Patches stripped off jacket

[Corey]

Check out auction 190333478737, but I warn you it's not pretty. '63 Ralph Edwards 7823B sz 46 that had gorgeous patches removed. What a shame. But it just goes to show you the difference in priorities amongst collectors.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1963-SIZE-46-NA...in_0?hash=item2c50c26751&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Corey]

And from the questions...ouch!

Q: What is the length of this jacket (collar seam to bottom) Sep-08-09

A: hi, thanks for asking... That is 26 inches exactly... the jacket is big and roomy... Other sizes that were given, are: Armpit to pit across is 50 inches. From the two points where the shoulder seam meets the "figurative tip of where any epaulet seam corner would be" is 20 inches across. the sleeves are 26.5. I should also mention that are at present, 12 trackers. Granted, some are the fiends from the militaria forum that have emailed me terse, worthless opinions about the shame of a patch-less jacket... These gents sit around like a bunch of old hen spinsters, debating one class of infringement upon their perceived self-engrandized egos after another. What a bunch of losers! Talk about the government getting into people's business! The real cuplrits are meaningless collectors who have no lives, other than to spin fragile threads between each other like vampire spiders, searching for the last remnant of some rancid morsel of information - just to spread so they have more to "Chat about" Haa!

 

[havocpaul]

Disgusting, I call that 'rape'...it used to go on alot in the 1970's when the collectors' were stripping A-2's of their patches, chits and name tags.

 

[TankBuster]

I agree, that's not cool! If a jacket has had its patches in tact for 40+ years,
who is this guy to decide to take them off to make a buck. :roll:
Pretty sad!

 

[bazelot]

I can't believe that some morons would still do this. Probably won't change anything but I sent him an email telling him what I think about his practice.
I remember my uncle telling me stories of the biggest flea market in the world (used to be anyway) north of Paris in the 60s. He would see hundreds of A-2s with work art on them and the sellers diligently rubbing off the paint with paint thinner to sell them as regular leather jackets.

 

[Corey]

This is sort of an odd auction. First of all, I don't think there's necessarily a large overlap of patch and jacket collectors. However the auction plays up the rarity of the patches, their provenance, and historical links. Even the gallery pic is of a patch that's not even in the auction. So as a patch collector, I'd be pissed to find an auction that shows a batch of desirable patches only find that none of them are for sale. And as a jacket collector, I am despaired to see such a lovely jacket with great providence that has been "chopped". I would not be inclined to bid (or bid more) on a jacket just because it had great patches and named owner. In fact, once the jacket is de-patched I think it's worth even less than a plain jacket.

Edit: reading over my posts, I come of pretty self-righteous. I am being critical here but I suppose to put things in perspective, collectors who prize groupings might not look too kindly on collectors who buy a set consisting of jacket, medals, service records, pictures, uniforms, wings, etc. and then sell all them of except the jacket.

 

[Maverickson]

What an unfortunate individual with such an ugly outlook! It appears as though this Ebayer is a Gordon Gekko reincarnated . This must be the beginning of the rarification of the Vietnam era flight jackets. As a result of actions this fellow and others like him 30 years from now what we currently consider inexpensive will be unobtainable.

I have to agree with this guy & there is a method to his madness. As unfortunate as it seems, as I have found, these patches are currently worth more separated from jacket than attached.

 

[hairpin151]

Once again,"You Cant Fix Stupid!".

 

[handworn]

I agree with you all. I've seen too many antiques in other fields butchered in the name of vanity, whim or a quick buck. The occasional dealer will refuse to sell to people he knows plan to do this, but it takes financial independence to have that kind of integrity, usually.

These are piece of history, and should be preserved as they stand.

 

[Andrew]

What a wanker, so much for the memory of Lieutenant Commander John L. Parks the man who earned the patches and the jacket in the first place. Apalling practice.