Original CBI Aero A2

[917_k]

Hi All,

This A-2 came up at an auction near me recently, but as it wasn’t possible to view I passed it up and it went unsold at £500. To date I’ve only really collected post war jackets, so know next to nothing about A-2s, just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on whether it was worth a punt at £500?It’s obviously pretty ropy and needs new knits, but the leather doesn’t look too bad (apart from the dirt and paint).

 

[mulceber]

I'm definitely going to say not worth it. In addition to the knits, there's the issue of that sleeve whose stitching is coming undone. If the stitching has failed there, it's probably just holding together in any number of places. The leather in the shoulder area also looks pretty dry. Unless you want it for display purposes only, I'd steer clear.

 

[917_k]

Cheers mulceber, pretty much what I feared and why I didn’t stick a bid on, definitely something I’d rather see in person for that kind of money. Oh well, the hunt continues. I did pick up a nice pair of A-11A trousers though:

 

[Micawber]

It is what it is. Without provenance it is an artefact. It would take a fair bit of time and patience to make wearable but with the patches, paint and potential rot it would be best served as a display piece.

Unsold at £500. Times are hard for a lot of people so I'm not surprised.

 

[Grant]

Looks like a good jacket to restore. Would they give you the opportunity to return it if the leather is dried out and stiff?
Lining and zip look in decent shape.
I'd ask for pics of the back of the jacket for tell tale dry rot.
FWIW, I've had worse conditions A-2's restored back to very wearable condition.
Also, the rare Kwik zip is cool!

 

[917_k]

Looks like a good jacket to restore. Would they give you the opportunity to return it if the leather is dried out and stiff?
Lining and zip look in decent shape.
I'd ask for pics of the back of the jacket for tell tale dry rot.
FWIW, I've had worse conditions A-2's restored back to very wearable condition.
Also, the rare Kwik zip is cool!

Unfortunately I don’t think they’re offering viewing at all, although they will provide further photos on request. Just feels like something I’d really want to handle and getter proper look at before dropping serious money. I no nothing of the value of A-2s, so had the response have been ‘grab it!’ I might have taken a punt, but I think as has been pointed out, it’s probably only really good for mounting and not a wearer.

 

[B-Man2]

As a few have said the jacket may be ok for restoration but unless you have a general idea of what needs to be restored before going into that be careful ..... it can be costly. A good analogy is ... it’s like stepping into a puddle , you never know how deep it is, until you’ve stepped into the middle of it.

 

[mulceber]

And that goes double when you're buying it just based on photos and haven't had a chance to inspect it.

 

[Brettafett]

Could be restored, but I recon this belongs in a private collection or a museum

 

[ausreenactor]

Those patches look just like the 'crumbly' ones on the Elite Unit offering by Eastman!