First Original A-2: Russet Perry 16175 in Russet

[JulianK]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been a member here long but I do a decent amount of reading. Thanks to all the great information from you guys and members like @Brettafett @B-Man2 & @mulceber, I was able to find myself a pretty decent original jacket. I have posted some photos below taken by the seller and I won't comment on the details since I don't have nearly as much knowledge as some of you but it's a size 42 in Russet with what appears to be horsehide in very nice condition.

Another note, @Shawn Ali and I are working together to have a pattern made of this bad boy as a Christmas gift to all of you! I'd be happy to help other repro makers as well.

 

[B-Man2]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been a member here long but I do a decent amount of reading. Thanks to all the great information from you guys and members like @Brettafett @B-Man2 & @mulceber, I was able to find myself a pretty decent original jacket. I have posted some photos below taken by the seller and I won't comment on the details since I don't have nearly as much knowledge as some of you but it's a size 42 in Russet with what appears to be horsehide in very nice condition.

Another note, @Shawn Ali and I are working together to have a pattern made of this bad boy as a Christmas gift to all of you!

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Julian
I am in complete awe of this jacket. It’s in mint condition for an original Perry Sportswear A2 . Now ... Having said that let me add that sometimes when something looks this good there may be underlying reasons why that’s the case . In this instance the jacket actually looks too good. I certainly don’t want to diminish your enthusiasm over it but there are certain things that should be part of this jacket that are not there . For instance the zipper looks too clean . Does the hardware and collar hook have any ambergris ( green stuff) ? The collar has no wear or sweat stain around it . The label is shiny and doesn’t look to have much wear . The leather has no high point wear around the cuffs or seams and the elbows which are all prominent points of contact with surfaces when wearing the jacket . The absence of things like this should be the reason to look a little closer at the jacket . Good Wear A2 jackets are so good that years later they can often be mistaken for originals by both the seller and the buyer . I’m not saying that this is the case with this jacket, but the absence of these things are definitely reasons to take a closer look at the jacket .
Cheers

 

[JulianK]

Julian
I am in complete awe of this jacket. It’s in mint condition for a Perry Sportswear A2 . Now ... Having said that let me add that sometimes when something looks this good there may be underlying reasons why that’s the case . In this instance the jacket actually looks too good. I certainly don’t want to diminish your enthusiasm over it but there are certain things that should be part of this jacket that are not there . For instance the zipper looks too clean . Does the hardware and collar hook have any ambergris ( green stuff) ? The collar has vertically no wear or sweat stain around it . The label is shiny and doesn’t look to have much wear . The leather has no high point wear around the cuffs or seams and the elbows which are all prominent points of contact with surfaces when wearing the jacket . The absence of things like this should be the reason to look a little closer at the jacket . Good Wear A2 jackets are so good that years later they can often be mistaken for originals by both the seller and the buyer . I’m not saying that this is the case with this jacket, but the absence of these things are definitely reasons to take a closer look at the jacket .
Cheers

Hey B-Man,

The points you made are all excellent and ones that I had considered. To me, I was under the impression that the hardware may have been replaced at some point in time in addition to potentially the label/liner. Let me see if I can dig up another photo of the label up closer. I did add the photos of wear around the shoulders, elbows, as well as the stitching holes for what appears to be a rank insignia on the epaulet. None of the points I made indicate authenticity, merely speculation on my part.

I appreciate insight from anyone, it's part of the process.

To me, if the shell was the only original part, I would happily wear it regardless. If I otherwise ended up with a worn GW jacket, then serves me right! Although I would not be overly disappointed.

Julian

 

[mulceber]

It'll be pretty apparent as soon as you get it whether the shell is original: check both pockets. If there are indications that there used to be a label indicating what type of leather it is in one of them (or if it's still there), then it's a GW. Originals will just have a tag in one pocket indicating the jacket size.

 

[B-Man2]

Julian
This is actually why this forum is awesome , particularly for questions like this . I by no means consider myself as an authority on anything , and there are a number of people here who are much more knowledgeable than I am about these things , but by the end of the day, others will post their opinions here and with the wealth of collective knowledge we have here , you will have a fairly good idea of what you have . I can assure you of that much

 

[JulianK]

It'll be pretty apparent as soon as you get it whether the shell is original: check both pockets. If there are indications that there used to be a label indicating what type of leather it is in one of them (or if it's still there), then it's a GW.

