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Unusual original B-15

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
I picked up this nice B-15 recently. It was manufactured by Bobrich in 1944 and although it's a 34 it's sized like a 38 so fits me spot on. What's unusual about it is that it's made of a nylon/cotton blend. It must be what is known as 'Endzone twill' and it is of a heavier construction than the pure cotton B-15's. I thought at first that the zipper was a replacement because of the black tape but after examining the stitching, I'm positive that it's original. Another thing I hadn't seen before are the cord lined outer pockets. It's in really nice shape with some wear to the lower sleeves but these have been professionally repaired. The AAF decals are present on the left arm and inside the windflap but are very faint. There is an inspectors stamp inside one of the inner pockets. The mouton collar is perfect and all the knits are original with very little wear
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dujardin

Well-Known Member
hello Peter,

splendid one, what a rarities.
i envy you to find such an unusual jacket.
great.

byeeeeeeeee marcel
 

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
Miles_Archer said:
The zipper looks 1970's at earliest. Nylon, non-hbt tape with plastic at the bottom ends. Or am I seeing things?
Miles, you're right. I thought the same but the re stitching is so good that I convinced myself that it must be original until I examined it really closely. The thread is a slightly different colour. It's strange that someone would do such a good repair but using a modern zip with the wrong coloured tape. Now, who's got a vintage Conmar for sale ?
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
Great jacket Peter, and interesting maker ...

Their only other contract seems to be for the two piece, electrically heated flying suit, Type F3-A, which contained heating elements ... US Patent 2456468.

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bazelot

Well-Known Member
Great jacket Peter. Fits you like a glove.
I had a white collared B10 in the same material (I think it is rayon) The material is shinier than cotton and looks a lot more resistant.
 

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
bazelot said:
I had a white collared B10 in the same material (I think it is rayon) The material is shinier than cotton and looks a lot more resistant.
Tom, that's really interesting. I knew some B-15's were made of this material but not B-10's. Can you remember who the maker was ?
 

jnlight75

Member
I have one of the Buzz Rickson special edition B-10's made in 2000 out of the "end-zone twill" cloth. It is a rayon/cotton mix that looks like the B-15 pictured above. The jacket was apparently copied from a 1944 contract Oldin-Denis jacket made just before they switched to B-15 production. That's just the story, though- never actually seen the original jacket.
 

bazelot

Well-Known Member
Peter Graham said:
bazelot said:
I had a white collared B10 in the same material (I think it is rayon) The material is shinier than cotton and looks a lot more resistant.
Tom, that's really interesting. I knew some B-15's were made of this material but not B-10's. Can you remember who the maker was ?

Peter,
Here are some pics.
It's a white collar Rough Wear. Not your run of the mill B-10 :)
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