ORIGINAL WWII POUGHKEEPSIE LEATHER COAT CO. INC W535-AC-28560 TYPE A-2

[Silver Surfer]

after all of the "smooth hide. grainy hide" yak, yak, its interesting to see that most of the hides on this pookie are of the smoother type. we forget that once upon a time, smooth hides were the preferred choice.

 

[B-Man2]

Most if not all of the original WWII A2 hides were smooth . Graining was the result of several years of hard wear in all types of climates . The grained hides being offered these days are processed to bring out the grain thereby duplicating in short time a look that took years to develop naturally .

 

[Silver Surfer]

not. some originals were smooth, and still are. of the many pix of originals in vlj threads showing originals during the war, many can be seen very new and grainy, while others, smooth. I do concur that todays repro makers are using processed hides to make or bring out graininess.

 

[ZuZu]

Most if not all of the original WWII A2 hides were smooth . Graining was the result of several years of hard wear in all types of climates . The grained hides being offered these days are processed to bring out the grain thereby duplicating in short time a look that took years to develop naturally .

I think wear bringing out grain is a bit of a Great Legend. WW2 leather because of various factors of which the No.1 is that it wasn't fucked with to an inch of its life was pretty much of very high dense quality- supple etc. etc. I don't think grain was much of an issue although I do agree that very very grainy leather was probably used last. Grain is innate- maybe you can't see it at first but it's there.

All that being said- NO jackets were as smooth as the "bespoke" bizarre Eastmans of the late 90s early 2000s. You could wear those 100 years and no grain would appear...

 

[blackrat2]

Agreed with some bits of the above, watched The War Lover yesterday and some of the closeups of the A2’s show an almost goat like appearance and certainly some heavy graining/wrinkles
It was noticeable also that some of the jackets appeared to be nylon and lot of US airforce transfers, I assume depot redye jackets were used with post war transfers?!
Smithy ya won’t be disappointed with the Poughkeepsie from John

 

[blackrat2]

Now not sure what transfers I saw, doh!!,but they are on there in some of the shots of the guys in A2’s and certainly some nylon jackets in the briefing scene for the final raid

 

[Chandler]

Agreed with some bits of the above, watched The War Lover yesterday and some of the closeups of the A2’s show an almost goat like appearance and certainly some heavy graining/wrinkles

The War Lover -- 1962. Those jackets probably weren't exactly "new."

 

[Lorenzo_l]

My original Poughkeepsie's hides are remarkably smooth as well. It feels nothing like my repro's horsehide and feels more like cowhide to me. Interestingly enough, Gary's A-2 book suggests their Poughkeepsie to be made of cowhide, based on visual appraisal. I wonder whether the jacket being smooth has to do with it *possibly* being made out of cowhide?

 

[YoungMedic]

Since we’re on the subject of hide and grain, here’s a comparison of my 5* Poughkeepsie in cowhide and Jorge’s beautiful original

 

[B-Man2]

Nice comparison photos Tim. After a few years of wear that color difference should begin to look like the original .

 

[P2725TMB]

For what its worth, I thought I might contribute about the 'grain' discussion.

I recently acquired a Monarch A-2 from Vic Silver Surfer. Apart from the fact it is a very wearable original, the contrast in leather grain is remarkable. The back panel has very fine grain indeed, whereas the front panels are more mid grain. The sleeves vary, but have some of the coarsest texture I've seen. I wonder what the leather looked like when the jacket was new in 1942, how much the coarser grain stood out then? It certainly has amazing character now! All the leather is buttery smooth to the touch and the jacket is a joy to wear.

 

[MaydayWei]

Let's not hijack @Jorgeenriqueaguilera 's thread.
Time travel is a wonderous thing.
Wear another amazing stunner in good health, my friend!

 

[JonnyCrow]

After several attempts searching for my perfect A-2, finally, I think I have found one that checks all the boxes. This example is 1 of 50,000 made by Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co. under contract No. W535-AC-28560 in fiscal year, 1942.

The condition of this jacket is amazing, considering it is over 80 years old. All parts are original to the jacket.

The leather is supple and has developed an amazing patina during action, it does have that "been there, done that" look.

Knits are solid, which is very rare after 8 decades.

The pale tan lining is mint and has the AN stamp from inspection.

The contract label is intact.

Talon zipper is solid and works perfectly.

Needless to say, finding A-2's in this condition is becoming more and more rare and being size 42, makes it a perfect fit for me.

That being said, enjoy it guys!

Regards,
Jorge

TRADEAJACKET on Instagram: "After several attempts searching for my perfect A-2, finally, I think I have found one that checks all the boxes. This example is 1 of 50,000 made by Poughkeepsie Leather Coat Co. under contract No. W535-AC-28560 in fiscal

11 Likes, 0 Comments - TRADEAJACKET (@tradeajacket) on Instagram: "After several attempts searching for my perfect A-2, finally, I think I have found one that check..."

www.instagram.com

View attachment 99599View attachment 99601View attachment 99603View attachment 99605View attachment 99607View attachment 99609

Lovely jacket, I love that golden stitching