1920s Duxbak mackinaw coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204213687
This vintage mackinaw coat was made in the late 1920s or early 1930s by the Utica DuxBak corporation of Utica, New York. DuxBak was well known for its high quality garments for outdoorsmen. They were perhaps better known for their canvas coats, vests and pants, but their wool makinaws were of equally high quality. This is an early version, with a caped front, game pocket, and flapped patch pockets. The coat has a shirt style collar with a particularly tall collar stand. The collar is lined in cotton drill, and the underside of the collar is faced with the same material. The snaps are of a ring type. Handwarmer pockets are partially covered by the front cape, and are stitched in a reverse “D-pocket” style. The flaps on the game pocket have a narrow, sharply scalloped flap. The label is of a rare style, with a black background and red and green text.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″ (doubled = 48″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 28″

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J.O. Ballard Malone mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281200082748
This vintage mackinaw was made by J.O. Ballard & Co. of Malone, New York. The company was founded in 1888 by Jay Olin Ballard, and traded alternately under the J.O Ballard name and the name, Malone Woolen Mills. The company began making wool outdoorsman’s breeches in 1891 and followed up with mackinaw coats like this one. They were famous for their Malone plaid- gray with red and green overchecks. Coats of this cut were advertised to hunters, hikers, mountain climbers, lumberjacks, workmen and all other stripes of outdoorsmen. The depression closed the company in 1933. It re-opened again in 1935 with the assistance of an Reconstruction Finance Corporation loan, a depression era loan program.
The coat has four flapped pockets and two slash pockets. The slash pockets, in the traditional position of handwarmer pockets, pass through directly to the game pocket. There is also access to the game pocket from flaps on the back of the coat. Unlike the similar Woolrich design, this one has buttons on the pockets instead of snaps and exposed buttoning on the front. The lining is mustard colored cotton. The sleeves have buttoned adjusters.

Chest (pit to pit): 22-1/2″ (doubled = 45″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 29″

 

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Soo Woolen Mills plaid surcoat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281198324999
This vintage plaid mackinaw coat was made by the Soo Woolen Mills of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan immediately after WWII. It has a surcoat zipper attachment and length. The main zipper is a rare transitional talon- with a Talon marked stop box of the type used in the mid-late 1940s. The main zip has a square sided, square holed puller, a type used very briefly as they were transitioning between the square edged pullers with a small hole and round ended pullers with a larger hole. The pockets zip with bell shaped, round holed Conmar zippers. The overall cut of the coat is interesting, with its long rear pleat topped with triangle reinforcing stitching and a belted, buttoned back. Most plaid mackinaws were of very traditional designs which changed very little over the years. This particular Soo model was very modern and sport for the time it was made. It is lined in red flannel, and is marked young adult age/size 20, which going by the measurements, is about a men’s size 44 short.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length: 28″

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Pre-War R. Plankl loden mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281196380619
This vintage coat was made in Austria before WWII by R. Plankl of Vienna. R. Plankl was founded in 1830, and is one of the oldest and most respected makers and dealers of loden wool goods in the world. While examples of their work from the 1960s and 1970s come on the market fairly regularly, it’s exceedingly rare to see anything from the 1920s or 1930s period.
This coat is made of high quality loden wool, with a nice nap to it. The front follows the basic layout of what in America was called the mackinaw coat. Double breasted, flapped pockets with slash handwarmers above. The sleeves have stylishly angled buttoned adjuster belts. The back of the coat is belted, with a deep pleat starting at the shoulders and continuing to the hem, for additional freedom of motion while wearing the coat. The coat is unlined in most of the body, with a double layer in the front and in the shoulders. There are two buttoned interior pockets. The label is of a style commonly seen in the 1920s and 1930s, with a black background and yellow text. The tag reads ” Wien / R. Plankl / I. Michaelerplatz 6″, and has a logo of a rucksack with crossed ice axes.

Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length: 33″

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Alpaca lined shawl collar mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281195223460

This vintage coat was made in the 1930s. While I have seen several of this particular model, none have had any tags. Originally, these coats were known as “sheeplined” coats, and were popular with railroad men, ranchers and other men who worked outdoors, as they were light for their warmth when compared to wool coats, and were particularly hard wearing. This one defies that name slightly by having an alpaca pile lining and collar. As is typical of the style, instead of buttonholes, this coat has loops, in this instance made from leather. Likewise, the pockets are reinforced with leather. There is a waterproof layer in between the outer canvas layer and the inner warm lining. In lieu of a tag, there is a military style size stamp at the bottom of the coat.

Chest (pit to pit): 34″
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26-1/2″
Length: 33″

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Sears Fieldmaster shawl collar mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271306426480
This vintage coat was made in the 1940s or 1950s, and was sold by Sears under their Fieldmaster label. It as a canvas shell, with slash handwarmer pockets and flapped hip pockets. Both have leather reinforcement at the corners. As was typical with this style of coat, there are loops instead of butonholes. The collar is black mouton, the lining is sheepskin. The sleeves have a quilted lining. Although this coat was made in the ’40s or ’50s, the style had been around basically unchanged since the turn of the 20th century. They were popular as workwear for men who worked outdoors- for whom a coat that was lightweight yet warm, and which was rugged was a must.

