Still any flight jacket collectors out there?

[Hartmann]

G'day.

Long time no see - I've been hanging out at the F-lounge before a couple of years ago and wondered if there are still any flight jacket collectors out and about?

After a prolonged leather-phase I started getting heavily into nylon ("leather-phase"; "nylon" - boy, I hope my therapist doesn't read this ... geee, noooo, it's about FLIGHT JACKETS mister shrink!).

I am looking for some and have some to trade or sell.

Drop a line, gents, and keep me updated what's going on.


Tally Ho!


Erich

 

[rocketeer]

Hi there. I used to collect old (original)jackets, mostley A2s-G1s-B3s etc with a few nylons for daily wear. Yes I wore nylons
Stopped collecting years ago mainly because the prices went through the roof due to the Japanese taking a like for them. I now have more civilian styles than anything else though still have my Original Lucky 7 Seven A2, all my other wartime styles being copies by Aero or Eastman.
Jacket collecting has changed in the 30+ years when I started. Emphasis appears to be on rarity of contracts and detailing rather than the actual item history, the amount of different repro's available will attest to that. plenty of collectors on here though, repro or original.
Here's a pic of my old jacket. I wore it all the time in the 1980s till the late 1990s, a bit small, I still pop it on occasionally.

Cheers, J

 

[Doctor Damage]

Jacket collecting has changed in the 30+ years when I started. Emphasis appears to be on rarity of contracts and detailing rather than the actual item history, the amount of different repro's available will attest to that.

That's unfortunate since it means the people collecting are just OCD collectors, not people interested in the history. Personally I think something with a history is more interesting, you know pilot so-and-so wore this during his tour in Korea and was shot down twice or something and wore the jacket both times.

 

[rocketeer]

Some collectors have a historical interest, its just that when I started collecting, looking at jackets there was not a hint of contracts mentioned and hardly a word about the label. Now you have a book about labels, contracts, how many made in what colour etc.
I have visited many old airfields here in East Anglia, wish I could afford a trip to Tinian North Island though.

 

[Justhandguns]

I would think that some "collectors" these days are actually seeing themselves as investors rather than jacket enthusiastic. A lot of people are just making the most out of any profitable opportunities. Collecting originals is certainly out of my league, and quality repros are also getting a bit over the top these days and I blame the Japanese for doing that. I remember a good old Eastman HH A-2 was around £400 a couple of years ago, original contract repros maybe £500-ish, and now? Aero follow suit, Bill Kelso and so on. Some blame that the cost of leather has increased quite significantly due to high demand in China, but I seriously doubt that, expecially for horsehides. If you look at other leather jacket companies such as Vanson in the US, if leather price has hiked so much, why their prices have been so steady over the last 5 years?

 

[Atticus Finch]

I used to collect flight jackets. I was mainly interested in jackets from the Cold War era...'50s and '60s nylon and G-1s. I've also snagged a few M-51s, M-65s and deck jackets along the way.

I have pretty much quit collecting now. It wasn't so much the prices of jackets that bothered me, although jacket availability was a factor. I basicaly quit because I ran out of storage space and because I'm old and fat now, and I don't look particularly spiffy in a flight jacket.

AF

 

[Cherry picker]

I still collect flight jackets........I generally buy stuff that I can wear or else trade it on.Most of the stuff I am looking for now is rocking horse s***

 

[bn1966]

I'm currently in my 'Nylon' phase, I have a few MA1 & B15 repros and four service issue CWU's (I've finished collecting them now). Would love an L2B but think all the originals (even in XL) will come up too small. Am looking into an N2-A at some point. On the hit list this year is an ELC D1 hopefully . This will join my ELC Irvin, Luftwaffe, RW A2, C3 vest and M422A.

 

[kampkatz]

I, too have stopped "collecting" flight jackets, as I have been advancing into my 60's. I never had many at one time, but at this stage in life don't even have the opportunity to regularly wear the 4 flight jackets(one of which is nylon) I still have.

