Star Sportswear A-2 - found at the Goodwill outlet bins

[Smithy]

certainly exciting to see and discuss. my original skepticism is diminishing and I think this is a wonderful find. would like to know more about the liner. for a jacket like this to show up with no wear or staining on the collar is still odd to me. some guys didn't wear their jackets on missions but left them behind and only wore them on off days, in the cold...

This could be from a desk pilot or admin type Edward, or even aircrew who held onto their A-2 when the cloth jackets started to be issued - as we know there were some who kept both.

Whatever it is, it's a wonderful jacket.

 

[Edward]

whoever tossed it out certainly didn't know what they were doing or didn't care. perhaps couldn't be bothered with research or online auctions.may have been an elderly person cleaning out and just letting it all go. I would think anyone middle-aged or younger would know to at least get some money out of it being leather. I'm still floored and in disbelief. lucky sob LOL!

 

[B-Man2]

Here’s a photo of the label of an original Star A2 to use as a comparison if that helps out a bit.

 

[Centaurus3200]

here's a clean one on fedora lounge. looks to be summer 1942 instead of spring 1942 judging by the order number?

ALMOST MINT STAR SPORTSWEAR A2

Star Sportswear had one contract with the USAAF and it was either labelled W535ac28557 or 42-18245-P. It appears to have been one of the smaller volume contracts. Star A2s rarely turn up for sale, but in the condition of the one below, almost never. I will post further pics when it arrives. And...

www.thefedoralounge.com

A-2 jacket

The Type A-2 leather flight jacket is a military flight jacket closely associated with World War II U.S. Army Air Forces pilots, navigators and bombardiers, who often decorated their jackets with squadron patches and elaborate artwork painted on the back. Sometimes casually referred to as a...

military.wikia.org

 

[Edward]

well, I did some limited research last year (and there is very little info to be had) about the AN inspectors. early on they were military personnel but quickly replaced with civilians due to the large amount of hands needed to look over and approve of the quality of products being shipped out. batch inspections were even done allowing for an inspector to grab one random jacket or other product from a pile of 50 and stamp it and let the entire batch go out... needed to be done considering the scale and haste to get items out to soldiers. each inspector had their own stamp ID number. if every Star Sportswear A-2 only had AN198 inside them then that tells me only one person in Lynn Mass. was hired to inspect their product which I find fascinating. I would be curious now to know what AN stamp number appears on other manufacturer jackets. I know some had much larger contracts and more contract years than others so other locations may have hired more than one inspector but for now it would appear Star Sportswear got a visit from the same person day after day full time. I wonder who he or she was? probably became a well liked friend known by first name and offered coffee and donuts upon each inspection day! so here's to you inspector AN198! LOL!

 

[Micawber]

I've just grabbed my GW Star and taken a few phone photos before I turn in for the night.

 

[Centaurus3200]

I've just grabbed my GW Star and taken a few phone photos before I turn in for the night. View attachment 20539View attachment 20540View attachment 20541View attachment 20542View attachment 20543

wow, that's like an unfair reproduction. how the heck are you supposed to tell the difference between it and the "real thing"? (if mine is indeed the real thing).

i think perhaps i should just send GW the pics and see what they think?

 

[Micawber]

wow, that's like an unfair reproduction. how the heck are you supposed to tell the difference between it and the "real thing"? (if mine is indeed the real thing).

i think perhaps i should just send GW the pics and see what they think?

Can you grab a photo of the tag inside the pocket?

 

[Centaurus3200]

i'll look again, but i think it's missing.

Can you grab a photo of the tag inside the pocket?

 

[Micawber]

Couple more phone pics taken under a daylight lamp. It's gone midnight so that's me done for now.

 

[B-Man2]

Your GW Star has aged very nicely Steve!
Looks great!

 

[jeremiah]

Centaurus,
you are very lucky to have found a jacket of which the leather seems to be in excellent condition.
I would not say it is stiff, I 'd say you are probably used to lambskin jackets. Horsehide is more stiff by nature. Don't jump to conclusions that it is stiff. Compare your leather with those from makers such as GW and ELC and you see that yours is less stiff than theirs.

I am totally against using renapur or vaseline on this gem. It is clear from the photos that it doesn't need any of that. Don't forget that vaseline has been accused for corroding the cotton threads.