The reinforcements are very similar to what was on the Montgomery Ward coats of the same era.  Possibly the same maker? https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/03/14/powr-house-shawl-collar-mackinaw/

This one is also quite similar: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2012/05/23/shawl-collar-mackinaw/

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 32″

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1930s Woolrich hunting coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271277514189

This is a rare early variant of the classic Woolrich hunting coat. Most Woolrich coats you see are from the 1950s or 1960s. Coats of that era have snaps withe the “Woolrich” name on them. They have labels with a slimmed down sheep and a (R) registered trademark symbol in the corner. This one dates from the late 1930s, and has a number of details which differentiate it from the later, more common versions. The pocket snaps on this one are of the style used in the 1930s and before, with a meander pattern encircled by dots. The label is of the style used from the mid-late 1930s, with a blocky sheep, green text and a green border. Woolrich was an early adopter of zippers on their hunting garments. This one has twin double-marked Talon zippers on the game pocket. This is the style used in the late ’30s- early 1940s, with a beveled edge puller with a small hole, the Talon name on the component which attaches the slider to the puller, and the full “Made in U.S.A.” text on the back of the slider. By the 1940s, Woolrich had abandoned the use of zippers on their game pockets, in favor of a simpler and more easily repaired (though less secure) single button. With purely functional workwear and hunting items such as this, they were passed down for generations and worn hard, as there was no regard for changing styles, and a deer is unlikely to call the fashion police. The coat has a fair bit of mothing to the shell, but is in better shape than most I’ve seen from this era. Although there is some, there is also much less wear and staining than usually seen to the liner, the neck and the cuffs, the areas generally most heavily hit.

Tagged size: 42
Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length: 30″

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1960s Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271246948755
This vintage coat was made by the Hudson’s Bay company from their iconic point blanket material. It is in their “Olympic” pattern, a double breasted style, with handwarmer pockets and flapped patch pockets. In this particular example, the points of the four point blanket are on the inside of the coat on the wearer’s right. The coat is fully lined.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 19-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length: 36″

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Extra Large Hudson’s Bay Blanket Coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271246957324
This vintage coat was made by the Hudson’s Bay company from their iconic point blanket material. It is in their “Olympic” pattern, a belted double breasted style, with handwarmer pockets and flapped patch pockets. In this particular example, the points of the four point blanket are on the inside of the coat on the wearer’s right shoulder. The coat is fully lined in gray. It is tagged a 46, but I would say it fits more like a size 50 or 52.

Chest (pit to pit): 29″ (doubled = 58″)
Shoulder to Shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 27″
Length: 34″

A bit about the Hudson’s Bay Blanket Coat:
The Hudson’s Bay Company introduced their distinctive striped “point” trade blanket in 1780. The blankets were used in the fur trade, traded in exchange for pelts. The “points” represented the size and weight of the blanket. The blankets were soon being tailored into hooded, belted “Capotes”.
In 1811, 40 greatcoats were commissioned for soldiers stationed at Fort St. Joseph in Jocelyn, Ontario. They were made under the direction of John Askin, fur trader, and keeper of the King’s Store at that fort. Running short on proper supplies and in need of adequately warm coats for the men, Askin had the coats sewn from point blankets. The modern mackinaw was born.
The Hudson’s Bay blanket material was advertised for its, “warmth, durability, retention of color, non-shrinage”, for being “non-hardening when exposed to the elements”, and for their water resistant qualities. Combined with its heavy weight, and thick fluffy nap, the Hudson’s Bay Blanket made for ideal material in a harsh environment. They remained popular with fur traders through the 18th and 19th centuries. Along with their mackinaw-cloth relatives, they also proved popular with Lumbermen on both sides of the border.
Coats made from Hudson’s Bay point blanket material were truly investments, costing significantly more than identical coats in other fabrics. Some examples: In 1937, an Albert Richard coat in heavy mackinaw cloth cost $12.50. That same coat in the HBC fabric cost $22.50. In 1936, a different manufacturer was offering 32oz melton coats for $5.95. To upgrade to point blanket fabric doubled the price.
These coats were the ultimate in rugged, high-end outdoors garments. At the top of the price range for short coats, they were sold by such high-end outfitters as Abercrombie & Fitch and Von Lengerke & Detmold. By the 1930s, sportswear companies like Albert Richard and Maine Guide by Congress had joined the act. The Hudson’s Bay blanket coat enjoyed a surge of popularity on the United States market in the mid through late 1930s. Mirroring the Mackinaw craze of 1912-1915, the style was brought over the border to the US by tourists and seasonal workers who had seen the coats in use in Canada and been impressed with their warmth and durability. They briefly became a university fad in the 1930s, but really stuck with sportsmen who could afford the best.
Hudson’s Bay blankets were originally made in England. In the middle of the 20th century, they switched manufacture to Canada. Currently, they are again produced in England, by John Atkinson. Former competitor Woolrich Woolen mills has the contract to import Bay Blankets to the US, and other former competitor Pendleton now makes the blankets used in the coats sold by HBC.
As the 20th century wore on, the Hudson’s Bay point blanket coat remained a Canadian icon. It was the Canadian team uniform at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics.

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Pendleton Blanket Coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281141522504
This vintage coat was made by Pendleton Woolen Mills of Portland, Oregon. It is made from Pendleton Indian trade blankets. It is a single breasted style, with western yokes on the shoulders and back. There are slash handwarmer pockets at the chest, and flapped patch pockets below. The coat is unlined, save for the shoulders.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 30″

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