Which contract is this A2 from?

[Roughwear]

The jacket is a small size and with the rounded bottoms to the pockets is certainly not the Aero suggested by the seller. Initially I thought it was a 1941 Werber from the small 1402-P contract, looking at the shape of the pocket flaps, the collar stand and the stitching on the hanger but there are not enough detailed shots to be sure. The type of Talon zip (assuming its original to the jacket) is not correct for a Werber. A Roughwear 27752 also comes to mind. What do you guys think?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VTG-40s-FLIGH ... 6rk%3D1%26

 

[Jason]

Tough one. Epps look 1756, collar lays a bit Star-ish, and the hanger loop reminiscent of some Aeros... but it ain't any of them.

 

[Roughwear]

JC has confirmed that it is the 1941 Werber.

 

[Estancia]

I'm always suspicious of these flight jackets (and vintage clothing) coming out of thailand, they never seem to have labels and seem to be too cheap...this seller has a couple and i just found another tagless a-2 from thailand.

I am aware that large quantities of used american apparel was sent out to asia sometime in the 80s/90s but someone recently told me there are markets in bangkok that only sell vintage reproductions, so it woudn't surprise me if some of these were being passed off as legit...the humidity cant be any good for the leather either.

 

[Roughwear]

I have seen several A2s, some with labels and some without, from Thailand on Ebay over the years. They were all original A2s and can be bought quite cheaply. I have bought a couple of nice jackets from Thailand with no issues. However I often see low spec repros which have been painted coming out of Thailand and these are the ones to avoid.

Here's a Roughwear which lacks its spec label, yet it an original jacket c.1941-2. The lining is in good order but the knits are covered in moth nips. With a little TLC it could make someone a nice wearer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320967021346? ... 1423.l2649

 

[Ian C]

I have seen several A2s, some with labels and some without, from Thailand on Ebay over the years. They were all original A2s and can be bought quite cheaply. I have bought a couple of nice jackets from Thailand with no issues. However I often see low spec repros which have been painted coming out of Thailand and these are the ones to avoid.

Here's a Roughwear which lacks its spec label, yet it an original jacket c.1941-2. The lining is in good order but the knits are covered in moth nips. With a little TLC it could make someone a nice wearer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320967021346? ... 1423.l2649

I think that would fit me Andrew. The length is good-would you say it would fit as a 46in chest?

Thanks,

Ian

 

[Roughwear]

Ian it's either a 44 or a 46. I found that the measurements from this seller have been a little out. I would expect a 24" pit on a 46, but saying that two of my original RWs have this measurement and are tagged 44s. I think the sizing of RWs was often all over the place. The BIN price is fair. It will need lots of repairs to the knits if you plan on wearing it.

 

[Ian C]

Thanks Andrew, It's either that or a deposit on a GW.

What's the general consensus on wearing originals because I'd buy a jacket to wear it and wouldn't want to ruin an original? Also, it'd deprive a collector who'd keep it safe in a good environment.

Ian

 

[CBI]

I think the general consensus is not to wear an original for fear of damage. However, wearing one every once and a while to an air show or special event is fine. For me personally, I like to wear originals provided they are solid jackets and since I own so many (originals and repros) I am only wearing any jacket a few times a month (sometimes once a month) at most. Our winters are only about 4 months long so you can see in my case, everything gets very little wear. If I lived in a much colder climate taking advantage of regular jacket wear, I would rely mostly on repros with an original wear day maybe in modest weather.

 

[Ian C]

I think the general consensus is not to wear an original for fear of damage. However, wearing one every once and a while to an air show or special event is fine. For me personally, I like to wear originals provided they are solid jackets and since I own so many (originals and repros) I am only wearing any jacket a few times a month (sometimes once a month) at most. Our winters are only about 4 months long so you can see in my case, everything gets very little wear. If I lived in a much colder climate taking advantage of regular jacket wear, I would rely mostly on repros with an original wear day maybe in modest weather.

Thanks for that. Looks like the deposit on a GW for me then. A Bill Kelso does look tempting though....

 

[Peter Graham]

What's the general consensus on wearing originals because I'd buy a jacket to wear it and wouldn't want to ruin an original? Also, it'd deprive a collector who'd keep it safe in a good environment.

I have a slightly different take on this subject than most on the forum. Unless it's a particularly historic piece then I see nothing wrong with wearing originals. I wear originals nearly every day of the week. It's rarely too warm here unfortunately. The jackets I wear date from WW2 through Korea and into the Nam era. I have a fair sized collection so I can rotate them regularly but I generally take a fad on a particular jacket and wear it for a few weeks at a time. I generally steer clear of mintish jackets as it puts me off wearing them. I like good solid examples with all the hardware intact. It wouldn't cost me a thought to wear an A-2 on a regular basis, especially one with no label. Sure, it's a vintage jacket but they are not particularly rare. I just don't get the same pleasure in wearing repros, but that's me, I'm odd.

 

[ButteMT61]

I'm with Peter. I don't have a museum, or a display case. If I buy it, I'm going to use it. But, if it bothers you, get the GW. In a couple years it will look just like one of the originals