I would also like to add that we witness in the OP the original seal color of the original Star A-2 jackets and that the dark seal pushed by some vendors (and almost established) is only a myth.

For comparison here's Eastman's dark seal

You can easily see that the color has nothing to do with that of the original.

Could you cite a source to back up your theory that vasoline has been accused of corroding the threads? It’s ph neutral so probably is easier on the threads than other products out there. My source would be in interview from John Chapman who has handled and re conditioned a fair share of originals that were later sold off to people and some members here.

I do agree that the leather doesn’t need conditioning based on the photos though.

 

[Centaurus3200]

Okay, I was wrong, the size tag is still inside the pocket. What a pita to get an in focus shot!

 

[Centaurus3200]

And a less than pristine wear section. Guy must have been a right hander

I have a tailor I trust. How about using very close color thread to reinforce the knits? Is there wool thread? I'm sure there's folks who know how to do this?

The guy rips apart Isaia Napoli and Kiton all day long for reference.

I don't really care about the knit holes, but it's not like they're gonna get better with age.
Again, I'll wear this jacket probably less than 7 times a year. Definitely to the USS Hornet at some point!

 

[jeremiah]

Hmmm. My take was that it might have been a repro but the more i look at the pores, modern repros I have seen don’t look like that.
And the finish is certainly pigment now that I see that wear. Aniline dye does not wear like that.

 

[Jorgeenriqueaguilera]

Yes, it looks like an original to me, too!

 

[Centaurus3200]

Oh, and if y'all take issue with a local menswear tailor dealing with the knits, the bay area provides. There's Johnson Leathers, Golden Bear and Just Leather within a 50 mile radius.

I'm feelin' Alan at Johnson?

 

[Skyhawk]

main question is a little Bick 4 or just wear it? no, i wouldn't use Vaseline.
yes, i would like a definitive on how best to preserve it... AND wear it like 5 some odd times a year.

so, basically, brush it off and wear it. don't worry about it being stiff and dry?

No don't wear it if it is dry. You can crack the hide at the stress points and the places where it folds. I don't know about your Bic 4 stuff but you would have to research the ingredients. I know Renapur is safe as I have thoroughly tested it for yeas on vintage leather jackets. Any conditioner may darken the jacket a little but it will lighten up as the conditioner wears in and wears off.

The bottom line is, if you are going to wear it, and it is dry at all, you run the risk of damaging it if you don't condition it. If you just plan on displaying it, that's a different story.

Those knits are no big deal to repair. A lot of us here darn up our own. I have done mine for years. A decent tailor should be able to do it but be careful that they are not over done. The idea is to make the repair as invisible as possible, not necessarily as strong as possible. Most tailors will do the strongest repair approach & will usually result in a very visible and noticeable repair.

Wool is not used to darn these. Cotton thread is best and color matching is vital.

Best Regards,
Jay

 

[jeremiah]

Conditioning a already dried out jacket is pointless in my opinion. If you know anything about leather you will understand that once a leather gets to the brittle stage any conditioner added will only temporarily restore some flex. I won’t get into the details as this can be googled. Best you can do is add the conditioner and display it.

That said I can tell from pics the leather is far from dried out.

Jay I am really surprised you can’t tell that from the pics provided. Guess making a jacket does not make one an expert on leather used to make said jacket.

 

[Skyhawk]

Conditioning a already dried out jacket is pointless in my opinion. If you know anything about leather you will understand that once a leather gets to the brittle stage any conditioner added will only temporarily restore some flex.

That said I can tell from pics the leather is far from dried out.

Jay I am really surprised you can’t tell that from the pics provided. Guess making a jacket does not make one an expert on leather used to make said jacket.

Oh I know plenty about leather but thanks for the concern.. Just like you said, "restoring some flex" is what you are after to wear it. You can't reverse damage but you can restore flex and reduce stress on the weak areas. Plus prevent further damage. That's the point.

The jacket looks good but the OP said it was stiff and dry. That is what I am addressing.

I have restored original A-2's that were stiff as a board, back to a supple wearable condition. Not at all bad for the longevity of the jacket either. So I disagree that it is pointless to condition a dry jacket.

We have discussed this countless times in the past 10 years on this forum but you were not here then, so maybe some review is in order.