Original Luftwaffe Leather jacket

[FtrPlt]

Nice example of an actual issue Luftwaffe jacket -- aka this is the late war "jet-jacket"L
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150677050308

 

[John Lever]

Yes, it's been on my Watch list since it was listed. I wonder if exposure to light causes the unusual colouration of the collar ?
Purple hardly seems appropriate.

 

[Dr H]

Blimey, the real thing after so many bicycle jackets...

John, I imagine that it is UV exposure that has bleached the collar and changed the colour dye. Gradual oxidation would possibly induces changes in the chemical structure (increases the number of alternating C-C=C- bonds and therefore conjugation, which shifts the absorption peak towards the red end of the spectrum - think b-caroetene in carrots). If it started out more blue/grey then purple might well happen. You sometimes see it in older black inks, which can become purple over time/exposure.

Cheers

Ian

 

[asiamiles]

Yes, it's been on my Watch list since it was listed.

Is it not too small for you, John? The seller doesn't give a chest size but the shoulder measurement would suggest maybe a 40 or 42?

 

[John Lever]

Yes, it's been on my Watch list since it was listed.

Is it not too small for you, John? The seller doesn't give a chest size but the shoulder measurement would suggest maybe a 40 or 42?

I would never buy it, just curious how much it will sell for, usually well over $1000

 

[asiamiles]

I would never buy it

Why's that? The zero feedback of the seller may keep the price down.

 

[John Lever]

I had one, a repro, the style looks OK until you put it on.

 

[Dr H]

Yes, I can imagine that (at the risk of offending the RW wearers) the wide collar doesn't sit particularly well in use.

 

[RCSignals]

It really resembles a style of woman's coat, especially with that collar. (less the sleeve zips of course)


and

Her husband was a WW2 jet fighter in the Canadian Air Force

What?

 

[John Lever]

It really resembles a style of woman's coat, especially with that collar. (less the sleeve zips of course)


and

Her husband was a WW2 jet fighter in the Canadian Air Force

What?

Gloucester Meteor ?

 

[m444uk]

Her husband was a WW2 jet fighter in the Canadian Air Force

What?

It's possible. The RCAF had a F3 in 1945

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor

 

[m444uk]

Yes, it's been on my Watch list since it was listed. I wonder if exposure to light causes the unusual colouration of the collar ?
Purple hardly seems appropriate.

I can't recall ever seeing a period colour photo.
The jackets seen here are grey, brown and black leather all with darkish collars.

 

[RCSignals]

Her husband was a WW2 jet fighter in the Canadian Air Force

What?

It's possible. The RCAF had a F3 in 1945

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor

I guess it depends when in 1945, but it gives the impression these were not WW2 operational for the RCAF

Royal Canadian Air Force — from 1945 to 1950, one Meteor III and Meteor T.7 were used for tests and evaluation by the RCAF.

Never the less if the story of the Canadian pilot is true he would be one of a few and more detail would be a great provenance for the jacket.

 

[deeb7]

Winning bid: C $1,726.00 ... Approximately US $1,711.62

 

[FtrPlt]

An average price for one of these. Nice to see a real jacket, for a change.

About the collar: color shift seems to be an issue for most Luftwaffe items. Probably the dye but also UV exposure. I have a sheepskin channel jacket and trousers that were bring-backs. The jacket was worn -- both operationally by the pilot who captured it and postwar as a winter yard jacket. The blue-grey sheepskin is more a purple-hued brown now. The trousers -- which have never been worn -- are still close to their original blue-grey color.

The jet jacket very likely had either a blue or black collar which has turned purple over the decades.

 

[Dr H]

[quote="FtrPlt"
About the collar: color shift seems to be an issue for most Luftwaffe items. Probably the dye but also UV exposure.
The jet jacket very likely had either a blue or black collar which has turned purple over the decades.[/quote]

That was my point: the dye used was not sufficiently stable to UV and aerial oxidation...They were using a lot of azo dyes and related aromatics in the 30s.

 

[John Lever]

Have a look at this -
http://www.ebay.de/itm/2-WK-2-Luftwaffe ... 336d7af5a8

 

[Peter Graham]

John, that's really nice. Is there something that makes you think that it's not just another bike jacket ?

 

[John Lever]

It's a Hartmann pattern and looks quite old, so it fits the bill I suppose. Whether or not it's 70 years old is another matter.