Show us your vintage half-belts

[Rabbit]

The jacket looks 50s to me, jpk, going by the design of the label, the cut and the liner. Don't know about the zipper.

 

[Seb Lucas]

Yep, '50's styling but could be 1960's.

 

[Dinerman]

Sixties

 

[jpk_NJ]

Any sure way to tell its Steer or Horse? This one really wasn't worn and shows no scrapes/fading/or anything. Were they made with protective topcoats? Id prefer a worn look and might resort to some rubbing alcohol on this one. Or maybe a trip to the dry cleaners.

 

[Seb Lucas]

There's no real way to tell steer from horse.

Jeez man it's 50 years old, don't artificially distress it. This ain't no lambskin Indy Jones jacket. It'll age quick enough.

 

[tmitchell59]

The Brent looks like a nice jacket. There are worn jackets out there, sell this and get one with more worn. two months ago I sold a long Brent gathered side. no leather label, the same Brent label as your jacket. It was a a heavy hide, I thought cowhide The Brent pictured here has a nice weight hide with thin lining through out the inside. smells like horsehide, squeaks like cowhide. probably a cow. I see these being made at the end of the horsehide sales.

 

[jpk_NJ]

I guess this one was just never worn and kept in the back of a closet somewhere. It fits extremely well so I'll probably just wear it naturally /rain etc and see what happens. Also amazing how much condition this thing is sucking up. It was like a dry/tough/plastic feeling hide when I got it and after a few days of letting some Lexol sit in / being aired outside. It's picking up some more weight and the leather is becoming alive /soft again. Like beef jerky turning back into a steak!

There's no real way to tell steer from horse.

Jeez man it's 50 years old, don't artificially distress it. This ain't no lambskin Indy Jones jacket. It'll age quick enough.

 

[Dinerman]

1930s Alaskan horsehide

 

[handymike]

Hot diggity DM!
What size?

 

[Dinerman]

That one's in the 38 range. Aren't those pockets cool? I love how they mirror the design of the back. I wish I could find more on "Alaskan", but it's one of those names where it's so hard to weed out all the junk. I can't recall ever seeing another with that label, so I would assume they were a relatively small or short lived concern.

Just wait until you see the ones I'm posting tomorrow. Some real doozies!

 

[Superfluous]

Just wait until you see the ones I'm posting tomorrow. Some real doozies!

 

[guygardner]

1930s Alaskan horsehide

Nice color and buckles!

 

[tmitchell59]

That is a beauty. I recently saw an Alaskan on ebay. different style, seemed to be the same label.

 

[pauleway]

Watched the movie "Summer of 42" other day. Some nice vintage HB's in that one!

 

[Dinerman]

Ha! Takes time to photograph and edit. Here they are!

Heavy and incredibly grainy. Very interesting yoke and front seam combination. The leather waistband is more typical of earlier Cossack jackets. The zipper pull has been replaced, but the sunburst stop box is original. Probably made around '36. Check out the pockets, with the handwarmer/flapped top entry pocket combination that you see on later bomber jackets. The snaps on the pockets are a type of United Carr I have never seen anywhere else.


Aviator style jacket, late 1930s-early 1940s. Capeskin. Originally russet, but the finish has mostly sueded out


Aviator style jacket, late 1930s. This one has a rare style of Crown zipper, with Talon style teeth rather than the chevron teeth you see early wartime or two way teeth you see late war-postwar. The painting on the back has a definite Disney nose-art quality to it. Looks similar to the Aracuan Bird from The Three Caballeros wearing a parachute harness and flight helmet. Anyone recognize it?

 

[tmitchell59]

Does the first jacket have a label?7

 

[ProteinNerd]

@Dinerman I've always wondered but never asked. Are these jackets you post for sale or just part of your collection?

 

[Dinerman]

I wish it did. No label, no lining. I'm sure there's probably something similar in one of the Japanese books or magazines, but I can't recall ever having seen one exactly like this. Definitely some unusual details.

 

[Dinerman]

@Dinerman I've always wondered but never asked. Are these jackets you post for sale or just part of your collection?

Most eventually get sold or are already long gone.

 

[tmitchell59]

I've been in and out of thrift stores, re-sale shops, pawn shops for 45 years and have found maybe 10 cool leather jackets. You find the most interesting leather jackets. I've never encountered jackets like these in the wild. The Alaskan and the first above are about as fine as I have seen. When you talk about reproductions, there are a couple of fairly unique examples. The Alaskan label is particularly sweet.

I have a 30s capeskin I will post some pics.