Buck Skein blanket coat

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271199111185
This vintage coat was made by the Buck Skein company. They advertised these coats with the “Thermalized Weather Control Lining” from 1955 to 1959, and this coat likely dates within that time frame. This striped blanket material was a high end fabric of the time, and generally sold for significantly more than other variants in the same cut. The buttonholes wore out and were re-stitched and the label has been worn down. Sometimes wear comes from abuse, but these are signs of a coat that was worn daily for decades, and loved. That kind of wear seems fairly typical for coats like this, which were truly investments when new, yet were casual, outdoorsy garments. This one is a single breasted style, with a four button front. It has double button belts at the wrists and large patch cargo pockets. The lining is quilted.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″
Shoulder to shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (base of collar to hem: 34″

Denim half-belt utility jacket

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281101026594

This vintage jacket was made postwar, probably in the late 1940s , but is nearly identical to the pattern of leather utility jackets popular prior to the war. It has slash handwarmer pockets and a diagonal breast pocket. There is a half-belt with side adjuster belts, and bi-swing shoulders. In front is a brass talon zipper, which still works well. The jacket is made of a herringbone stripe blue denim. It’s interesting that the panel underneath the halfbelt has the pattern running 90 degrees to the rest of the jacket, providing visual contrast.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (bottom of collar to hem): 25″

Action front 1960s sportcoat

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

This vintage tweed jacket was made by Greyhound. It is an unusual style, which makes dating a bit tricky, but from the lining and label, I would lean towards the early 1960s. Stylistically, it draws heavily from leisurewear of the 1940s. It has a Hollywood jacket style collar. There are twin breast pockets, which are still basted shut. Large, deep pleats run from these breast pockets to the flapped hip pockets. The jacket has a four button front and a square cutaway.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length (bottom of collar to hem): 30″

Silver D-Pocket Motorcycle Jacket

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281095874481

This is a truly rare and unusual early D-Pocket motorcycle jacket. It is a Harley Davidson Cycle Champ style. The label is missing, but going by the Canadian made “Lightning” zips, it would appear this is an extremely early version of the pattern produced by the British Mfg. Co. It has early bell-shaped lightning zips, for the main and the sleeve zippers, with a Lightning chain zip on the D-pocket. The sleeves zip open, whereas on later Canadian-made versions of this jacket, they had gussets. There is a little snap belt at the end of the sleeve to further secure the cuff when zipped up, though one is missing. Studs on the pocket corners and on the epaulettes (though 3 of the 4 from the lapels are missing). These studs are the early rounded variety, where as later versions had ones which were more squared off. The epaulettes are of the early stitched down variety, whereas later examples had ones with snaps.
The most unusual feature is definitely the color. You don’t see a lot of silver leather jackets, and yes, that is the original color, it is not some kind of later re-spray. This was definitely a signature piece for some biker, and he wore it long and hard.

Heavy smoke smell which I have been unable to remove. Overall wear to leather. Wear through leather at collar. Damage and stitch separation to left cuff. Missing snap belt closure on right cuff. Missing one belt loop. Heavy damage to front belt leather. Separation to stitching on cigarette pocket. Wear to lining, worn through near cuffs.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 19″
Shoulder to cuff: 24″
Length (bottom of collar to hem): 22-1/2″
Waist: 18″

1950s Civilian bomber jacket

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271192744622

This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1950s, and is a civilian bomber jacket style. Some fairly recently, the zipper was replaced with a USA made YKK Vislon (nylon) zipper. It’s not original, but it works well. The jacket has a nice undercurve to the collar. It has stitched down epaulettes, handwarmer pockets and a one piece back. There are vented underarm gussets.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to end of knit): 24:
Length: 24″

Leather Cafe Racer / Racing Shirt

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

I bought this one to sell, but I think I’m going to end up keeping it. It’s an old cafe racer. The main zip has been replaced, but the sleeve zippers are brass servals, and the pockets are talons. The cuffs are an open-zip style, that is, they do not have the leather gusset inside like some leather jackets do. There are no handwarmer pockets and no interior pockets. About as simple as a jacket gets.

British Cycle Leathers motorcycle Jacket

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271189228147

This vintage motorcycle jacket was made in Montreal, Canada by the British Mfg. Company under their “British Cycle Leathers” label. These are a copy of the Harley Davidson Cycle Champ design of the 1940s. It features a large D-pocket with cigarette pocket, a diagonal zipped front with snaps on the lapels, but not the collar, and studs on the pockets and epaulettes. The cuffs are zipped. All zippers are Canadian made Lightning brand, with oval pullers. Please note that all Canadian made zippers have the slider on the left track, in the European tradition. The liner is a plaid flannel, a real throwback to the 1940s roots of this design. The leather has some wonderful grain. While it has started to develop a nice patina, the usual spots (cuff, collar) are in great shape. There are several places where the stitching has let go, in particular the bottom of the zipper. These should all be easy fixes, though, as the leather and zipper tape are still in solid condition.

Tagged size: 38
Chest (pit to pit): 20″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Waist: 17-1/2″
Length (collar seam to hem): 21-1/2″

For another in this model, made a little bit later, please see This Jacket

Buck Skein 2-tone ricky

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281092833474
This vintage two tone Ricky jacket was made by Buck Skein in the early-mid 1950s. Buck Skein advertised these styles heavily in spring-summer of 1954. This one is made of a lightweight, breathable fabric, probably a linen-rayon blend. It is unlined, and has a brass Talon zipper. With a 50″ chest measurement, this fits as a size 46.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled =50″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Waist: 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Length (collar seam to hem): 23″

1950s Windward Steerhide jacket

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271183853958

This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1950s. It was sold by Montgomery Ward under their “Windward” line. Stylistically, it is about halfway in between an A-2 style flight jacket and a utility jacket. It has flapped pockets with side entry handwarmers, and epaulettes. It has a one piece back, with a leather hem and cuffs. The cuffs have decorative buttons at the ends. One is missing on the left sleeve. The jacket originally had a Conmar zipper. The puller is missing and the track is missing teeth, so it will definitely need to be replaced. There are elasticized side panels to provide a sung fit. The lining is qulited, and there are knit storm cuffs in the sleeves.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length (bottom of collar to hem): 23″

Leather Car Coat

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281088084255

This vintage leather jacket was made in the 1950s. It is of a simple single breasted style, with yoked shoulders and slash handwarmer pockets. It has a quilted bottom section to the lining, and a sherpa top. There is heavy wear to the shoulders and to the collar, and stitch marks on the sleeves and chest from where there were once patches. There is flaking and damage to the bottom of the coat.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length (bottom of collar to hem): 30″

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Tag Archives: 1950s

Buck Skein blanket coat

Denim half-belt utility jacket

Action front 1960s sportcoat

Silver D-Pocket Motorcycle Jacket

1950s Civilian bomber jacket

Leather Cafe Racer / Racing Shirt

British Cycle Leathers motorcycle Jacket

Buck Skein 2-tone ricky

1950s Windward Steerhide jacket

Leather Car Coat