent a higher degree of good luck, then it is quite obvious, I need to make a change. Somebody help me. That is one sweet looking 8 Ball BIP, getting pretty close to regulation size there.

 

[Bombing IP]

WBOONE if you want the 8 ball PM me ,if I do not hear from you in a week the deal is available to anyone on the forum $2.50 to your door .

BIP

 

[Stony]

My cat stole the pair I bought from someone on the forums years ago, but I just made my own and it worked out great. Cost? About $3 and 10 minutes of my time.

 

[Treetopflyer]

Are there any photos from WWII or Korea that show dice on zippers? I've seen coins, bells, bomb pins, etc. but never dice.

 

[bazelot]

I have 3 Navy flight helmets with lucky dice dangling from one of the earcups and they are definitely original to those helmets. One of them even has a rabbit's foot stitched to the top, no need to say it is a bit desiccated now...