Leather Jacket Collecting on a Budget

[Johnny Deadlifts]

I think the notion of an average price is impossible. Unless you put a blanket over it. Average pre-owned/ vintage (under $1K, well maybe, depending on 8 billion specifics)

Average new $500-1k and up from there, depending on roughly another 8 billion things.

Her are two jackets that cost under $200 :
View attachment 434214 View attachment 434216
I could post tons more….
It would unfair and untrue to tell someone new to this hobby they will have the same luck, because in all likelihood, they will not. Based on scarcity of product, lack of “institutional knowledge”, and of course, pure dumb luck.

@Coriu, I have noticed that the majority of your threads/posts seem to be focused on the money spent in this hobby. To me, this is in poor taste. It’s not your business and I’m not sure why you care. This thread would’ve been better off with the premise: “best bang for your buck for the noob leather jacket aficionado”.

There are plenty of resources for that here.

The day I can find jackets under $200 (that fit like the ones you post) will be a very happy day indeed lol. Experience is highly valued on this forum without a doubt.

 

[Coriu]

after seeing the OP, this thread has gone down the exact road expected. Lots of circling around the issue. The OP just isn't an appropriate question. Asking people how much they spend is a personal matter. I know people ask this about anything, how much do you spend on groceries, cars, childcare, etc. Although perfectly "fair" questions, just not really proper to ask. strangers, how much do you spend. its up to each person to figure out and its easy enough to look around a bit and see what the various types of jackets cost. I don't thing the OP is "wrong" or anything bad, just perhaps a misstep.

...just a perspective. Some people grew up with the internet and such forums. I did not.

This is only the second time I have ever participated. It can be a VERY confusing place for us dinosaurs trying to figure out what is appropriate and what is not on the internet. Some things on the internet are shocking to me and I will likely never do, even though they are considered "acceptable." Yet other things are taboo. So, it's been a process of testing the limits and learning along the way.

I would NEVER ask someone face-to-face about money matters. Since we are all technically anonymous on here, I thought some might find it OK to discuss. But if many of you know each other behind the scenes, I can see why that might not be the case. I find interesting that some have no issue discussing what appears to be a steady stream of acquisitions coming their way. That is something old collectors typically would not do. We typically tried to those secret.

I will NEVER post my photo on here. Why? God forbid any student or parent found it. I say with utmost certainty that some conservative parent would have it all over the internet that I share my pictures with other "leathermen" on some gay website and my teaching career would be ruined. It is sad, but absolutely true. If you think not, you are naive as to what is taking place in our schools today.

This whole concept of sharing photos with strangers is very odd to me. Am NOT saying it is wrong. If your advice to me is to "loosen up old daddy," well...why are we still so tight about discussing money with strangers when we have no issues sharing our very personal photos with complete strangers, some of whom could be perverts who could get our address through a transaction. It's a rhetoric question. Please don't respond LOL

My point is simply to have patience with each other. Norms on the internet seem to be a moving target. Certainly did not mean to offend anyone talking about money.

 

[handymike]

I'm not offended by someone asking here on TFL. In fact, I'm proud of my finds (and one could probably uncover what I paid if they did some research anyway). Being an anonymous Internet Character is fun, and it allows a for certain amount of candor. If you randomly came up to me on the street and asked, I wouldn't be as forthcoming.

 

[Carlos840]

This is a great idea! Maybe with a brand list and general pricing. Something we could do collectively

I think this is a bad idea.

I tried to give helpful information and was instantly branded as "wildly wealthy" by someone who knows nothing about me. I was then told i was not an average Joe and my opinion was not helpful to average Joes...
I think the fact that this forum is about jackets, not how much they cost is great as it unites all of us within one passion whatever our budgets.
Coriu is IMO being divisive and weird and i want nothing to do with that.
Lets keep money talks in the classifieds!

 

[Canuck Panda]

Luck. Is the only thing that matters when it comes to getting the right jacket for the right price. There is no mathematical equation behind this hobby or any hobby. Until luck can be quantifiable, and repeatable, every jacket experience is going to be unique.

Taobao sells new leather jackets for under $50 dollars. I had one.
Himel sells his repro leather jackets for over $2500 dollars. I got one used for just less than half the price. But this gent apparently got one for $38 dollars. $38 dollars.
http://afine-toothcomb.blogspot.com/2020/02/in-review-i-thrifted-2450-leather.html

The only certain thing here is the photos. There are no bad photos. Every photo helps. Fit photos, thrown on the ground photo, with bike photo...etc. Keep posting photos! Thank you!

 

[ton312]

this is only the second time I have ever participated. It can be a VERY confusing place for us dinosaurs trying to figure out what is appropriate and what is not on the internet.

According to your profile, you are 52? LOOOL!!
That's 4 years older than me...you consider yourself a dinosaur?!?!? At 52????

