Question for the A-2 Monarch fans/experts

[Pilot]

Thx for your time.
Saw this zipper tape stiching on an original A-2 ( ACME page https://www.acmedepot.com/a2jacket/a2images/monarch_neck2.jpg)
Are the repros having this stiching as well?
Goodwear has. Others?
Thx!

 

[VeraVoulik]

Not at all an 'expert' but my RealMcCoy Monarch seems to be made in the same way in this area.

 

[Pilot]

Goodwear has it as well.
Blackened zip as well, like the original one in ACME.

 

[mulceber]

John would have it right. Yet more reason to be glad I ordered one.

Looks like BK's repro doesn't have that extra stitching, or at least didn't when the picture on their site was taken, probably about 5 years ago.

I don't think any of the photos on Eastman's site show that part of the jacket. Anyone want to snap some photos of an ELC Monarch?

 

[B-Man2]

ELC………. Nope …. Doesn’t have it . That’s why JC is a talent . No detail is too small to ignore.

 

[Pilot]

Upper part of the zipper

 

[Brettafett]

Bare in mind, there are a couple of patterns out there for the Monarch, or should I say variances between Monarch A-2s.
Johns Monarch is slightly different from ELCs and BKs.

I would be interested to hear from someone who has owned or inspected multiple WWII Monarchs.

 

[blackrat2]

The devil is in the detail

 

[Nickb123]

I like GW’s elongated size tag too.

 

[Pilot]

According to Full Gear page 21 one single Monarch dated 1942 -A2 batch. for the W535 AC 23378 contract, eg, ( no other A-2 Monach contracts mentioned).
All google photos of these WWII Monarch A-2’s support the GW details and the RMcCoy’s A-2 of the same contract...
No other zipper tape stitching mode, studs set-up in collar, size tag design found yet... in WW originals ( google ACME and orhers).
WWII A-2 Monarch owners please chime in.
Thx

 

[mulceber]

I think it would also help if we had a more recent photo of BK's Monarch repro. That one I posted is pretty old, and I know that several of their contract offerings have been upgraded over the years.

 

[Pilot]

If I am not mistaken, Carl did a very nice review about Monarch Original A-2’s and their details, compared to repros.
A few years back already, but can be found.
There was also a discussion about the wrongy placed collar snaps....( too deep inside the collar surface).
Sure one can find it....

 

[mulceber]

Just heard from Andy; he says that their current version of the Monarch has the proper stitching inside the zipper. He's going to send me pics of a recent jacket in a few days if he can, and I'll post it here.

 

[mulceber]

Courtesy of Andy, a picture of a recent Monarch production that has the double stitching along the zipper.

 

[Brettafett]

I understand there was one official WWII contract for the Monarch, and I applaud the detailing of the top end makes.
One wonders... Gary owns an original Monarch/s, I doubt ELC would miss this detail if the original they copied included this. Or have they???

 

[Silver Surfer]

funny that a conversation about monarch a-2s has come up, since I about to receive an original size 42 [tagged a size 44] that I may consider selling, as I have an original monarch that is pretty damn nice, already. my elc monarch does not have the double stitching, and it is of no concern to me. however, I have painted the stopper brown, and blackened the the teeth with gun blueing. as with the inherent oddities of originals, I have learned to give some leave way with repros....up to a point. that the repro haas the "essence" of an original, fit "properly", and feel right are the criterium at this point. some of the finer minutiae of the details are less important at this point in my life. also, I have handled some 4-5 original monarchs, and each and every one was significantly different from the other. with that in mind, perhaps some were made without the double stitching,,,,and collar snaps place higher, lower, etc. not to mention my original has a "Dracula" collar, and other I have seen or handled have the same long rounded collar lobes, where as others had collar lobes more akin to other a-2s.

 

[Grant]

I second what Vic is saying. It's easy to get tripped up in the details of one example and assume all the others are identically made. One thing I've learned in collecting A-2's is there are always variations within one contract and no absolutes. BTW, I've also seen Vic's latest ELC Monarch and it's almost a dead on match to the original Monarch I sold him years ago.

 

[Brettafett]

100% above