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Looks original to me. Leather looks good, typical red undertones of Aeroleather. Typical Aero mustard lining. Label looks original. Knits possibly....
Artwork? Well that's a weird one. Looks original, however 'Top hatters' were a Navy outfit. But possibly 1st Pursuit/ Fighter Group (P-38s originally)...
Any other info? Provenance?
To me.... And I may be very wrong... But, to me it looks original. And if so, its well worth $600. In fact IF it is an original, and the painting is original, and it may very well be, then $600 is a bargain.
If you are into collecting originals, this could be a lucky find etc.
Brett, if the artwork is original it has to be from a bomber or possibly fight bomber unit due to the bomb marks. That thing that looks a bit like a train would seem to suggest a FB unit though if it is indeed a train marking. I actually think The Top Hatters reference could well be referring to the 310th FS (who were also known as the Top Hats or Top Hatters) and who flew P-47s in the FB role during WWII and F-84s in the FB role during Korea.
If someone wants to get the contact of the guy, just send me a message. For an original, 600$ is really good price i think as it looks quite well preserved
It’s not a blatantly obvious fake, nor obviously miss-identified like the jacket called an “A-1” in post #10, but is it possible to tell from photographs? It looks like it has a later version Talon M-41 nickel-plated zipper, but I don’t know if that matters (W 535 ac-21996 was noted using M-41 Crown No. 5 zippers).
I think the price is good for a cool jacket anyway. I wouldn’t call it real though until I ensured the patch on the front went with the painted art on the back, name on the label checked out with the right squadron, etc. Considering Smithy’s comment in post #8, A-2’s were available after WWII so if it was used in service post-WWII how would that impact the value?
The jacket itself looks original, but I'm not too sure about the patches and artwork. The patch ghost on the shoulder does look like it had a CBI shield on it at one point, along with another circular patch.
The chest patch is for the 11th Bomb Squadron, which flew B-25's in the CBI for the duration of the war. From what I've seen online "Mr. Jiggs" crosses the opposite direction, from right to left, on original patches, but it could be a rare theater-made variation. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/for...quadron-10th-and-14th-air-force-catf-and-cbi/
The back art looks pretty old from the picture, but way more like ETO art, like 8th or 9th Air Force. Painting on the back of jackets in the CBI was incredibly rare, usually a blood chit if anything at all. We would need to see some close ups of the patch and artwork, plus the inside lining where the patch is sewn on, to determine how long ago it was added.
I'm far from an expert, and I'm not definitively saying this one is bad, just without provenance there are a few red flags and we should be careful.