FOR SALE full aniline veg tan Italian HH Block Bilt cross zip 40

[jonesy86]

Is this a BK?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[marmalademan]

Is this a BK?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It's a BB

 

[jonesy86]

Who makes it?

 

[marmalademan]

www.block-bilt.com

 

[jonesy86]

Don't think it is made in Oakland or Berkeley.

 

[marmalademan]

I wouldn't know about that Jonesy.

But BK do offer the same model, as recently exhibited by tfl member and cross zip king Mystero on the WJAYWT thread. They call it the Wild Boy

 

[jonesy86]

Yeah, it looks very nice by any name!

http://www.billkelsomfg.com/store/en.php?p=productview&prod=35

 

[marmalademan]

You should get one in black @jonesy86

 

[jonesy86]

I would have to do a BB in a 44 long. Thanks for the info!

 

[marmalademan]

I'm over 6,1" tall (186cm in fact)..
You've seen how mine fits so how long do you expect that is? Take a guess @jonesy86

 

[JMax]

I though BB was LA-based, back in the 50s?

 

[tmitchell59]

I though BB was LA-based, back in the 50s?

Block Bilt goes back to the 30s located in the San Francisco bay area. Original Block Bilt jackets are rarely seen. When seen for sale would bring a fairly high price. I've had a couple of originals. I'm thinking they made jackets with other labels or no labels along with the Block Bilt label.

I assume these jackets are based on original Block Bilt jackets. Given the scarcity of the originals, hard to say for sure.

 

[marmalademan]

As per my understanding this is a stitch for stitch replication of an original,. warts and all

 

[jonesy86]

Block Bilt goes back to the 30s located in the San Francisco bay area. Original Block Bilt jackets are rarely seen. When seen for sale would bring a fairly high price. I've had a couple of originals. I'm thinking they made jackets with other labels or no labels along with the Block Bilt label.

I assume these jackets are based on original Block Bilt jackets. Given the scarcity of the originals, hard to say for sure.

Here is the blurb on the B.B. web site:

H. & L. Block Co. was founded by Harry Block and his younger brother Leopold around 1870. The company originally manufactured gloves.

Later in 1900 Harry’s son Roy entered the tanning business becoming co-owner of the Manasse-Block Tanning Co in East Oakland. In 1905, Manasse-Block purchased the West Berkeley tannery with the intention to run the Berkeley facility as a branch of its main Oakland tannery.

Around 1914, Roy Block took over the tannery, and Manasse became a hide buyer. With Block as president the company continued to grow and in 1920 was manufacturing leather jackets and other goods under the Block-Bilt brand name. It managed to win several government contracts to manufacture leather and cloth jackets for the US Navy; items which are still highly sought after by WWII relic collectors and leather jacket enthusiasts.

The company thrived for the better part of a century and the Block family continued to own the tannery for the rest of its productive life. The plant expanded steadily until 1956, its principal product being boot and shoe leather. The last president was Walter Ball, who started in 1947 as a general laborer, and oversaw the closing and dismantling of the Berkeley plant 39 years later.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jonesy86]

I'm over 6,1" tall (186cm in fact)..
You've seen how mine fits so how long do you expect that is? Take a guess @jonesy86

Don’t know but here is their size chart:

Size Jacket Chest Pit to Pit Shoulders Sleeve Back*
34 38" 19" 16.5" 24.5" 23.25"
36 40" 20" 17" 24.75" 23.5"
38 42" 21" 17.5" 25" 23.75"
40 44" 22" 18" 25.25" 24"
42 46" 23" 18.5" 25.5" 24.25"
44 48" 24" 19" 25.75" 24.5"
46 50" 25" 19.5" 26" 24.75"
48 52" 26" 20" 26.25" 25"

So according to this your size 40 has 25.5
Inch sleeves. I like 27 inch sleeves and I am also 6’-1” tall.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Grayland]

Does this guy ever sell a jacket?

 

[marmalademan]

Does this guy ever sell a jacket?

I'm trying! But it ain't easy

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6000 using Tapatalk

 

[marmalademan]

Maybe these will help.
Pics to show current condition.
As you guys know full well black is not easy to photograph, but I think a few of these offer some idea of the grain.
I need to check how much postage will in fact cost, and then I can ink in a price. Right now I'm thinking £400 plus the postage ought to be enough for me to say goodbye. Apologies for upping that, which is bad form I know, i'm very sorry - but those fit pics made me realise just how good it is on me. I can add that it i's totally comfortable fully zipped up, and so given the way that this fits if I do end up keeping it because nobody will cough then I will wear it under an overcoat this winter, basically as a sweater, which is in fact how I broke it in last year. Measurements coming soon, probably later tonight, but before and after those just trust me when I say this is a size 40 and fits TTS

*There's a black cotton lining that I forgot to photograph. It's comfortable

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6000 using Tapatalk

 

[Lebowski]

As you guys know full well black is not easy to photograph, but I think a few of these offer some idea of the grain.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6000 using Tapatalk

Marmalademan, you did that work very well, these photos are highly informative and just beautiful!

 

[ton312]

Oh man...man oh man...man.... God