Original Cooper A2 size 44

[aswatland]

The Cooper A-2, contract W535-AC-23381, is a rare jacket suggesting that it was a small contract. This one is a size 44. I have only seen them before in smaller sizes. It is similar to the RW 1401p in that it is made from very similar russet veg tanned, aniline dyed horse hide. It has many of the features of this RW contract except that that collar stand is a little wider, the collar tips are more rounded and the bottom of the pockets are bevelled. The zip is an early Conmar. As a size 44 its a comfortable jacket to wear. It has had a coat of of Pecards and the leather is now supple. The white size tag is still visible in the left pocket. Here are some pictures.

 

[aswatland]

And some more pics.

 

[Lt GUSTL]

Servus from Vienna,

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N ! :eusa_clap

kindest regards

 

[Fletch]

It is similar to the RW 1401p

It's more similar yet to RW's AC-23380, at least according to Marc at acmedepot.com. (Marc has no pix of a 23380, so he asks us to take his word for it.)

Someone on VLJ suggested Rough Wear could not finish contract 23380, so a second contract was placed with Cooper as 23381. Given the interlocking family ownership in many leather garment firms, transferring patterns or materials could have been easily arranged.

 

[aswatland]

It's more similar yet to RW's AC-23380, at least according to Marc at acmedepot.com. (Marc has no pix of a 23380, so he asks us to take his word for it.)

Someone on VLJ suggested Rough Wear could not finish contract 23380, so a second contract was placed with Cooper as 23381. Given the interlocking family ownership in many leather garment firms, transferring patterns or materials could have been easily arranged.

I own both RW contracts and in terms of leather it is closer to the 1401p. The other features of both RW contracts are very much the same. It is likely that the same firm made the 23380 RW label as the 23381 label. This is surely speculation about RW not being able to complete the 23380 contract. A large large company like RW would have been more likely to complete a contract than a smaller one. There are other examples of consecutive contract numbers being issued by the USAAF procurement officials at much the same time. The same applied to Irvin contract numbers. The USAAF required a specific number of jackets and needed several suppliers to deliver.