Rare named W535-AC-23383 A-2 contract on the Bay...

[Dr H]

I see that George (Prostaff4ever) has a rare Fried Ostermann contract up for sale in a size 40.

Item 160893198208

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-WWII-W ... 3980338%26

Good luck with the sale.

 

[CBI]

Good luck with it. My original size 44 Fried Ostermann that I recently had listed on eBay did vert poorly (luckily, I had a reserve) so I have decided to keep it - I was kind of on the fence about selling it anyway. Owned by JC for a while. No, I am not using this thread to try to sell it, just passing on my disappointing experience after all of my other items had done so well on the Bay.

 

[Roughwear]

Here's the thread which George started on the same jacket.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13311

 

[prostaff4ever]

Thanks Ian and Jon!

Yes, it's quite rare and if it didn't have the dry rot then it would certainly command a decent price. But I haven't set a reserve so I'm destined to sell it, even if it comes in at $200! It fits me nicely though, but I've given up wearing originals as the GW's are so good and it's too much mindshare having to be so cautious when walking around in an original!

George

 

[CBI]

really - best of luck. I like mine a lot but had thought it was worth selling if the price had been right but I am as happy (maybe even more so) keeping it. I hope your does well, here is mine (its a different enough size to where I see no conflict of interest posting it on your thread - just FYI:

 

[prostaff4ever]

I can see the pictures much better here than when it was on eBay. It's very nice and it looks to have been depot re-dyed. John did a very nice job with the knits too. It's amazing that it didn't sell for your reserve price, which I'm sure must have been fairly reasonable. No conflicts or issues at all. It's great to see it! It just seems to me that the goatskin that Fried, Ostermann used didn't seem to hold up as well against dry rot. Yours looks to be in good shape, but certain tanneries seemed to produce stuff that held up better than others, but categorically I always seem to find that goat doesn't hold up as well as HH. The one exception is G&F goat, which seems to have done well over the years.

 

[CBI]

thanks and that's funny, I actually have had the exact opposite experience with goat A-2's. The ones I have owned were are very sturdy/strong jackets. My Doniger will last forever. The Spiewak (sp?) and Bronco? (don't remember) that were goat were very stout jackets. I do agree though that this F.O. has about the lightest weigh goatskin one could imagine. The only A-2's with rot I have ever had firsthand experience with where horse and cow. Just my own experiences.

 

[TankBuster]

Gotta agree with John here. I have a original goat Doniger that has goat as tough as nails. I also had a Roughwear that was the same. One of the most rot prone goatskin jackets is the Spiewak. I have seen tons with rotted out shoulders. If I ever run across one, I always make sure to give it a good look since they just don't seem to hold up as well.

 

[Roughwear]

I agree with John and Jeff here. Spiewak A2s are so often suffering from rot. My experience with Donigers has been a very pleasant one, perhaps because the goatskin was tanned at a tannery which has first rate quality control.

 

[prostaff4ever]

If we only had their tanning recipes from the 30's and 40's so that we could use the good versus bad tanning techniques... wouldn't that be cool? I heard from John Chapman that tanneries treated their formulas and processes as top secret and 70 years of aging shows us why.