Vintage 1950s Buco J-82 D-pocket leather jacket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281345326835
This vintage leather jacket was made by the Joseph Buegeleisen Company of Detroit Michigan, in the mid-late 1950s. The J-82 model was introduced by Buco c. 1955, and going by the style of Talon zippers on this example, it dates from this 1950s time frame. Although this jacket was cut down into a vest by its original biker owner, the detailing of the J-82 model is highly distinctive and makes it immediately recognizable. The jacket is made of heavy steerhide leather, with a D-pocket (also known as a pistol pocket or a map pocket). Whereas many other D-pocket models had a patch cigarette pocket overtop the map pocket, the J-82 had a cleaner design, leaving that pocket uncluttered. There is a zipper breast pocket, somewhat of a holdover from aviator jacket styles of the 1940s, and a zippered slash handwarmer style pocket. The jacket has an attached belt, with a blacked out metal buckle and a metal tipped belt end to make threading it through easier. The belt loops and all pockets are reinforced and embellished with nickel plated rectangular high-dome studwork. The lapels snap down and there are additional snaps that a mouton collar could have originally been attached to. The jacket has a bi-swing back. The main zipper is a no.5 Talon of 1950s design, and all pocket zippers are bell-shaped Talons.
Wear this jacket over a denim jacket or like Lee Marvin in The Wild One over a striped shirt.

Chest (pit to pit): 19″
Length (base of collar to hem): 23″
Waist: 17″

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1950s Stetson Whippet

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271309638338
This vintage fedora hat was made by the John B. Stetson company in the mid 1950s. It is their iconic ” Whippet ” model, with a wide bound brim and a broad ribbon band. It has a brown leather sweatband with the dark style of imprint used briefly by Stetson in the mid 1950s. It is made at the “Royal Stetson” grade, and was sold by Silverwoods of Southern California for an original purchase price of $10.

Size: 7-1/8
Brim Width: 2-1/2″
Ribbon Width:1-5/8″
Crown Height: 5-1/2″

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35th Engineers – Skyline jacket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281195672861

This vintage jacket was made in the 1950s for a “Bill Story”, a member of the Army 35th Engineer Battalion. The 35th engineers were stationed in Germany from March of 1952 until early 1957, and the jacket dates from within that timeframe. It is satin, in air force blue, with white knit cuffs, collar and waistband. The jacket has a German made “Opti” zipper, the 35th crest embroidered on the back, (ability, courage, results) and the owner’s name embroidered on the front. The lining is quilted.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 20″

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1956 Varsity Jacket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281130415837
This vintage letterman jacket was made in the 1950s. The shoulder patch says 1956, which could place its date of manufacture anywhere from 1952 and 1956. It is a classic varsity style, with raglan shoulders, a snap front, and knit cuffs, collar, and waistband. The pockets are trimmed in leather. The gold trim on one of the sleeves has worn away on the shoulder, and there are marks from old patches. The wool is heavily worn. This jacket was made by Finch Sportswear of Minnesota, and has great chainsitching on the back of an Indian wearing buckin pants portaging a Canoe.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″
Center of collar to cuff: 35″
Length (base of collar to hem): 25-1/2″

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Buck Skein blanket coat

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″

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