Fake Luftwaffe jacket

[m444uk]

Looks like some ones put a date stamp and German clothing tag into a post war Swedish bike jacket !

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1943-German-WW2-L ... 0306406996

 

[John Lever]

Shameless and poor attempt at a forgery. I have one of these Swedish tanker jackets made from elk hide. I believe they were dispatch riders or small light tankdrivers jackets. Originals unlike this one don't have side entry pockets as this Hein Gericke does.
They come up regularly in Europe for a few pounds. The originals for a couple of hundred.

 

[havocpaul]

That is a wartime period Swedish date stamp, seen often in their army coats (M1940-style) usually with the Swedish Crown which might have been covered up by that fake German makers' label....a deliberate attempt to deceive for sure.

 

[m444uk]

This one interested me:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0306017069

The seller is well known for sewing on shoulder buttons and denying it but this jacket does appear to have original shoulder bridges and hence Luftwaffe use ?

 

[Roughwear]

This one interested me:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0306017069

The seller is well known for sewing on shoulder buttons and denying it but this jacket does appear to have original shoulder bridges and hence Luftwaffe use ?

This guy has been discussed before. He has several Ebay identities and sells bike jackets and fakes them, claiming them to be genuine Luftwaffe jackets. The one you provided the link to also appears to have been doctored by him, albeit rather well. I can't understand why so many of his jackets sell for so much. He never gives any documentary evidence to link the jackets he sells with an actual Luftwaffe airman.

 

[John Lever]

That is a wartime period Swedish date stamp, seen often in their army coats (M1940-style) usually with the Swedish Crown which might have been covered up by that fake German makers' label....a deliberate attempt to deceive for sure.

The side pockets are not part of the original design though.

 

[m444uk]

Same seller as this interesting Czech made jacket which could well of been made in the Sudetenland 1938-42.

Check out the main zip

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SELDOM-GERMAN-LUF ... 0315943050

 

[m444uk]

This one interested me:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0306017069

The seller is well known for sewing on shoulder buttons and denying it but this jacket does appear to have original shoulder bridges and hence Luftwaffe use ?

This guy has been discussed before. He has several Ebay identities and sells bike jackets and fakes them, claiming them to be genuine Luftwaffe jackets. The one you provided the link to also appears to have been doctored by him, albeit rather well. I can't understand why so many of his jackets sell for so much. He never gives any documentary evidence to link the jackets he sells with an actual Luftewaffe airman.

Agreed. He does tell a good yarn though.....This jacket must date from the mid 30's or earlier.The condition is extraordinary, went for almost £600.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fliegerjacke-Luft ... 0314362603

 

[Baron Kurtz]

The jackets sell so well because they are generally, in and of themselves, outstanding examples of vintage (many pre-war) German leather. Therefore probably some of the finest leather jackets anyone will ever own. Some - I, for example - have no interest at all in the LW connection. (Though the LW connection probably pushes the price up a little) Most of these i see going in the 350 euro or so range, which i think is probably a fair price.

bk

 

[Roughwear]

Most of these bike jackets have no connection with the LW, but shoulder boards are added to give them "provenance" and inflate the price. One particular seller has several identities, buys up bike jackets and passes them off as LW jackets. As examples of 1930s/40s motorbike jackets they are usually of superb quality.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I agree re: the distastefulness of adding shoulder boards "LW buttons" etc. etc. But then, i find it equaly ridiculous to label any american cycle jacket a "Brando". Or Aero's recent (excellent) "Waterfront".

I guess - like the two i just mentioned - one can argue that calling it a LW jacket is simply marketing … but adding the boards and buttons is a little far. (And if they're not original features i would argue that this verges on desecration. Certainly mutilation.)

bk

 

[John Lever]

If it's a 44 then you can bet it's not a right one. Most of the jackets that are the real thing are very small, and will fit very thin men or youths.
Best bet is to buy a Hartmann from ELC.

 

[ADC]

Bumping this thread to make a confession. In my callow days I bought one of these jackets from a German Ebay seller who's name channels that longest day at Normandy.

Normally I would not have bought an LW jacket but this jacket was so nice I swallowed his/her schtick hook line and sinker. Is a Marseille style jacket, seal brown HH dating from early 30's in excellent condition aside from a couple of repairs and is a great vintage fit.
This seller who had a woman's name has excellent eye for fakery detail. The shoulder board mounts are perfectly aged and integrated. The thread for loops look authentic vintage. The double breasted LW pebble buttons appear authentic and even has the worn buttons on the button up side whilst on the dummy side they have less wear. She also put a genuine 1942 pfenning in the inside pocket. The seller also made light of the repairs that were more extensive than described.

I know I paid too much but around about the same as a good mid range jacket.
Positives are that it attracts so much positive attention that makes me too self conscious to wear it at times. I avoid the LW connection. And it taught me a good lesson to learn more about jackets and to also eventually to join this forum.