IRVIN NUTS?...the ULTIMATE thread for those who love 'em!

[SamMarlowPI]

going for a WPG Irvin here pretty soon when i get the dough. should be within the next month. can't beat the price and the four 5 star reviews. won't have enough dough for an eastman or aero any time soon.

 

[Smithy]

The new WPG Irvins are meant to be very nice Sam. I can understand North Americans not going for Eastman what with the price you lot have to pay and with the state of the US Dollar, they must be almost completely out of reach for a lot of people now.

Post pics when you get the old/new girl.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

The new WPG Irvins are meant to be very nice Sam. I can understand North Americans not going for Eastman what with the price you lot have to pay and with the state of the US Dollar, they must be almost completely out of reach for a lot of people now.

Post pics when you get the old/new girl.

yes the exchange rate is ridiculous. nearly 1000USD for either an eastman or aero. i'll get it one day. thanks Smith.

 

[Smithy]

Heads up on an historic Irvin (supposedly)...

On the .co.uk version of a certain auction website, there is an Irvin which apparently served during the Battle of France (whether this is true remains to be seen, although the seller says that certification is available).

If true that's quite a little piece of history for sale.

Perhaps our biggest resident Irvin collector (Andrew) already has his eyes on it...

 

[Mike1973]

collar overhaul

Never did like the manky Sidcot suit collar tacked on to the Bsa Irvin...

Finding a replacement Irvin collar was unlikely, so the next option was another Sidcot collar, just in better nick...
So I got my old mate Dickie at Sabre Sales to look out for a likely replacement...

We think this lighter coloured collar may be from a Canadian suit? Anyway, it was a better colour, better nick, and free!

 

[Smithy]

Nice one!

 

[Mike1973]

Collar overhaul two

Finished...

Still a beat up and patched old Irvin, but looking a bit more presentable now...

Bring on the cold weather!

 

[Mike1973]

Heads up on an historic Irvin (supposedly)...

On the .co.uk version of a certain auction website, there is an Irvin which apparently served during the Battle of France (whether this is true remains to be seen, although the seller says that certification is available).

If true that's quite a little piece of history for sale.

Perhaps our biggest resident Irvin collector (Andrew) already has his eyes on it...

Not clocked that one Smithy, but had noticed someone selling what they say is their fathers Irvin, a navigator on Lancasters during the war...[huh]

A peice of family history... just can't get my head round why they want to sell it...

 

[Smithy]

Not clocked that one Smithy, but had noticed someone selling what they say is their fathers Irvin, a navigator on Lancasters during the war...[huh]

A peice of family history... just can't get my head round why they want to sell it...

I'd post a link Mike but I believe posting live auctions is a no-no. However if you go to that certain auction site (the UK version) and search under Irvin, you'll see it. The price though is charging up...

 

[Mike1973]

I'd post a link Mike but I believe posting live auctions is a no-no. However if you go to that certain auction site (the UK version) and search under Irvin, you'll see it. The price though is charging up...

Wow! What a jacket! £780 at the mo... will it be a 4 figure jacket??

 

[SamMarlowPI]

beat up and patched always looks neat...

 

[Smithy]

Wow! What a jacket! £780 at the mo... will it be a 4 figure jacket??

If it is actually a certified Battle of France veteran, it should go well up into 4 figures Mike.

You see the odd Battle of Britain Irvin but a Battle of France specimen really is very, very rare.

 

[Windsock]

If it is actually a certified Battle of France veteran, it should go well up into 4 figures Mike.

You see the odd Battle of Britain Irvin but a Battle of France specimen really is very, very rare.

Mods, if this type of talk is frowned upon aplogies and pls delte this post...but

... not necessarily Smithy. I have 2 pre-War Irvins so they could both have possibly been there and 2 panel Irvins are pretty common

I know what you're saying here and that is this one has provenance- well it's alleged to have provenance. Sounds a bit convoluted to me and it's not the first one sold by this chap with a long and complex history, but then we are talking about 67 years so that's a lot of water under the bridge.

I see it as a nice condition large jacket and if you specifially want one with wiring for those who may wish to carry a large battery pack... but the lack of solid prov is not worth the gamble. It's overpriced IMO.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

If it is actually a certified Battle of France veteran, it should go well up into 4 figures Mike.

You see the odd Battle of Britain Irvin but a Battle of France specimen really is very, very rare.

i guess one would really have to be an 'Irvin Nut' lol

 

[aswatland]

The 1940 Irvin is being sold by Tony, not a member of the FL. He always uses flowery write ups to sell his jackets, but they do make good sums!

This one is very large and with the alleged provenance should clear £1200. No, i will not be bidding as I'm not a great fan of electrically wired Irvins. I have one from the mid 30s which is very rare and is not one I wear.

I also have pre-war Irvins which most likely saw action in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain, but they were n't swapped for a packet of fags at Dunkirk!

 

[Alan Eardley]

Mike,

Let us know when the 'freebie' Irvin reaches you.

Alan

 

[Mike1973]

I also have pre-war Irvins which most likely saw action in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain, but they were n't swapped for a packet of fags at Dunkirk!

Something funny about that... Especially as fags were most definatley not in short supply during the war... I think troops were issued them? If not they could pick them up cheaply in the Naafi...
My Grandfather bought his Irvin (I'm guessing around '44) for £5... A fair old wad of cash back then...

That aside, still a cracking jacket!

 

[Mike1973]

Mike,

Let us know when the 'freebie' Irvin reaches you.

Alan

Will do Alan!

And this one's for you - me and Mad Mabel the Staffy puppy....

 

[Smithy]

Something funny about that... Especially as fags were most definatley not in short supply during the war... I think troops were issued them? If not they could pick them up cheaply in the Naafi...

Actually Mike, it could be the case that a jacket was swapped for a packet of fags, as during the retreat from France everything was in terrible disarray. Because squadrons of the AASF were moving back rapidly from airfield to airfield, lots of supplies never reached their intended squadrons as by the time they reached an airfield very often squadrons had already left, or roads were so choked with refugees fleeing westwards that they simply couldn't get through. These sorts of situations were combined with the fact that supply convoys on the roads were targeted by the Luftwaffe. So it was fairly common for AASF squadrons to run out of things, cigarettes included, during the height of the retreat.

Might sound funny to us, but imagine a pilot or aircrew member trying to make it back to England after being separated from his squadron, no smokes, stressed out, not knowing what the hell was going to happen, refugees everywhere, the Luftwaffe strafing and bombing people fleeing. When you put it into this perspective it's not outside the bounds of possibility.

 

[Mike1973]

Just read the description again, and think you may be right Smithy, didn't realise the jacket changed hands at Dunkirk... If I was in their shoes, carting a sheepskin jacket around in the middle of an evacuation in June doesn't make much sense!


"The original owner was unfortunately shot down and killed - however one of the crew kept the newly issued Irvin and managed to escape to Dunkirk - where upon it was exchanged for a packet of cigarettes !!!"