I will NEVER post my photo on here. Why? God forbid any student or parent found it. I say with utmost certainty that some conservative parent would have it all over the internet that I share my pictures with other "leathermen" on some gay website and my teaching career would be ruined. It is sad, but absolutely true. If you think not, you are naive as to what is taking place in our schools today.

This must be a product of where you live. I suspect a rural, small community outside any sort of metropolitan center? I've worked in a high school for the past 20 years. There is absolutely no way on earth posting in this forum would be associated with the "gay leatherman community" you decribe. I don't even know how you make that connection. Frankly you can find far, far more overt sexual content on Insta, Snap Chat and tik tok and you'd best believe if your students have access to any kind of technology, what they have seen there is on a completely different level than ANYTHING posted here.

 

[Carlos840]

According to your profile, you are 52? LOOOL!!
That's 4 years older than me...you consider yourself a dinosaur?!?!? At 52????


This must be a product of where you live. I suspect a rural, small community outside any sort of metropolitan center? I've worked in a high school for the past 20 years. There is absolutely no way on earth posting in this forum would be associated with the "gay leatherman community" you decribe. I don't even know how you make that connection. Frankly you can find far, far more overt sexual content on Insta, Snap Chat and tik tok and you'd best believe if your students have access to any kind of technology, what they have seen there is on a completely different level than ANYTHING posted here.

I don't know man, Randy has forever linked the TFL community with the Leatherman community:

 

[Kenan]

I think this is a bad idea.

I tried to give helpful information and was instantly branded as "wildly wealthy" by someone who knows nothing about me. I was then told i was not an average Joe and my opinion was not helpful to average Joes...
I think the fact that this forum is about jackets, not how much they cost is great as it unites all of us within one passion whatever our budgets.
Coriu is IMO being divisive and weird and i want nothing to do with that.
Lets keep money talks in the classifieds!

Well yeah you definitely got attacked in this thread which wasn’t fair and it wasn’t very constructive… I mean a general guide to collecting jackets might be a cool idea. Sources, brands and so on.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

Here's what I've noticed after buying/selling about 70 used jackets.

$75-125 range. If all you're after is a leather jacket because you like the look, attitude, whatever, and you're on a super tight budget, there are solid options that will check off a lot of boxes. Brooks, Kehoe, Branded, Fidelity, etc. Some years/labels are better than other, so you have to do some homework, but this is a great entry point to try different styles, colors, patterns, etc.

$275-350 range. Here you can get into some brand recognition and significant upgrade in leather "quality" (thicker, more potential for evolution, etc.) Cal Leathers, Vanson, older Schott. IMO, it's worth it to save up a little more over the first tier and start here, but I have also seen some incredible sub $100 jackets.

$500-650 range. Now you get to taste the mid and some higher tiers. Again, "nicer" leather, more brand recognition, etc. Aero, newer/special edition Schott, Langlitz. If you know your style, know your measurements, know what you want, this is a great tier to pick up a life long jacket. Most of the price hit is factored in already, so you can afford a couple mistakes here as most of these jackets can be resold at little loss.

After that, the next tier is probably $1000-1200 range, but since the focus here seems to be on less expensive price points, don't need to say much more.

I also haven't factored in a lot of the vintage stuff I see Terry, Ton, etc. picking up at what seems like very fair prices. Don't know enough about them, but there also seems to be a magic tier in the $300-500 range there as well if you want something truly heritage, etc.

 

[Coriu]

According to your profile, you are 52? LOOOL!!
That's 4 years older than me...you consider yourself a dinosaur?!?!? At 52????


This must be a product of where you live. I suspect a rural, small community outside any sort of metropolitan center? I've worked in a high school for the past 20 years. There is absolutely no way on earth posting in this forum would be associated with the "gay leatherman community" you decribe. I don't even know how you make that connection. Frankly you can find far, far more overt sexual content on Insta, Snap Chat and tik tok and you'd best believe if your students have access to any kind of technology, what they have seen there is on a completely different level than ANYTHING posted here.

I'm not 52. And I do live in a rural, extremely conservative community in Virginia..not too far from a Civil War battlefield. Have you ever lived in a rural community in the South?

 

[ton312]

I'm not 52. And I do live in a rural, extremely conservative community in Virginia..not too far from a Civil War battlefield. Have you ever lived in a rural community in the South?

I lived in Kentucky for a short while. I loved it actually but in retrospect it was great as a kid but would probably be the last place I’d want to live as an adult or a teen for that matter.

Those ultra conservative parents that would accuse anyone of being “gay leathermen” for visiting this site would almost certainly be the same ones dressed as latex dolls in a basement whilst being whipped and ridden like ponies.

 

[steve u]

As Seinfeld said" Not that there's anything wrong with that"

 

[JMax]

Luck. Is the only thing that matters when it comes to getting the right jacket for the right price. There is no mathematical equation behind this hobby or any hobby. Until luck can be quantifiable, and repeatable, every jacket experience is going to be unique.

