Inspiration LA 2023

[Marc mndt]

This was an amazing jacket from the 30’s but it was kind of toasty.

Reminds me of this 'Westerner'

 

[jeo]

And here’s the man himself Mr, Tanaka

 

[jeo]

People call him different names but he introduced himself to me as Teddy (I now know where the name Thedi comes from). What an amazing guy! That’s me in the other jacket I bought. Mint Beck 333 from the 40’s.

And here’s a pic I got with @TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead and Dave Himel

 

[jeo]

@jeo great pics thanks for sharing. Congrats on the buco, great score. We usually see these steerhide ones totally beat up with lots of 'teacore'. This one was well taken care of. So you actually met the first owner?

Is that the recently discussed Freenote x Himel collab I see there? Did you have a chance to try it on?

View attachment 505840

Yes, I met and bought the jacket from the original owner. She said she purchased new in 1964 or 1965. Sweet (but badass) little old lady!

That was indeed the collab jacket. It was a large size so I didn’t bother trying it on.

The shoulder is dropped that’s why the sleeves were so short in the measurements. That’s how the originals are.

 

[Marc mndt]

That’s how the originals are.

Wow, that original looks absolutely amazing on you. What a jacket, 100% grail material.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Great pictures!

I've never been so simultaneously happy and sad to have missed an event.

 

[58panheadfan]

@jeo Thank you very much for the unselfish time you took to take the many beautiful photos with interesting comments for all those who could not be there themselves!

 

[willyto]

THanks for the pics @jeo !

Theodoros is like ZEUS. He's the god of the leather jackets or something. He must be the coolest man to exist.

 

[Will Zach]

THanks for the pics @jeo !

Theodoros is like ZEUS. He's the god of the leather jackets or something. He must be the coolest man to exist.

He's just visiting from Mount Olympus.

 

[Gypsymoth82]

Thank you @jeo for these pictures! I'm so glad you tracked that Buco down. It's a special jacket and the fact that you actually met the owner is so rad. Also that Beck! You are clearly a man after my own heart, and I'm taking that pic of you with David as a sign that maybe it's time to think about one of his 333's....though nothing beats mint vintage like you've just scored.

 

[tmitchell59]

Thanks for the great Pics!

Now, what about prices? Sales?

I saw a couple of price tags! The one Levi had a $8500 tag! Saw another that looked crisp and it had $850.

Do you believe the jackets were for sale or just for show? There were obviously some rare and desirable jackets.

I did guitar shows for years, never been to anything with vintage cloths.

Are the shows like this in the mid-west, like Chicago area?

I saw a few ebay jackets on there! At least one, Roughwear I regret not buying.

Any stuff like catalogs/advertising for sale?

Anyone have knowledge of the Buco linings we discussed?

Thanks for the post.

 

[photo2u]

The seller is a super nice lady. She is selling some wonderful jackets including some in the images seen in Jeo's post. I mentioned the forum and she might post some of her jackets here.

 

[Mister Rivets]

It was nice meeting Thedi and the other TFL members I ran into there.

 

[tmitchell59]

I recently sold a Hercules like this in brown. This one was listed at $2500 marked down to $2200. Yes it is most probably a Roughwear Co. jacket. I sold mine for considerable less.

This Rough In was on ebay, the one I regret not buying.

Early 50s Ralphs-Pugh horsehide. I've got this jacket. It has the finest Horsehide I have encountered, way beyond Buco and and most of the others. Like to know the price on this one.

 

[tmitchell59]

The seller is a super nice lady. She is selling some wonderful jackets including some in the images seen here. I mentioned the forum and she might post some of her jackets here. View attachment 505982

Are her jackets affordable? Looks like some nice ones. Where is she from? Does anyone have a list of sellers or know where I could find one?

 

[handymike]

Here’s a list of exhibitors:
https://inspirationla.com/exhibitor
Some of the squares are links to the individual websites.

 

[photo2u]

Come to think of it, It was a little bittersweet for me. I saw two jackets that I was snipped on eBay. The HD Cycle King in red/black plaid and a nice cross zip. I was hoping that the jackets went to a collector like myself but as I suspected a reseller. When I saw the actual jacket on a rack, I asked the seller about the jacket. He gave me a story. That is like pouring salt on a wound. However, there were some sellers who did have nice jackets for sale and were part of collections. there was one from a very nice person. Also, I almost pull the trigger on a nice HD cap but the seller was asking way too much over the retail going rate. What is intriguing to me was a particular jacket I saw. It had all the characteristics of the early 50s cycle king. Leather, stitching, and plaid lining. However, the jacket did not have a name tag. For me, this would settle the wondering question of who made the jacket for Harley.

 

[photo2u]

Are her jackets affordable? Looks like some nice ones. Where is she from? Does anyone have a list of sellers or know where I could find one?

Her jackets were not affordable. However, she did have some classic ones. I particularly liked her HD collection. Correction, She is from Ventura California. Her name is Pat. Her exhibitor's name is Pat and Mike. Her husband Mike passed away some three years ago. Very nice person. Excellent collection

 

[tmitchell59]

Here’s a list of exhibitors:
https://inspirationla.com/exhibitor
Some of the squares are links to the individual websites.

Perfect! Thanks handy!

 

[tmitchell59]

Come to think of it, It was a little bittersweet for me. I saw two jackets that I was snipped on eBay. The HD Cycle King in red/black plaid and a nice cross zip. I was hoping that the jackets went to a collector like myself but as I suspected a reseller. When I saw the actual jacket on a rack, I asked the seller about the jacket. He gave me a story. That is like pouring salt on a wound. However, there were some sellers who did have nice jackets for sale and were part of collections. there was one from a very nice person. Also, I almost pull the trigger on a nice HD cap but the seller was asking way too much over the retail going rate. What is intriguing to me was a particular jacket I saw. It had all the characteristics of the early 50s cycle king. Leather, stitching, and plaid lining. However, the jacket did not have a name tag. For me, this would settle the wondering question of who made the jacket for Harley.

Here is an early unlabeled cycle queen with a HD belt. This one was near mint. I like HD designs, but am always suspect of their leather quality. I'm guessing several makers did HD jackets through the years and quality changed with each maker. A lot of jackets with HD labels were produced in the 50s.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2E6GyMSR9zoRoXi52