Vintage Jackets

[B-Man2]

Good point...a wee bit of research and some free time and BINGO!

 

[jeremiah]

Good thread. I only wish I had an original to join in the discussion with.

 

[B-Man2]

Good thread. I only wish I had an original to join in the discussion with.

Hi J
That's the whole point of this thread...you don't need to own an original jacket to jump in here. The purpose of the thread is to look at the originals posted and to get a close up look at all the little things that make each one different, to ask questions and to learn from guys who have been around here for a while and don't mind sharing their knowledge. Please jump in anytime!

 

[Spitfireace]

His knowledge came from here. Yes, let's not forget that. He absorbed it like a sponge. Regurgitated it. Had the ability to purchase lots of jackets to become an authority.

 

[Spitfireace]

Swatland that is.

 

[Officer Dibley]

That’s what academics do. Regardless of the field of expertise. I worked at CERN for a few years, worked with plenty of academics to include Nobel Prize winners. Insufferable bunch with fragile egoes the size of small planets. Never gave credit to anyone. Acted like they discovered everything on their own. Rant done !

 

[B-Man2]

Dave
Can we safely assume.... that you do not identify with the academia crowd?

 

[Spitfireace]

lol

 

[Edward]

ED
Really like the Spiewak and the way you have it displayed is very cool. I particularly like the Blood Chit and CBI display in the background. Don't know much about original vs. repro blood chits, so is that one the real deal?

its a very convincing and well done replica. its made exactly like the originals in that its silk sewn to a cotton linen backing and silkscreened properly. the aging I think is coffee or tea. they even went so far as to use a period vintage number stamp to replicate the number of the chit. its based on one of those from the second printing issued by the Nationalist Chinese Government’s Commission for Aeronautical Affairs in anticipation of a Second American Volunteer Group (SAVG - Second AVG) . After that Washington made them in the tens of thousands and there is a "W" with the series number. those you can actually find originals available from time to time but the limited "official" Chinese made
are rare and don't come available often. then there are the theater made versions by citizens of the area and they made them out of all kinds of materials including leather... sometimes those come available .. all pricey of course! lol!
My 5th patch and the CBI patch are authentic originals... it all displays well and being I paid big bucks for reproduction A-2s, repro parachute harness, repro1942 service boots and a repro B-3 Mae West I don't mind that I have a nicely made repro blood chit.
Its silk sown to a cotton backing. You can see the stitch holes from where the chit was stitched onto or inside of a flight jacket.

The lining of the jacket is super clean for a jacket of that age.

yes, it wasn't until I had the jacket in hand that I could tell it was the original and not a replacement. so very happy about that. there is minor tearing around the collar area and a few worn holes where the clasp rivets are.. typical. but lucky no major degradation. I don't think this jacket saw much use.. being hot in the South Pacific area it probably wasn't worn too often... not like those in the ETO anyway.

Looks like that doesn't have a collar stand, I think I like the non collar stand jackets a little better, although it took some extra work to produce them with a collar stand. I understand what the collar stand is for as far as supporting the collar, but I'm not sure why the manufacturers of the jackets that had them thought they were necessary. I'll have to check my ELC book on that one. Great looking A2! Thanks for posting it...

exactly.. no collar stand. which I prefer. helps the collar to lay down and relax a bit better in my opinion. I guess for dress up spit and shine and be representable you want that sharp stand up look but for mission worn appeal its like the crusher.. you want some sag and droop. lol!

here's some closeups of my counterfeit Blood Chit... lol! (upon my death and its way to another collector, it will be revealed to be an authentic and rare piece worth thousands of course LOL!)

 

[Micawber]

Good thread.

 

[Edward]

Hi J
That's the whole point of this thread...you don't need to own an original jacket to jump in here. The purpose of the thread is to look at the originals posted and to get a close up look at all the little things that make each one different, to ask questions and to learn from guys who have been around here for a while and don't mind sharing their knowledge. Please jump in anytime!

well, in that case I would like to transfer a conversation about details in originals we had in my post on my jacket.. and that is war time rushing and imperfections.. which add character and charm and usually can single out an original compared to a well made repro... mine is bascally well stitched with very little "off" stitching. however mine has a couple interesting nuances that make it all the more fun...
first thing that stood out and made me actually want to purchase this jacket other than it was my size and in nice shape is the two collar snaps. I suspect the person making the jacket realized they missed the mark and added the second to where it was supposed to go!

the next aberration that I love is the off center pocket snaps! and on the other the pocket flap alignment is to the left a touch...

so get out your jackets and take closeups of the wartime production manufacturing errors! lol! those are the details we like right?

