• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Any one ike to guess the maker of this A2?

Hawkeye

Member
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.
 

jacketimp

New Member
Hawkeye said:
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.

aero?

edges on aero pockets are more angular from what i know...
 

jacketimp

New Member
Hawkeye said:
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.

would be the irvin as refurbished by elc.........or an elc irvin........can't remember the facts!
 

Hawkeye

Member
jacketimp said:
Hawkeye said:
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.

would be the irvin as refurbished by elc.........or an elc irvin........can't remember the facts!


Original 1942/43 Irvin that Eastman replaced the zips and elastic collar strap on.
 

jacketimp

New Member
Hawkeye said:
jacketimp said:
Hawkeye said:
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.

would be the irvin as refurbished by elc.........or an elc irvin........can't remember the facts!


Original 1942/43 Irvin that Eastman replaced the zips and elastic collar strap on.

yep that's the one!
 

Jason

Active Member
Definitely not a Perry - collar is wrong, pocket flap shape wrong, the hanger is too narrow in height and not wide enough - and not offset sewn like so many Perrys were (a little quirk I've noticed about many Perrys). Plus a Talon zip - never known them to be on a Perry, though nothing to say that the lining, hanger and zip weren't wartime replacements.

My guess: maybe a Werber? Didn't Aero use ring snaps mainly, and triangular stitching not box stitching on the pockets? Thats why I guess the Werber.
 

Roughwear

Well-Known Member
I felt this is no Perry. Most likely a private purchase A2. I emailed the seller and sent him a link to the Perry in Acmedepot. Here's his reply:
Tell you wot Pal you tell will at Aero leather that he was wrong. coz he confirmed it as a Perry.
 

jacketimp

New Member
Hawkeye said:
The pocket flaps remind me of Aero, they seem a bit too pointed for a Perry. Perrys seem to have a rounder, more subtle scallop to them. but other than that I wouldnt have a clue. I bought my Irvin from this guy, hes good to deal with if anyone was thinking about bidding on the jacket.


oh dear after his reply to RW , dunno never dealt with the guy so cavaet emptor, eh?

still glad that you had a good transaction with the seller, hawk!
 

Bluebottle

Member
We'll, I saw this jacket on ebay last week. Didn't fall in love with it, I prefer russet over seal, but it's my size, and looks presentable. And been after an A2 I can wear without worrying too much about damaging a piece of priceless history. (I sold an Irvin recently I bought off Roughwear because I didn't feel comfortable wearing it, just too nice, paranoid about putting a rip in it :roll: )

I'm an absolute novice when it comes to a2's. Been doing a bit of homework though, and wanted one for several years. A couple of things make me unsure about this jacket. The main thing is the lack of a label, but the rest of the jacket is in such good condition? Which makes me think it's removal has been deliberate. Then all the snaps are bright metal. Is this common? I'd have though they'd be dull? And the zip looks new, along with the hanger... replaced by Aero when they did the knits perhaps? My main worry was this could be a very well aged repro? But the leather wear looks original to my untrained eyes?

A lot of questions!

Anyway, all this made me think long and hard about putting a bid in, and I backed down several times before I clicked 'commit', then only a few quid over the start price, and not enough to win. I was relieved! Anyway this morning the winning bidder backed down and I've been given a second chance offer... I guess the best option is to take it, and see the jacket for myself! I'll make sure I get the option to return it if I'm not happy, and post better pictures up here. I would hope it's a period private purchase job? It has similarities to the W535-AC-23383, but the collar stand is different...

Cheers
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Bluebottle:
Been doing a bit of homework though, and wanted one for several years. A couple of things make me unsure about this jacket. The main thing is the lack of a label, but the rest of the jacket is in such good condition? Which makes me think it's removal has been deliberate. Then all the snaps are bright metal. Is this common? I'd have though they'd be dull? And the zip looks new, along with the hanger... replaced by Aero when they did the knits perhaps? My main worry was this could be a very well aged repro? But the leather wear looks original to my untrained eyes?
You did your homework well! All good points you bring up. After consulting with an expert I know I think this is simply a 40s civilian A-2 type jacket. I've seen a couple of civilian A-2s which were pretty much exactly like an A-2 but made out of weird seal leather and with a slightly different cut. I think this is one too.
 

Bluebottle

Member
Thanks Rotenhahn, I think this being a civilian jacket is a safe bet. I replied to the seller stating all of my suspicions to him, and got a polite reply back from him saying another collector had also been in touch saying it could be a private contract as well... (I'm guessing by his reply to this collector that RW caught him on a bad day! :twisted: )
Anyway, I've agreed to take it, as long as I can return it if I'm not happy with it. It still looks like a fairly faithful copy of an A2 jacket, in good condition, for a fair price. I'd love an original looking 'A2' I can wear without feeling too guilty and this could be a good compromise.

I'll post pictures up when it arrives next week :cool:

Also, I've heard 'Private Purchase' banded around quite a lot. Which I think is just a civilian item purchased by a serviceman? I'm guessing the real market for these jacket was the civilian one though, rather than military? (Why buy a jacket that you'd be issued with anyway?)
Is there much info out there on these jackets? Were they made by the same companies that supplied the military?
 

Bluebottle

Member
Peter Graham said:
Bluebottle, very nice jacket. Here's a civilian A-2 I recently bought.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1383 .It's a great jacket bar the paintwork on the back but John Lever has sent me some stuff that will hopefully remove it.

Cheers Peter, I clocked yours when I did a search on here under 'civilian'.
$30! :shock: You jammy bugger ;) :cool:
What's going on with the back? Has someone tried to mask the white paint with a marker pen? Good luck with the removal.

Well, my wife has just informed me a 'big squishy parcel' has arrived at home, much earlier than I expected, (But for £20 UK postage you'd expect a very good service!) so I'll have better pics up this weekend all being well.
 

Bluebottle

Member
Well here it is...
jacket.jpg


Colour and grain. Condition of the leather is excellent, very supple as well. No Pecards needed here! A fairly heavy and thick hide. Colour in photo is accurate, a dark seal with a red tint.
leathergraincolour.jpg


Pocket details. Odd the pocket flap is 1/4 inch oversize! (The other side flap is fine)
rightpocketshut.jpg


rightpocketopen.jpg
 

Bluebottle

Member
More details...

The epaulettes. The stitching here has come apart in several places, making one side baloon up. I'm hoping simply re-stitching will cure it.
epaulette.jpg


Collar snaps. RAU F.CO PROV. R.I.
collarsnaps.jpg


Collar stand and latch
collarstand.jpg


Hanger and liner. Hanger looks brand new, maybe an Aero add-on.
hanger.jpg


Talon zipper, with a tan tape. Looks original to the jacket.
CivvieA2038.jpg
 

Bluebottle

Member
And finally, the happy customer...(Well I'm smiling inside :roll:)

CivvieA2010.jpg


This is where my photography skills, or lack of them, show I'm afraid. But I wanted to show the fit of the jacket.

CivvieA2016.jpg


I'm pretty chuffed with it. A few small niggles. Already mentioned the epaulettes, but nothing thats difficult to fix. Also the ends of the sleeves are bigger than I expected, and maybe an inch long on me. The jacket feels slightly 'roomy', but with the zip all the way up the chest is snug on me. A good fit for a vintage jacket though and overall I'm very pleased with the fit and the look.

CivvieA2027.jpg


A good addition to the stable :cool: Any input into a maker appreciated.
 

Tim P

Well-Known Member
It looks good and thankfully has been identified for what it is. looks good and period.

what is a little disconcerting is that someone 'in the game' identified it as a Perry issue.
 
Top