c.1940 Woolrich railroad vest

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281349001502

This vintage vest was made in Woolrich, Pennsylvania by the Woolrich Woolen Mills. Woolrich changed their label design frequently, which makes them easy to date if you know what you’re looking for. This variant on the label was used from about 1940-1945. The design of the United Carr snaps are also a giveaway for this vest’s date of manufacture. In the 1930s, Woolrich used snaps with one of two variations on a greek key pattern. During WWII, they switched to a plain topped design, featured on this vest. Starting in the late 1940s, Woolrich switched to snaps bearing the Woolrich name, before switching back to a different variation on the plain topped snaps in the 1960s. The design of the back of the snap further confirms this dating.

The vest is made of Woolrich’s signature mackinaw wool. The vest has a snap front, and bound seams. Although some examples you see are the sleeved variation with the sleeves removed, the construction on those is different. The vest has a belt adjuster back and asymmetric top and bottom patch pockets. Comparisons to Brown’s Beach Jacket vests of the same period are inevitable. This vest has a single large interior pocket.

Woolrich still makes a version of this model, however, the snaps have given way to a zipper, the cut has been lengthened, the armholes lowered, the shape of the front and rear changed, the wool fabric is now a blend, the pockets are a different shape, the construction is different and the taped seams altered. There is really no comparison the the original.

Chest (pit to pit): 20″ (doubled = 40″
Length (back) 20-1/2″
Length (front): 23-1/2″

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Yellow Point Blanket Coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271506036864
This vintage coat was made by the United Colors of Benetton. It is made of striped point blanket material, like that made famous by the Hudson’s Bay blanket coats, but in a vibrant yellow, red, green and gray pattern never offered by the HBC. The collar is backed with corduroy. The coat is single breasted, with patch pockets.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 28″

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Early 1930s Woolrich 503 Mackinaw coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271423336178
This vintage hunting coat was made in Woolrich, Pennsylvania in the early 1930s by John Rich / Woolrich Woolen Mills. The 503 style hunting coat as been around with relatively few changes for the better part of a century, but the details make it easy to date. This is the earliest version of this coat I have seen.

While many Woolrich labels look relatively similar in isolation, the company changed their design every few years. This label was used in the very early 1930s. See the dating guide I have put together at the end of the auction. The snaps in this coat are by United Carr, and are a design only used from about 1930-1934. The top of the snap, with its line design, was used by Woolrich until about 1940. They switched to plain headed snaps during WWII, then to Woolrich branded snaps after the war. These early coats have asymmetrical breast pockets, while starting in the late 1950s, Woolrich switched to matching breast pockets. The brown buttons on this early coat are nicer than the red bakelite buttons which Woolrich began to use in the mid 1930s, which has a tendency to craze and crack over time.

Chest (pit to pit): 25″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length (base of collar to hem): 28″

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Repro Indian Blanket railroad vest

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281277739940
This vest was made by a company called Maxwear, in the style of a 1930s work vest, similar to the ones made by Brown’s Beach Jacket and the sleeved versions made by Woolrich. It is made of thick wool approximating the pattern of an Indian blanket. It has a five snap front, with patch pockets. The back has adjuster tabs. Snaps have a star design, continuing the western theme started with the material.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Length: 25″

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Gray Blanket stripe coat

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″

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Woolrich Indian Blanket Coat

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281244850219
This vintage coat was made in the USA by Woolrich Woolen Mills of Woolrich, Pennsylvania for the Thornton Bay Clothing Company. Made in the 1980s, it is a reproduction of the shawl collared Indian blanket mackinaws made famous in the 1910s by companies like Pendleton and Guiterman / Summit. The coat is double breasted, with a shawl collar. It has both hip pockets and handwarmers. It is belted. The coat is fully lined. The coat is tagged a size medium, but fits more like a size 46 or 48, please refer to the measurements for an accurate fit.

Chest (pit to pit): 26-1/2″ (doubled = 53″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-1/2″
Length: 32″

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Early 1930s Woolrich Hunting Breeches

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204924506
This pair of vintage hunting breeches was made in the early to mid 1930s by Woolrich. These pants feature the earliest Woolrich tag variant I’ve been able to find, used in the early 1930s, and still bearing the John Rich and Bros. name. While most companies did not put zippers into pants until a big advertising push by Talon in the late 1930s, these were made with a zipper fly and zip-up legs. All three zippers are heavy fan-shaped versions with a pin lock. In addition to the zippers, the ends of the breeches lace up. The pants have the early style metal suspender buttons with the “All Wool” text cast in. Later, Woolrich would switch over to plain suspender buttons. Someone has enlarged the waist of these, using heavy duck canvas, of the type used on tents and other hunting garments. They have also added a knit section from the waistband by the left pocket down to the center seam, the purpose of which I have been unable to determine. The breeches have a reinforced seat and knees and buttoned, flapped rear pockets.

Waist: 19″ (doubled = 38″)
Inseam: 28-1/2″
Outseam: 40″
Rise: 11-1/2″

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Mid 1940s Woolrich Mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204865336
This vintage Woolrich coat was made in the mid 1940s in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. After extensive research and collecting, I have put together a comprehensive guide to dating the labels and details of these coats. This style label, with a skinny sheep, was used in the later days of WWII through until about 1947. After 1947, the logo was changed with a new design of sheep, and to include the (R) symbol. Still produced today, this model of Woolrich mackinaw has changed very little since the turn of the last century, so details must be relied upon to give accurate dating. The label is the big one, definitively pinning it down to the mid 1940s. The jacket features the early style asymmetric breast pockets. Woolrich switched over to two large breast pockets in the 1960s. This coat has a rarely seen style of snap for this type of coat, a plain design made by United Carr, used during the war years, transitional between the pre-war “meander” style and the post-war ones branded with the Woolrich name.

The coat has a large, rounded collar with a buttoned throat latch. It has covered buttons save for the top. All the pockets have snaps. The vertical pockets on the front pass through to the internal game pouch, which can also be accessed from the rear. The coat has a full mustard colored lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25″
Length: 29″

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Mid 1930s Woolrich Mackinaw

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281204853617
This vintage Woolrich coat was made in the mid 1930s in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. After extensive research and collecting, I have put together a comprehensive guide to dating the labels and details of these coats. This style label, with a green border and the text “All Wool” was used briefly, from about 1935-1937. Still produced today, this model of Woolrich mackinaw has changed very little since the turn of the last century, so details must be relied upon to give accurate dating. The label is the big one, definitively pinning it down. The jacket features the early style asymmetric breast pockets. Woolrich switched over to two large breast pockets in the 1960s. The coat has the early style of United Carr snaps with a meander pattern on them. During WWII, Woolrich switched briefly to plain-topped ones, then to ones branded with their company name for the 1940s and 1950s.

The coat has a large, rounded collar with a buttoned throat latch. It has covered buttons save for the top. All the pockets have snaps. The vertical pockets on the front pass through to the internal game pouch, which can also be accessed from the rear. The coat has a full mustard colored lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 24″
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23″
Length: 29″

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1950s Woolrich plaid shirt

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271317611899
This vintage plaid shirt was made in the 1950s by the Woolrich Woolen mills of Woolrich, Pennsylvania. It was sold by the Goodwear Company of 177 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The shirt is made of wool plaid, and has shrunk-down versions of the buttons found on the heavy hunting coats. Pockets have pointed flaps. The collar is lined in black twill.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 31″

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