Holy Grail of B-3s, the 1937 undyed sheepskin contract!

[Roughwear]

This is a first for me, as I have never owned a pre-War undyed B-3! They are as rare as hens' teeth, especially in the condition of this one.

This beauty came from a collector in Japan. It was made in the 1937 fiscal year under the 37-2063-P contract. I do not know the precise size of the contract, but if the known size of A2 contracts for this period is any guide, between 375 and 500 would be a reasonable guess.

The fleece is remarkably soft and the undyed skin is strong and very supple. It is a really decent size 44 and can be worn, with care as she is an 80 year old lady!

The workmanship is excellent and it is annoying that the maker is unknown. Why they did not put their name on the contract label in 1936-7 really is a mystery. Perhaps the contract labels were made prior to the maker being confirmed.

The jacket really is in an amazing state of preservation, with all the stitching being strong and secure. There is wear to the right cuff, but the hem and the left cuff are pristine. The straps are perfect as are the buckles. I have photographed two ways of using the chest buckle and the United Carr collar snap.

The zip is a M-34 Talon, no.7 and works faultlessly.

Sadly I do not know to whom this B-3 was issued as the name strip has been removed and there are no other clues to ID him.

This is a truly remarkable early B-3 and I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story!

 

[s4rmark]

Beautiful, a true rare gem.

 

[John Lever]

Amazing find Andrew you must be chuffed.

 

[Roughwear]

I am John. The jacket is much better than depicted in the auction pictures.

 

[Silver Surfer]

about as nice as you will ever find anywhere, my man. i have only handled two, and both though looking good, were fragile and quite soiled. yes sir, rare as hens teeth. congrats

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks Vic. This one is remarkably strong with no fragile areas.

 

[PADDY_M]

Just beautiful! Well Done Andrew!! Great start to the year

 

[CBI]

totally WOW and to the perfect new owner - does it fit you????

 

[Roughwear]

It does John. I'll take some wearing pics later in the week, perhaps with the appropriate flight kit!LOL

 

[Roughwear]

BTW. The jacket has had two name strips judging by the empty stitch holes. Despite this, it really has not been worn extensively and must have been well cared for since the War. If only it could speak!

 

[MikeyB-17]

That's in incredible condition for its age. Well played that man! Are you going to pop it down to the dry cleaners?

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks Mike. Yep its off to have some lovely chemical treatment at the cleaners tomorrow.

 

[Steve27752]

Very nice Andrew.

 

[Smithy]

That is absolutely beautiful Andrew. I've always thought those natural, undyed B-3s are the prettiest of all of them. Great nick considering the age, and apart from (the to be expected) small loss of fleece on the cuff from wear, it really has come through the years well.

One question, we've all heard how wartime US sheepskins have a tendency to be on the delicate side over time, but are these early pre-war USAAC versions more robust than the wartime USAAF versions?

Once again, well done, that's definitely a keeper!

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks Tim. From what I understand from around 1942 most of the skins used to make B-3s were more rapidly tanned than the early ones in order to meet demand and as a consequence were more liable to damage. I guess the undyed skin used to make this jacket was correctly tanned and finished. Without the polyacrylate coating the skin absorbs dirt and oil etc., but has remained much more durable.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Probably wouldn't have been the best thing to wear in a good old British rainstorm! Mind you, I would never voluntarily go out in the rain in any sheepskin jacket, but I understand that circumstances were different for the USAAF. I know a few of the undyed versions were worn in England, I've seen pics of one of the 'Bucky's' from the 100th (Egan I think) wearing one.

 

[MikeyB-17]

Yeah it was Bucky Egan.

 

[blackrat2]

Very nice Andrew,remarkable condition for 80!

 

[dmar836]

Andrew, what could be used to clean these jackets? I might clean a B-7 if I knew what to safely use.
Thant's quite a beautiful jacket you have there!
Dave

 

[Roughwear]

Thanks Mike for the picture of what appears to be another B-3 from the same contract.

Dave, cleaning it is something I been wondering about. I would not want to damage it and probably will do nothing. Any suggestions could be interesting and I could try them out on a pair of undyed sheepskin pants I have in poor condition.