Clearly a question I should have asked the seller haha, good thinking.

Not sure what the faded "40" means in the liner next to the inspection stamp, doesn't seem like something John would add himself but who knows.

 

[B-Man2]

Clearly a question I should have asked the seller haha, good thinking.

Not sure what the faded "40" means in the liner next to the inspection stamp, doesn't seem like something John would add himself but who knows.

Julian
It’s quite possible that this could be a mint original WWII Perry . As I had mentioned there are a few things that I would want to look at close up to satisfy any questions I might have about it’s authenticity. There definitely are a number of mint original jackets out there in collections for years just sitting around waiting to be sold for big bucks or for the owners to die and be sold off in estate auctions .I have one such jacket that’s in mint condition and it’s a Star A2 . Looks like the original owner was issued the jacket and sent it home to the US the next day. So I know they’re out there . So once this arrives please do take some close ups of different areas of the jacket and post them as this is always interesting to guys like us here on VLJ .
Cheers

 

[JulianK]

Julian
It’s quite possible that this could be a mint original WWII Perry . As I had mentioned there are a few things that I would want to look at close up to satisfy any questions I might have about it’s authenticity. There definitely are a number of mint original jackets out there in collections for years just sitting around waiting to be sold for big bucks or for the owners to die and be sold off in estate auctions .I have one such jacket that’s in mint condition and it’s a Star A2 . Looks like the original owner was issued the jacket and sent it home to the US the next day. So I know they’re out there . So once this arrives please do take some close ups of different areas of the jacket and post them as this is always interesting to guys like us here on VLJ .
Cheers

Unfortunately with all the delays, UPS is saying 2-3 weeks shipping to Canada.... I will take some detailed photos once it arrives of the pockets, zip, hardware, and any other areas of interest. Appreciate the insight from everyone here.

 

[Pilot]

Congrats!
Its a good one if from the Arthur Marsh collection !

 

[JulianK]

Congrats!
Its a good one if from the Arthur Marsh collection !

Yes that's the one!

 

[B-Man2]

Well that’s a big plus in the authenticity column .

 

[JulianK]

Well that’s a big plus in the authenticity column .

I wasn't aware of the significance of the name "Arthur Marsh", googling didn't seem to bring much up?

EDIT: Googling him in connection with the auction house I purchased from brought up a lot of different WWII era items. It's still possible the jacket in question is not an original but adds some provenance and increases the likelihood.

 

[Silver Surfer]

my spidy sense tells me its the real deal, not a repro. damn nice at that, too.

 

[B-Man2]

I wasn't aware of the significance of the name "Arthur Marsh", googling didn't seem to bring much up?

EDIT: Googling him in connection with the auction house I purchased from brought up a lot of different WWII era items. It's still possible the jacket in question is not an original but adds some provenance and increases the likelihood.

I know that he is a collector of WWII militaria and have seen his name in connection with collectibles

 

[JulianK]

my spidy sense tells me its the real deal, not a repro. damn nice at that, too.

Don't get me too excited now.

I know that he is a collector of WWII militaria and have seen his name in connection with collectibles

That's good to know, I'd be curious if he had any information on who our Mr. "A.E Dixon" was. Judging by the stitch holes in the epaulet, looks to be a Lieutenant.

 

[mulceber]

@Nnatalie may the person to ask for information on the pilot.

 

[JulianK]

@Nnatalie may the person to ask for information on the pilot.

Man I love this place... I will make sure to shoot her a PM!

 

[mulceber]

Her. She’s my wife. I recommend her because she’s very good at genealogy, and has an interest in our hobby and vintage stuff more generally.

 

[JulianK]

Her. She’s my wife. I recommend her because she’s very good at genealogy, and has an interest in our hobby and vintage stuff more generally.

Apologies! I made the correction as soon as I realized my mistake. Grateful to have someone like her as part of the forum

 

[mulceber]

No worries! There aren't a lot of women around this board, so ordinarily you would have been on safe ground in assuming male.