At Long Last: The Eastman D1 Mechanics Jacket Arrives

[Dumpster Diver]

This is NEWS to me! I didnt Realize Eastman Produced a D1 Jacket!!! Wow!

Looks amazing! Superb!

 

[kampkatz]

It is a rather fine example of a D-1. Don't abuse it to the point where it ends up looking like Sgt. Carter's D-1 from the old Hogan's Hero's tv show.

 

[Stand By]

Great jacket, BN ! It's a winner - and I love the bakelite lucky dice zip puller too! A nice personal touch ...
Oh, you won't be sending that back and asking for a refund ...! The D-1/B-6 jackets offer the perfect amount of warmth for a temperate climate like Britain's, IMO. As you say, it'll be able to handle the lion's share of the weather for 3 seasons with aplomb ... A great choice.

So did Gary offer you tea and biscuits on your grand day out ? I once emailed him and asked if I could make a train journey down from Sheffield and drop in for a couple of hours to make a purchase on one of my trips home and I didn't get a reply, so i'm really glad to hear that you had more luck ... I'd love to see where it all happens at ELC. Lucky you !!! Very envious

 

[HPA Rep]

Pocketless D-1s were the original spec. from 1937, whereas the pockets were added in late 1941; it's not likely any D-1s were produced w/ pockets until early 1942. Transitional D-1s had no pockets and were made using dark brown sheepskin or a combination of dark brown and "redskin" pelts, and the true, early-production D-1s of 1938-1941 were all "redskin" w/ no pockets.

Vintage D-1s are very rare due to the low-grade pelts they were authorized to be made from and the hard use they received. Pocketless D-1s are extremely rare but made of higher-grade pelts because they're pre-war, thus these will usually be fairly supple and not brittle. I've only seen a couple of the pocketless "redskin" D-1s in my life, one of which was like new but missing the spec. label. "Redskin" D-1s would be the extreme end of D-1 rarity. I regret not buying that "redskin" D-1 w/ out the label ...

Charles DiSipio
History Preservation Associates
E-mail: fragen@historypreservation.com
Phone: 856-489-8103
www.historypreservation.com