Praying for strength . . .

[ton312]

Now reward your good senses with a new jacket!

LOL!

 

[Monitor]

Yeah, what Ton says. Buco thing is just a fad. They look nice but let's not forget they were mass produced jackets of okay quality that doesn't even draw near some other brands of the era, like the Cal, Bates, etc.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: if it wasn't for that book and Tanaka's utterly baseless claims, you'd be lucky to hock one for two hundred dollars.

It's really cool reading about any new jackets you guys buy, mostly 'cause it makes me feel better about my stupid purchases but I also hate it when people throw away money something that's not worth it, especially if they don't really even have the first clue why they bought it.
Ask yourself, why were you really willing to drop that kinda money on an old, crusty jacket? Would you even consider buying it if it didn't have a Buco tag? If it was a HD or a Reed? All very similar jackets. Or if the tag has fallen off and you didn't know what it was? Would it fit equally well and have patina that's just as nice?

Buco simply isn't worth a $3xxx. Not by a long shot. And I wish it'd stop already. Buco jackets aren't special. They're not even rare. Buy another RMC instead.

 

[ButteMT61]

I'm with @Monitor - this stuff gets to be hyped-up homemade bunk at a certain point.
I'd rather spend $1.5k-$2k on a known, rare Aviator's jacket such as an A-2 of known provenance.
The Japanese have made pricing for this general genre of clothing ridiculous, and I hope we here are smart enough to know better...indeed the handful of Buco I've handled to me were about as special as any other old leather jacket. All of the makers we buy from here making modern repops kill those old jackets for quality, and if one wants the broken in look, you can't own 50 jackets and wear each one twice 7x a year and hope it breaks in! (geared towards ALL of us).
The best thing I did - starting intentionally and then due to lack of extra money - was to cut down and wear a few regularly...

 

[Worf]

You did the right thing.... In these uncertain times....

Worf

 

[navetsea]

save some pictures of that old buco and use it as motivational poster to wear your rmc repro more.

 

[Superfluous]

^ Keen observations Monitor, Butte and Ton. The allure and mystique of the label was definitely driving my interest. I just took a look at my RMC repro J-100 -- dare I say, I like it more.

Many thanks to everyone for their sage advice . . . . and, to the maniacal enablers, thank you as well . . . . gotta love this community.

 

[ton312]

I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts, had you brought that Buco home, and hung it next to your RMC or Himmel, you would've felt sick to your stomach.

 

[Monitor]

I've been there. And learned the hard way that something that I thought I really wanted ultimately wasn't worth the $$$ I paid for it.

TFL members that are much wiser than me often say pay what you believe the jacket is worth to you and ultimately, with those old jackets, that's what it's all about because we've long established there's no definitive measure of worth, or at least not one we all share so if it truly is all that and if you have the money than by all means, buy it. But I've learned that it's always more worth waiting a bit because something else will come along - even when you think that's no longer possible.

Lastly, $3K is too much for a Buco. Even at the crazy heritage market rate and even if I was a millionaire, I'd still feel kinda silly spending as much while knowing that I could find the exact same jacket on eBay going for 1/3 of that price at virtually any moment. It's too much money.

Super, go to that store tomorrow with a measuring tape and a camera and send the photos and the numbers to Good Wear. I'm sure he can find a similar looking leather and not only will you save a good $1500 but you also won't have to worry if the ancient cotton thread won't turn to dust on you after the first rain.

 

[ButteMT61]

I've done it too - not with jackets though. You let yourself get sucked into something inanimate and then it's hard to say no to your inner, smarter self. I'm all for enabling here, but at a certain point, you really need to try and hold back.
You did right, IMO.

 

[bn1966]

Sometimes the head has to over-rule the heart & you are later grateful for it.
This thread has brought out my multiple personalities...BUY...DON'T...BUY...DON'T
I recently sold everything I don't wear regularly (even if it was rare); Much happier now my wardrobe is a wardrobe & not a collection. Enjoying the jackets that are 'Keepers' all the more...and the freed up space in the loft

 

[ProteinNerd]

I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts, had you brought that Buco home, and hung it next to your RMC or Himmel, you would've felt sick to your stomach.

Or thrown it on ebay for some ridiculously wealthy hipster to snap up at a healthy profit??....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[nick123]

Buco Boycott

 

[bretron]

The "Buco-thing" is as much of a fad as the "Levi's-thing." That said, you shouldn't pay more than $800 for a J100 regardless of the fit. Patience......... you now know what you really want

 

[58panheadfan]

I recently sold everything I don't wear regularly (even if it was rare); Much happier now my wardrobe is a wardrobe & not a collection. Enjoying the jackets that are 'Keepers' all the more...and the freed up space in the loft

Did the same over last few months... much more better feeling now... had too many (leather) jackets and too little lifetime left For now my (leather) jacket/lifetime balance is ok... till my next purchase - LOL -!

To OP: Otherwise you can buy an original just once... but you can get a copy countless times also, it's a personal thing (and not a market one) what's worth for you...

 

[ton312]

The "Buco-thing" is as much of a fad as the "Levi's-thing." That said, you shouldn't pay more than $800 for a J100 regardless of the fit. Patience......... you now know what you really want

What's crazy is the brooks/Kehoe/Reed equivalent can be had for around or well under $200. These companies all worked congruently and with each other!! That's a very expensive little nylon tag!

 

[58panheadfan]

What's crazy is the brooks/Kehoe/Reed equivalent can be had for around or well under $200. These companies all worked congruently and with each other!! That's a very expensive little nylon tag!

But they are not a BUCO - the name (call for the name) makes the price ... and not best value for money.

 

[ton312]

But they are not a BUCO - the name (call for the name) makes the price ... and not best value for money.

Yeah but the funny thing is they are. Brooks and Reed were founded by a former Buco employee. So he took the patterns and sourced the same hides. Slapped a new tag on them, made more, sold them for less. The early HH Reed jackets are every bit as nice and an exact pattern copy of a Buco. But for those who need that little tag, please, be my guest

 

[ProteinNerd]

Let's be honest, none of this really makes sense.

 

[58panheadfan]

Yeah but the funny thing is they are. Brooks and Reed were founded by a former Buco employee. So he took the patterns and sourced the same hides. Slapped a new tag on them, made more, sold them for less. The early HH Reed jackets are every bit as nice and an exact pattern copy of a Buco. But for those who need that little tag, please, be my guest

Yeah, it's the tag... only the TAG $$$:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/vintage-forgery-on-ebay.90285/

 

[58panheadfan]

Let's be honest, none of this really makes sense.

Absolutely... but the market doesn't play sense-wise...