Repro 1930s USN flight jacket

[deeb7]

Unbelievable ... :shock:

 

[SuinBruin]

We should have a thread on our best eBay pulls. In 2009 I took a flyer on a vintage-looking USN submarine badge from a UK seller with fuzzy photos and clearly no experience in dealing with U.S. dolphins... I was the only bidder and got it for about $25. Turns out it is a genuine Australian-made example from ca. 1942, and the only other one I've seen offered went for about $900.

I wonder what an original 37J1 would go for, though. I'm guessing a few thousand...?

 

[bazelot]

It is indeed unbelievable. I am still kicking myself. John got an amazing deal!!

 

[zoomer]

Somehow I doubt this is the John who lives just north of Seattle and makes copies of vintage 1940s(sic) jackets. Fate is seldom so kind.

And the only thing wrong with the listing was one digit - the number was 37JI instead of 37J1.
Had the seller only known - since there was no way you could figure it out from the label! - he could now have $2,000 in his pocket.

 

[zoomer]

About the Michael A. Zielinski Co., there is almost nothing on Google, except that they were located in Trenton, New Jersey, and nearly went belly up in 1962. They had a government contract for 150,000 pants liners at the time, but couldn't meet delivery time or budget because the feds supplied such crappy old fabric.

 

[deeb7]

About the Michael A. Zielinski Co., there is almost nothing on Google ...

As you know, info on the early USN garments is so sketchy, and Full Gear hasn't noted this 37J1 contract. The book does list a 1933 Zielinski contract for the 37S3 suit, so this would be from the same time.

The only other contracts listed are for Summer flying suits in 1958.

 

[Peter Graham]

Nice jacket Tom, but not as nice as the $94 ebay one. Fantastic. I never knew they existed. Did anyone notice the chick in the ebay auction ? She's stunning. Did someone say BR made these ?

 

[Grant]

Yeah, Buzz offered them in the recent past. They were always sold out by the time I heard about them.

 

[zoomer]

That - and they were expressly not intended for anyone needing size 44 or larger.

 

[deeb7]

I never knew they existed ... Did someone say BR made these ?

Buzz have made them more than once ... also RMJ. Miles has offered several here in smaller sizes, so maybe he can find more ...

 

[ausreenactor]

I have a 42 Buzz 37J1 here...it is a keeper though. VERY snug in the arms??

Couchy

 

[asiamiles]

I never knew they existed ... Did someone say BR made these ?

Buzz have made them more than once ... also RMJ. Miles has offered several here in smaller sizes, so maybe he can find more ...

They come up occasionally, make that very occasionally, on the secondary market. The strength of the Yen though is taking jackets that I used to be able to take a punt on (ie. if I didn't want to keep them I could usually resell them for at least what I paid for them) out of my reach. I still have one of these in my possession, but for the time being at least, that's where it's staying unless I get an offer that's too good to turn down.

Peter, if you're interested, I'd be happy to keep my eyes open for one of these for you.

 

[zoomer]

post deleted...repeating myself :x $%!!&!!