WWII Richmond Bros. shawl mackinaw

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271397626926
This vintage Officer’s Short Overcoat / Shawl Collar Mackinaw was made in 1942 by high-end clothier Richman Brothers under contract for the US Army. This style coat was a direct descendant of the shawl collar workwear mackinaws of the 1910s-1930s, and from the m-1926 mackinaw worn by the Army and the Civilian Conservation Corps before the war. It is a double breasted style, with a broad shawl collar, epaulettes, and a belted waist. The coat is fully lined with an interior breast pocket.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″ (doubled = 42″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 33″

1930s Shanhouse Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Mackinaw Coat

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281263182073
This vintage mackinaw coat was made around 1936 by W. Shanhouse and Sons of Rockford, Illinois. Shanhouse Sportswear was a well known maker of the time, producing high quality mackinaws, like this one, as well as a variety of leather jackets. At the time, the Hudson’s Bay Point blanket wool option was the most expensive mackinaw available from Shanhouse. Hudson’s Bay blanket wool was prized for its extreme warmth, wind blocking, vibrant color and luxurious nap. This red and black color scheme was probably the most popular, followed by the multi-stripe.

I’ve sold a lot of these blanket mackinaws, and I think this one may be my favorite design so far. It has wide, pointed lapels, with the black stripe positioned underneath for a bit of extra “pop”. This one retains its original hood, attached under the collar with a red knit wool panel for a bit of stretch when worn. The hood spreads when not in use, doing up with a Talon zipper with a rare sunburst bell-shaped puller. Whereas many of these coats had pressed metal buckles, or leather covered ones, this one has a high quality, heavy duty cast buckle. The buttons are original and have a nice red swirl pattern to them. The ones on the sleeves have turned a bit more brown over the years. Instead of regular patch pockets, this one has fancy saddlebag pockets, and uses the red and black of the stripe nicely for contrast.
As is typical on these earlier mackinaws, this one is unlined. The blankets used on these earlier Hudson’s Bay Blanket coats were of much higher quality than later ones, thicker, denser and with a deeper nap. Compare a 1930s coat to a 1970s one and you’ll see what I mean. The points on this coat are located on the side seam. This one features an extra-large version of the Hudson’s Bay label, and a wonderfully designed “Shanhouse” label. The coat bears a United Garment Workers of America “Duck Goods” union label.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 33″

Gordon & Ferguson Field & Stream sheeplined mackinaw

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271397591682
This vintage coat was made in the 1930s by Gordon & Ferguson of St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time, this would have been sold as a “sheelpined coat”, though the term “shawl collar mackinaw” has come to also encompass this style. It has a broad mouton shawl collar, and is 3/4 lined with sheepskin. Consistent with the early dating, the sleeves are lined in a blanket material. The pockets all have triangular leather reinforcements at the corners. The leather loop closure for the buttons, as opposed to corded loops or buttonholes seems to be a uniquely Gordon and Ferguson detail. I have only ever seen it on coats made by them and by Guiterman Bros. after the G&F buyout in the late 1920s. See that Guiterman Town & Country here: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/12/19/town-and-country-sheeplined-coat/

Chest (pit to pit): 21″ (doubled = 42″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length (Base of collar to hem): 34″

Deadstock mid 1930s Talon Fantail Zippers

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281262585415
This rare vintage zipper was produced by Talon from the early to mid 1930s. In their advertising, this style was the style 110, while the slightly larger version was known as the style 109. The last photo shows a 110 and a 109 side by side for size comparison purposes. It is a pin lock style, with D-shaped stops at the top. According to original advertisements, these were sold with white cotton tape so that they could be dyed to match. These are a closed end, open top style, perfect for sleeve openings on motorcycle jackets and the like. The zipper track measures 3″, while the tape from end to end measures 4-1/2″.

