Baron Kurtz
I'll Lock Up
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Mainly thanks to Dinerman, there are various thread or blog posts dedicated to the great leather companies of the 30s-50s. As yet, I don't know of one for S. H. Knopf Mfg. Co. of Boston, MA. I don't know much about this company, and I haven't seen many of their jackets. But, behind Blatt of Chicago, they have the best company name of the Golden Era so deserve a thread.
So, I'll start this off with a few ads gleaned from Dinerman's blog (1941) and a 1939 Time ad posted by Joel Shapiro in another thread. Click the first one for bigger image.
And below the first jacket for this thread, a jacket that is probably based on Knopf's "Aviator" style noted in the 1941 ad, but with a different back treatment. This is similar in style to a Buco, most like a J82 than any other. The trimmings (quilted liner) and furniture (transitional 40s/50s Talon main zipper and Conmar sleeve and ring/chain slash pocket zippers) date this jacket to the early 1950s. It's well worn but in excellent condition and now that I restitched the arm seams which had all come apart through rotted thread, it is wearable. I imagine a lot of similar fixes will need done in the future as the rest of the thread collapses. Spotwork is original to the jacket and went on before the liner (only one spot missing). The FQ steerhide is thick and supple but not restrictive with no wear spots or thin areas and nice patina. The jacket has the original owner's name (Norman something) and address (somewhere in New York) but sadly no date. Click links for bigger images.
So, I'll start this off with a few ads gleaned from Dinerman's blog (1941) and a 1939 Time ad posted by Joel Shapiro in another thread. Click the first one for bigger image.
And below the first jacket for this thread, a jacket that is probably based on Knopf's "Aviator" style noted in the 1941 ad, but with a different back treatment. This is similar in style to a Buco, most like a J82 than any other. The trimmings (quilted liner) and furniture (transitional 40s/50s Talon main zipper and Conmar sleeve and ring/chain slash pocket zippers) date this jacket to the early 1950s. It's well worn but in excellent condition and now that I restitched the arm seams which had all come apart through rotted thread, it is wearable. I imagine a lot of similar fixes will need done in the future as the rest of the thread collapses. Spotwork is original to the jacket and went on before the liner (only one spot missing). The FQ steerhide is thick and supple but not restrictive with no wear spots or thin areas and nice patina. The jacket has the original owner's name (Norman something) and address (somewhere in New York) but sadly no date. Click links for bigger images.
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