Jacket doesn’t seem right?

[Whatsit]

hi guys.
This jacket doesn’t seem right. Can anyone give me any info on it? The tags I’ve seen online always have more things written below the logo on the tag. This is blank. Also does anyone know the age based on the pictures. The owner was in his late 60’s and just claimed it meant a lot to him. He donated it to a church. I’m going to try and buy it. They want $40 for it

 

[Roughwear]

Welcome to VLJ. The jacket is fine. Just an orange labelled Cooper repro A2 which has been painted.

 

[Whatsit]

Thanks. You mean painted on the back? So it’s a repro. I knew it wasn’t a ww2 but thought perhaps still original. Is it worth the $40?

 

[Roughwear]

We don't value jackets here, so I'll let you decide if it is worth $40.

 

[Whatsit]

I didn’t want a value just wondering if it was still worth that price. Thank you kindly for your time

 

[Smithy]

As Andrew said it's a Cooper - probably an 80/90s job (?), not an original WWII jacket sorry. Coopers are a nice starter jacket which a lot of guys cut their A-2 teeth on. Price-wise, we don't really do that here but suffice to say it's not worth what an original is.

 

[Whatsit]

The old guy said he was a pilot for the Air Force. Is it a repro or is it an Air Force one just not a ww2 one which he never claimed it was? Please advise. Sorry for asking if it was worth that price

 

[Smithy]

It's a repro not a service issued jacket.

 

[Whatsit]

Thanks

 

[B-Man2]

Whatsit
Welcome to the forum. May I suggest that you consider becoming a member here simply by signing in to our “members bio section”. You’ll be able to participate and learn a great deal about jackets like yours and in about 24 hours you’ll know exactly what you have and what it’s worth simply by interacting with all of your new friends here. We are an International collection of hobbyists from around the world, so please consider this as an invitation to join our ranks.
Cheers
B-Man2

 

[tibor]

Now, all that said, I used to go out to the Yankee Air Force based there before it burned...was a member for a while. Nice guys and a nice collection of history. They had their B-17 then and still hoped to get a B-24, which was built right there at Willow Run. I kinda like that jacket’s lettering and the memories.

 

[Marv]

Yes as mentioned, it's a civilian market A2 made from goatskin - Cooper where the first US Government contract winner back in the late 1980's to supply the A2 to USAF when they brought it back into service issue.

The issued jackets went under the SADDLERY white label where as the sell offs to the civilian market went under the Cooper orange label and depending on the age of the jacket, say manufactured in the late 1980's, Cooper used exactly the same materials as the issued Saddlery A2s however, this changed shortly after with the USAF A2s being of better quality.

That being said, a Cooper A2 is a great starting jacket without breaking the bank, my first A2 was a Cooper orange label from around 1988 and I still have it to this day.

 

[Brettafett]

My first A-2 was also a Cooper, but I was lucky enough to get the 'commemorative' Edition, same jacket, just a different lining. Second A-2 was the orange label Cooper, which I passed on the my Dad. Robust and easy to wear jackets, modern cut and relatively roomy, a good start for the modern man. If the jacket fits you and you like the look of it, I would say yes to buying it.