tweedydon
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FANTASTIC LATE 1960s/EARLY 1970s GOLDTOP MOTORCYCLE JACKET
Made in England!
Made in England!
Tagged 44. Measurements:
Chest: 23
Sleeve: 23 1/4 straight; 25 around the curve.
Shoulder: 19 1/2 (this adds a little to the sleeve length)
Length: 26 1/2 (from the bottom of the collar)
Hem: 22
Made in England by Goldtop, this likely was worn by a British biker on his Triumph, Matchless, or BSA, ***ning the engine and leaning forward in pursuit of the elusive "ton" (100mph) racing between greasy spoon cafes.... The life immortalized in the novel *Up the Junction* .
This jacket simply oozes late '60s cool!
The jacket has two front pockets; a deep chest security pocket covered with a snap-down flap and secured by a zipper, and a lower flapped pocket. The lower pocket is quilted for visual interest, to match the quilting of the sleeves--a lovely detail that showcases the eye for design so common in 1960s England.
The sleeves are quilted for additional protection and curved--still comfortable to wear off a bike as this is not a heavy jacket, but designed to fit your arms while riding. The hem is also quilted--more for style than protection!--and secured at the front by two snaps--a belt buckle here would likely scratch your bike's tank in a British riding position!
The jacket has a collar similar to that of Lost World's Ryder--but unlike Lost Worlds this one is lined in soft brown suede, for ease of wear. This secures with a snap--which was also Made in England!
The main zipper is--of course!--Made in England, too--it's a classic Lightening, in perfect working order. The sleeve zippers and the pocket zippers are also Lightnings. All work wonderfully smoothly--except for one sleeve which is very, very slightly sticky. Aero could learn a thing or two about zips from this jacket!
(The Lightening zippers are the main clue to this jacket's age--early 1960s judging by the main zipper, but late 1960s to early 1970s by the sleeve zippers.)
The jacket features a quilted lining in Goldtop's classic vibrant petrol blue. Yes, this is an incredibly cool jacket! It still has its original locker loop, and Goldtop's famous "Spinning Gold Top" label. And its original size tag!
The leather is likely steerhide--it's wonderfully soft and supple. It's also not at all heavy, despite being clearly very sturdy--this is jacket that's immediately comfortable. The jacket has some lovely graining, too.
Apart from slight grubbiness in the lining--part of the charm of a jacket this old, to be honest--and some minor marks on the exterior (including two pinholes on the chest pocket flap) this jacket is in terrific condition. Overall, being conservative, I'd say it was in Very Good condition.
A great piece of British biking history, it's hard to put a price on this. But how about $115, or offer, boxed, shipped, and insured in the USA? I got a very, very good deal on this, and I'm passing this along! I suspect if I used words like "curated" and "vintage patina" and "beloved by the Japanese market" I'd be asking an awful lot more! https://static.**.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t57/1/16/1f609.png
