Thank you guys for your reply.
I will try to use some Pecard later this winter to try to soft it. Hope it will be more supple after that.Try to apply Pecard covering it several times during the week and leave it with Pecard covered for about two weeks after last treatment. It should help to soften the leather and will protect it from any next possible cracking and from soaking under the snow etc. I wouldn't wear this exact one before properly done Pecard treatment.
P.S. Nobody knows how it was storaged by its previous owner/eBay seller. Direct sunlight/UV or extremely dry weather might cause its current overdried condition. If the jacket fits well I'd keep it. Pecard should help. Eastman do nice WWII jackets, B3 incl.
The fur is not coming off anymore after my second wearing, so I think it's not a huge problem now. Your jacket is really gorgeous by the way.I'd say it looks fairly normal for ELCs broken grain, a coat of picards will help soften a bit and may protect the finish, what you see cracking is the applied top coat no the actual leather itself.
The fleece coming off would concern me though, I've not noticed that with any of my ELC sheepskins.
Here's my redskin that's a few years old now, which has had one very light coat of Picards on it earlier in the year. View attachment 267368
I have to agree with you on the zip front, it hasn't caused any problems yet but I don't have much faith in it lasting.
Edit
This isn't the "time worn", I don't think they do that on the Redskin.
Another reason I hope to try Pecard is the color inconsistency of the jacket. There are several spots that look darker than other areas. So I may want to use some conditioner to buffer the color.@warthog
Judging by the photos, what you're seeing on your jacket seems perfectly normal to me.
From what I understand, the wartime finish emulates the look of old B3 jackets that have shrunk with time, leaving the finish no longer... Well, fitting the surface of the leather (don't know how to explain). It'll thus begin to wrinkle (and crack), achieving this look.
The shiny finish you're concerned about isn't leather but a lacquer of a sort and yeah, being mostly a relatively thick layer of inorganic mix of stuff, that's how it feels. Some companies even call this "leatherized" sheepskin.
Anyway, the finish may seem dry and brittle as it basically is just a painted coat of lacquer but that stuff is actually (usually) very durable and weather (and fire!) resistant.
So exactly what @Dav mentioned, it is for that very same reason that leather conditioners (should) have ZERO effect on these jackets, since you can't actually apply it to the leather but only to the finish that covers it, which will have no benefit from it.
The jacket might absorb some of the conditioner if the protective coating is porous where it has began cracking and flaking but how effective will that be in the long run, if at all... Dunno.
Without the finish, sheepskin feel like suede, which is exactly what it is as the inside of the leather is facing outwards, of course, with the fur part keeping you warm.
In short, if it feels like you can peel off the crackly finish easily... Then that's something to be worried about but if it's firmly set and holding on the hide, even though it may appear brittle, you're good.
What @Dav says, though, I'd be more worried about the shedding fur. That shouldn't be happening.