Lightly used RMC J 24

[johanhej]

Hi,

Long time lurker on this great forum.

The J-24 RMC jacket is a grail jacket of mine since I started researching D-pockets some years ago. I'm ready to take the plunge and found a second hand once from a nice guy.

I was hoping to get a second opinion from you guys. Only leather jacket with reasonable quality I own is an Edwin one in cowhide and this is definitly entry level, especially compared to this horsehide RMC.

Jacket looks good to my eye. It's not even a year old so it hasn't been treated.

There is some browning forming around the edges. Is this normal wear for this horsehide?
Does it wear like this quickly?
Should it be treated at this point?

Any advice on sizing?
I'm 184 cm 78 kg with fairly atheltic build. No broad shoulders though. Long arms.
Chest is pretty much exactly 100 cm ~39.4".
This jacket is size 42 I dont want to overshoot either since I'll wearing it over a t-shirt.

Thanks for input. I'm really stoked for this one.

And some label action. Cool detail inside pocket

 

[Guppy]

Some leathers wear faster than others. For a year old, this seems fast to me. Treating it with something will not help with the brown showing through behind the worn topcoat. This is simply the way the leather was made to wear. In time it will look amazing. You can probably go a good 10-20 years without needing to apply any treatment to it at all, unless you happen to get stuck in a downpour or something. Wear the hell out of it and enjoy it!

 

[dannyk]

The leather RMC uses on this jacket is an overdye black or teacore as its known. Theres a brown base underneath a black dye. It was made to wear through relatively quickly to show the brown and make it look vintage quickly. Some love this, some hate it. In terms of its actual condition its in great shape, shouldnt need any sort of treatments, and RMC are known for spot on stitching and quality. If you like the teacore effect then grab this one.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I have the same jacket in the same size, looks like sex, smells better. My chest is an inch or so bigger than yours but the jacket is very fitted on me, particularly in the shoulders but sleeves are slim too - if you end up having a little more room around the tits it will not matter as overall the fit is neat.

 

[johanhej]

The leather RMC uses on this jacket is an overdye black or teacore as its known. Theres a brown base underneath a black dye. It was made to wear through relatively quickly to show the brown and make it look vintage quickly. Some love this, some hate it. In terms of its actual condition its in great shape, shouldnt need any sort of treatments, and RMC are known for spot on stitching and quality. If you like the teacore effect then grab this one.

I see, thanks for describing. This considered, has it worn very quickly even though not even a year old?

I don't mind the teacore, in fact I think it looks great, but obviously I want to find a good as possible jacket so I can develop my own wear patterns. The jacket looks great, but it's a considerable purchase aswell

 

[VestCoast]

I think this is an ideal second-hand jacket if you're looking for a teacore patina. None of the wear in the photos is unique--the zipper and bottom hem will always wear off first, so no matter who wears the jacket it will pretty much look the same wear-wise at this point in its life. Back creases, honeycombs, underarms, and collar are where the most unique changes occur, and this jacket looks spotless in those areas. This jacket is awesome!

 

[dannyk]

Yup what @VestCoast said! With it being teacore no matter how deep the overdye is, or how quickly some makers have the wear happen it will always happen in those areas first. The edges around the bottom, sleeve openings, and around the zipper. They get touched the most and have a lot of contact with other surfaces. Completely normal for this type of leather. Youll have plenty of life in this jacket to make it your own. If its a fair price and a good fit, you said youre a fan of teacore then snatch this one up!

 

[johanhej]

Yup what @VestCoast said! With it being teacore no matter how deep the overdye is, or how quickly some makers have the wear happen it will always happen in those areas first. The edges around the bottom, sleeve openings, and around the zipper. They get touched the most and have a lot of contact with other surfaces. Completely normal for this type of leather. Youll have plenty of life in this jacket to make it your own. If its a fair price and a good fit, you said youre a fan of teacore then snatch this one up!

Thanks for response. Regarding the fit, I really do hope so. It's basically a 42 jacket for a 39.5 chest

Did Real Mccoys change the strength of the teacore over the years? I'm curious. I see some old jackets which seem to hold up really strong.

 

[dannyk]

Thanks for response. Regarding the fit, I really do hope so. It's basically a 42 jacket for a 39.5 chest

Did Real Mccoys change the strength of the teacore over the years? I'm curious. I see some old jackets which seem to hold up really strong.

I’m not an RMC history buff haha. But some around these parts are who can probably answer this for you. The one thing I can say is that over the years I’m sure they have changed formulas a bit. Plus something that if you start collecting you’ll find out is literally every batch of hide is different. You can order an RMC or an Aero or Langlitz in the same exact model, same hide, same everything and you’ll notice no two are exactly the same. Depending on the hides themselves, who’s handling them, are the dyes the same...so much goes into it that even in the same year literally every tanneries batches will turn out slightly differently even if imperceptible to 99.9% of people it’s there. Then the wear will depend on use. Some people will beat the crap out, water treat, hot water treat, sun bake, put it in the dryer with tennis balls to break in a jacket or to make it look used for aesthetic purposes. Some people will baby a jacket and it looks new 5 years in. It’s just very noticeable with this type of leather because of the rub off effect. But based on what was done to it and how it was worn with this type of dye job it can look vintage in a few months if the person wants it to. So unless you know the jackets history you won’t know how old it really is. Unless of course you contact the company and they have barcodes, tags, or labels they can use to actually tell you.