 

[Bombing IP]

I was told by an authority in this area that Blood chit serial #s are registered to the reciever of the chit ,That is the W series from Washington .

Jeff

 

[B-Man2]

Ed
That Blood Chit is amazing . I’m sure that one day it will become an original
Can you share where you got it ? I mean are they for sale now or were they reproduced a while ago? I ve never seen that good of a repro . Do you remember if it was costly? Pretty damn cool !!

 

[B-Man2]

Ed
Cool stuff you pointed out, now the double snaps are they on both sides of the jacket? Or just the side pictured . I would have put a double in the other side as well just to balance it out!!

 

[Edward]

I was told by an authority in this area that Blood chit serial #s are registered to the reciever of the chit ,That is the W series from Washington .

Jeff

actually it was supposed to be but they were handed out randomly and no records were kept on who got what number. The serial number was originally intended for use in identifying the pilot, however many chits were simply handed-out without the serial number and pilot's name being recorded. then the second series the serial numbers were reused. then when Washington issued versions came out they again reused the numbers starting all over again. so no, the serial numbers weren't actually assigned to anyone in particular. in fact, General Chennault himself wore a Blood Chit with serial number 0001 on his flight jacket. He held back serial numbers through 0200 and brought them back to the States with him after the war. These were donated after his passing to the 14th Air Force Association and sold for fund raising. these are usually the ones that come to auction

 

[Edward]

Ed
Cool stuff you pointed out, now the double snaps are they on both sides of the jacket? Or just the side pictured . I would have put a double in the other side as well just to balance it out!!

just the one side!

 

[B-Man2]

I was told by an authority in this area that Blood chit serial #s are registered to the reciever of the chit ,That is the W series from Washington .

Jeff

Jeff
To my understanding the way a blood chit works , particularly the newer ones is, now all four corners have the same serial number, which as you pointed out are serialized to the particular pilot wearing the chit. If the pilot is shot down and someone agrees to help him and hide him from capture , the pilot cuts a serialized corner off the chit and gives it to his protector. After the pilot makes it back to base and the area he was shot down in is liberated, the protector can redeem the serialized corner for a reward ie cash.

 

[Edward]

Ed
That Blood Chit is amazing . I’m sure that one day it will become an original
Can you share where you got it ? I mean are they for sale now or were they reproduced a while ago? I ve never seen that good of a repro . Do you remember if it was costly? Pretty damn cool !!

typical eBay offering. a number of repros are made and most mention they are such but the one I had was being passed off as an original. most you can tell.. this one I had to do some research and get opinions on as it was so close to what is in the book Last Hope: The Blood Chit Story Book by R. E. Baldwin and Thomas Wm McGarry. there are a number of people around the world (Asia mostly) that make them but the opinion was mine was made by a known reproducer in Mexico of all places about 20 years ago..., so is almost vintage. lol! I paid $100 shipped... I've seen them go for twice that which is a shame but I liked the quality of this one and wanted a very accurate one to display that could fool anyone... except those with an eye for originals and what to look for... I guess just as we can sniff out an original A-2

 

[Edward]

Jeff
To my understanding the way a blood chit works , particularly the newer ones is, now all four corners have the same serial number, which as you pointed out are serialized to the particular pilot wearing the chit. If the pilot is shot down and someone agrees to help him and hide him from capture , the pilot cuts a serialized corner off the chit and gives it to his protector. After the pilot makes it back to base and the area he was shot down in is liberated, the protector can redeem the serialized corner for a reward ie cash.

exactly. in fact, a half blood chit was up for auction recently.. not sure if it was the half the pilot kept or the protector kept but the serial could be verified... most times the family were rewarded after the war.. there is one story where a man protected and help return a crew member but was later found out and executed. years after the war the US govt was able to track down the person's next of kin.. his son I believe and actually paid him the reward in good faith. I'll have to look it up... might be in the blood chit wiki.

 

[B-Man2]

Good Info Ed !!
Thanks for posting all this good stuff!