 

[mihai]

Hi everybody,

At the beginning I started being interested in vintage Americana (men clothing mostly). I have a few pairs (mostly repros): LVC, Lee Archives, SugarCane and few originals (oldest from 60s). I continued with biker leather jackets , police leather jackets, military uniforms (military leather jackets). Now, like some of you, I am in the "nylon" phase . Most of my military items are originals: infantry, navy over coats, pea coats, g1, m422 jackts, luftwaffe leather jacket, sheepskin pants, sailor costumes and latest a N-2B early 60s jacket(fantastic jacket).

Why do I collect?
- I like how the military items fit so I wear them. They are cut pretty trim(I don't like clothing floating around) and have a practical design. I usually do not get items that aren't wearable. As somebody else said the storage space is an issue plus the effort to manage a very large inventory of such items.
- quality is much better than the similar items produced nowadays
- as some of you said it's fascinating thinking which events did the coat take part in
- preserving and helping these historical artifacts getting further
- simply because I can not pass them to others even if I get bored of them. The vintage market in the continental Europe is no that developed.

 

[Peacoat]

I have visited many old airfields here in East Anglia, wish I could afford a trip to Tinian North Island though.

Some of the nicest people in the world live in East Anglia. I have visited the old airfield in East Dereham and became friends with the man who is responsible for keeping up the park and the monument they purchased and installed at the airfield. Quite a nice tribute to the "Yanks" who invaded their country back in the 1940s. They raised the money and did all the work themselves to develop the park and monument. From the looks of it, it wasn't inexpensive.

 

[rocketeer]

Some of the nicest people in the world live in East Anglia. I have visited the old airfield in East Dereham and became friends with the man who is responsible for keeping up the park and the monument they purchased and installed at the airfield. Quite a nice tribute to the "Yanks" who invaded their country back in the 1940s. They raised the money and did all the work themselves to develop the park and monument. From the looks of it, it wasn't inexpensive.

Unfortunateley not every body appreciates the sacrifices made by our allies. The monumental plaque for the 34th Bomb Group based at Mendlesham Suffolk was stolen for scrap a few years ago.
I pass this spot about once a month and wish I could remove the hands of these thieves.
Read here:
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?4315-MENDLESHAM-34th-BG-Memorial&

http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?4315-MENDLESHAM-34th-BG-Memorial/page2

 

[Peacoat]

Now that is a real shame, to steal that plaque. Doesn't appear as if a replacement is going to be acquired, as it has now been about four years.

I believe the monument I am familiar with is at Wendling Field outside of East Dereham on the road to Beeston. The 392 BG was stationed there in 1943 through 1945. As is the case with many of the old airfields, Wendling Field has become a turkey farm.

 

[rocketeer]

Now that is a real shame, to steal that plaque. Doesn't appear as if a replacement is going to be acquired, as it has now been about four years.

I believe the monument I am familiar with is at Wendling Field outside of East Dereham on the road to Beeston. The 392 BG was stationed there in 1943 through 1945. As is the case with many of the old airfields, Wendling Field has become a turkey farm.

Thieves have stolen whole bronze statues and even dug the letters out of the memorials for the lead. Disgusting. And you also have to blame the scrap dealers, at least now they are not allowed to pay the sellers in cash.

As for the airfields and turkeys, at least that retains the American connection. If you look at the book Airfields of the Eighth, Then and Now by Roger Freeman, he states this is because it is ideal, by spacing the turkey sheds apart then disease is not so infectious. The other big use is that the hardcore from the runways was used for the local by-passes such as the A47 etc. Note: A great book but written 35 years ago so a lot of the airfields featured have undergone drastic re-developement such as Eye, or simply gone back to agriculture.

Looking at Google maps, there are a hell of a lot in that small are near East Dereham, but easy to pick out the 'A' that shows the typical runway configuration.

Now theres something to discuss: Off topic, from Eastmans bike clothing to turkey farms on airfields.

 

[Capesofwrath]

Including at least two Henry Moore's worth hundreds of thousands which were sold for scrap bronze value. Without wishing to stigmatise it's mostly Irish travellers who have been doing it.