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Yes, when there is a change, the military will continue to issue what it has in stock, along with the replacement items. When the pewter buttons began to be issued on the peacoats in about 1974, both the pewter buttons and the black anchor buttons were allowed to be worn until the changeover date. That date was, I believe, July 1, 1976 (although it could have been July 1, 1975--my notes have both years listed). After that date, only the pewter buttons were allowed to be worn. Of course the peacoat buttons reverted to the black anchor buttons in 1984, which is the current issue button.
In 1980, after the Navy changed to the black "Melton" wool, the older peacoats made of very dark blue "Kersey" wool were still authorized, so there was no "changeover" date. Similarly, after WWII, when the style changed to the six button front, the WWII peacoats with the eight button fronts remained authorized for wear.
While these, and other, arcane changes in styles and materials may initially seem trivial, they allow us to date a peacoat within an era, even in the absence of a tag. Even though Admiral Zumwalt, and other policy makers, didn't have the researchers and aficionados in mind when they effectuated change, it has given us the tools to determine the provenance of these pieces of history.
If you have found this thread by a search engine, and if you are still with us from the beginning, congratulations; it is a long thread. And, if so, you might be interested in the Peacoat Dating article (sticky) toward the top of the Outerwear section (you are in the Outerwear section now). To make it simpler to find, here is the link:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=37699
In 1980, after the Navy changed to the black "Melton" wool, the older peacoats made of very dark blue "Kersey" wool were still authorized, so there was no "changeover" date. Similarly, after WWII, when the style changed to the six button front, the WWII peacoats with the eight button fronts remained authorized for wear.
While these, and other, arcane changes in styles and materials may initially seem trivial, they allow us to date a peacoat within an era, even in the absence of a tag. Even though Admiral Zumwalt, and other policy makers, didn't have the researchers and aficionados in mind when they effectuated change, it has given us the tools to determine the provenance of these pieces of history.
If you have found this thread by a search engine, and if you are still with us from the beginning, congratulations; it is a long thread. And, if so, you might be interested in the Peacoat Dating article (sticky) toward the top of the Outerwear section (you are in the Outerwear section now). To make it simpler to find, here is the link:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=37699