1930s J.A. Brewster red mackinaw coat

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281262534629
This vintage mackinaw coat was made in Camden, Maine by the J.A. Brewster company. The company was founded in the 19th century by Jarvis Adelbert Brewster. The company produced high quality outerwear for the harsh Maine winters, with locations in Camden and Freeport Maine. The LL Bean flagship store would later be built at the site of Brewster’s Freeport location. Brewster produced the first run of red wool outdoorsman’s shirts for the Boy Scouts in the 1940s. This coat was made in the late 1930s. The style is pure function, with an oversized collar to block out harsh winter winds. A throat latch / chinstrap makes sure it stays snug when up. The coat is single breasted, with handwarmer pockets on the chest and patch pockets on the hips. As was the style up through the 1930s, this coat is unlined. To make up for the lack of lining and still retain warmth, these early coats were made of super thick wool. After WWII, when lighter weight coats began to be more popular, quilted linings made up for the lower quality of the shell. This one has some of the thickest wool I’ve seen on this type of coat. The tag position is consistent with the dating- later coats by this maker generally had the tag on the inside by the collar.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (collar to hem): 30″

R.H. Macy 1930s plaid workshirt

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281262488148
This vintage plaid wool workshirt was made in the early 1930s and was sold by R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. They later simplified their name to Macy’s. The design of the shirt, in particular the distinctive pocket flaps, are consistent with what was being produced by LL Bean at the time. It’s likely they had the contract for this Macy’s store labeled shirt.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length (base of collar to hem): 32″
Collar: 16″

Gray Blanket stripe coat

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281262510170
This vintage jacket was made in the 1970s or 1980s. It closely follows the pattern of Hudson’s Bay point blanket jackets of the time, with its shirt style collar and buttoned patch pockets. However, I don’t believe the Hudson’s Bay Company ever produced their jackets in this period with a gray background. I have seen this pattern of fabric made by Woolrich and by Pendleton, so possibly it’s one of theirs.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 21″
Length (Base of collar to hem): 29″

White Selentino Fedora

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271396655847
This fedora was made by Selentino / Tonak. It is in a rare pure white fur felt, with an underwelt brim and a center dent. It has never been worn, with the tags and stickers still attached. But deadstock does not mean damage free, as you can see by the tracking to the felt.

Size: 7-3/8
Brim Width: 2-1/4″

Heit Deluxe guitar

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

Sometimes it’s fun to have a beater guitar. This was the base model Heit (Teisco). One pickup, right in the middle and a bent metal tailpiece.

Mid 1930s half-belt leather jacket

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271391483127
This vintage leather jacket was made in the mid 1930, probably in Wisconsin judging by the materials and construction. It is an early half-belt / cossack style. It can be dated to this point both by style and by hardware. By style: In the late 1920s and early 1930s, a full leather waistband was prevalent. The fancy belted back started to gain traction in the mid 1930s, but the front still retained the bottom panels found on this jacket. By the end of the 1930s, most makers had abandoned these panels for a cleaner look. Stylistically this dates from that middle period. By hardware: The full length separable zipper was first found on jackets made 1930. The “sunburst” deco Talon stopbox found on this jacket joined the riveted style stopbox around the midpoint of the decade, eventually supplanting it in Talon’s product line, before disappearing itself in the early 1940s. So that narrows the date down between about 1935 and 1942. The snaps are made by United Carr. These are of a style which I have not seen on anything beyond the mid 1930s, with the spring section of the fastener appearing on the male side of the snap.
This jacket has been worn extremely hard. The cuffs and collar have been worn through, and a hole has been worn through on the side. That was repaired what looks like some decades ago, but the repair has worn out as well. The lining is missing, and the zipper is missing both the slider and the bottom couple inches of the teeth and tape on the male side. There is paint on the skirt beneath the belt.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length: 26″

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Monthly Archives: February 2014

WWII Richmond Bros. shawl mackinaw

1930s Shanhouse Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Mackinaw Coat

Gordon & Ferguson Field & Stream sheeplined mackinaw

Deadstock mid 1930s Talon Fantail Zippers

1930s J.A. Brewster red mackinaw coat

R.H. Macy 1930s plaid workshirt

Gray Blanket stripe coat

White Selentino Fedora

Heit Deluxe guitar

Mid 1930s half-belt leather jacket