Taobao sells new leather jackets for under $50 dollars. I had one.
Himel sells his repro leather jackets for over $2500 dollars. I got one used for just less than half the price. But this gent apparently got one for $38 dollars. $38 dollars.
http://afine-toothcomb.blogspot.com/2020/02/in-review-i-thrifted-2450-leather.html

The only certain thing here is the photos. There are no bad photos. Every photo helps. Fit photos, thrown on the ground photo, with bike photo...etc. Keep posting photos! Thank you!

Luck for sure. But you can make your own luck by spending ridiculous, probably pathological, amounts of time sifting through eBay, Etsy, etc. lol.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Luck for sure. But you can make your own luck by spending ridiculous, probably pathological, amounts of time sifting through eBay, Etsy, etc. lol.

Increase the odds. I like that.

 

[barnabus]

This thread has gone a weird way.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

...just a perspective. Some people grew up with the internet and such forums. I did not.

This is only the second time I have ever participated. It can be a VERY confusing place for us dinosaurs trying to figure out what is appropriate and what is not on the internet. Some things on the internet are shocking to me and I will likely never do, even though they are considered "acceptable." Yet other things are taboo. So, it's been a process of testing the limits and learning along the way.

I would NEVER ask someone face-to-face about money matters. Since we are all technically anonymous on here, I thought some might find it OK to discuss. But if many of you know each other behind the scenes, I can see why that might not be the case. I find interesting that some have no issue discussing what appears to be a steady stream of acquisitions coming their way. That is something old collectors typically would not do. We typically tried to those secret.

I will NEVER post my photo on here. Why? God forbid any student or parent found it. I say with utmost certainty that some conservative parent would have it all over the internet that I share my pictures with other "leathermen" on some gay website and my teaching career would be ruined. It is sad, but absolutely true. If you think not, you are naive as to what is taking place in our schools today.

This whole concept of sharing photos with strangers is very odd to me. Am NOT saying it is wrong. If your advice to me is to "loosen up old daddy," well...why are we still so tight about discussing money with strangers when we have no issues sharing our very personal photos with complete strangers, some of whom could be perverts who could get our address through a transaction. It's a rhetoric question. Please don't respond LOL

My point is simply to have patience with each other. Norms on the internet seem to be a moving target. Certainly did not mean to offend anyone talking about money.

“I will NEVER post my photo on here.“

Don’t post your face....how the hell would anybody ever know it was you??
B

 

[Viking752]

Luck for sure. But you can make your own luck by spending ridiculous, probably pathological, amounts of time sifting through eBay, Etsy, etc. lol.

I resemble that remark

 

[oneterrifichog]

As a Southerner I post photos on here all the time including my face. While I understand your trepidation, especially as a teacher in todays world and in the South. My attitude is a little different towards folks down here in Tennessee and Georgia. I am sure you know the saying "Well Bless their hearts" and what it really means. But that's me and not you.

All I can say is read on and check out the jackets that folks put up and get ideas from them. If you get to a point where you want to order a jacket from one of the manufacturers you can put your own input into the style you prefer and get a great jacket you can wear for awhile or a lifetime.

Also learn as much as you can by checking out posted jackets here. Go to sites like Aero, Langlitz and Lost Worlds, Inc. so that when a used jacket pops up on ebay or here that fits your criteria you can snatch it at a reduced price. Personally I look at the Sale section of Aero for better pricing and ebay if perused early enough will sometimes yield real bargains.

Good luck and enjoy your searching. Welcome to the site it's actually pretty cool.

OTH

 

[zebedee]

Don't overthink it. The main purpose of this thread was to give newbies a sense of hope that I can play in this game without busting the bank. Think about this from the perspective of a person completely new to leather jackets with little concept of cost of these jackets. What price range should I consider? What is realistic? When I started, I had NO idea what that range should be...not a clue.

For me, part of the fun and challenge of collecting is limiting myself to what I spend and seeing what I can come up with. Based upon my taste and tolerance, I've established a basic target range(bracketed by the average price) that I rarely veer from. That range might be different for different people depending upon their budget, tastes, etc.

One thing I've learned from spending my life around collectors of many types...if one is willing to spend "X" today for something, they'll likely have no issue justifying it tomorrow if a nice shiny new thing comes along. Some are disciplined enough not to, but many aren't.

There may be some new people out there thinking, "I could never afford to collect leather jackets." And many likely could not if they buy new or splurge on $900 used jackets. But if patient and willing to buy used, you one could have 5 beautiful jackets in your closet for $1500.

I don't see how this will generate an answer. It depends on so many factors. What type, quality, price range and variety therein would constitute a 'collection'? There is sometimes a correlation between price and quality and/or durability, but not always. In terms of self-discipline, that, too is varied and somewhat subjective. 'Busting the bank' hinges on how much you make, what percentage you save, what your other needs are, dependants, debts and the like. Would a collection include well-sized jackets or would the collector not worry that much? The only person who knows what price range to consider is you.