Very Well Preserved Original Dubow 27798 Size 46

[aswatland]

This Dubow is from the huge 27798 contract, which dates to the late Spring of 1942. As a size 46 it fits very comfortably and is a little larger than my size 44 which I have photographed with this jacket. The horsehide leather is beautiful, with a strong shade of russet, and is quite thick and buttery. The tan thread is strong and secure. Larger sized Dubows are very rare and this is a really nice jacket to wear. The knits and zipper were replaced by ELC around ten years ago and they did the work extremely well.

As way of comparrison with my size 44 here are both sets of measurements.

Size 44.................................. Size 46
Pit to pit: 23.5" .........................24"
sleeve: 24" ...............................25"
shoulders: 18.5" .......................19"
back(from base of collar):25.5"..26.75"
windflap: 22.75"..........................23.5"

 

[aswatland]

 

[aswatland]

 

[fukigen]

very nice jacket, I like the hide a lot!

I have one question, as from the different messages you have quite a nice collection, where do you usually find these "treasures"?
I check form time to time the "bay", but didn't find original A-2.
Do you have any tips where to look to get an original A-2?

and what would be the budget for original maker jacket?

 

[aswatland]

Thanks. Most come via Ebay USA, but not all. Some come via collector friends. This Dubow came from an Ebay seller in N. London. As far as a budget goes you can pay from £500 to £2000+ for a decent wearable A2. Size 44 and 46 jackets tend to command higher prices as do those from rare contracts, painted jackets or those worn by remarkable pilots.

 

[bburtner@moran]

Andrew,you are the man,WOW what a piece you have there!!! you lucky devil....

 

[fukigen]

Thanks. Most come via Ebay USA, but not all. Some come via collector friends. This Dubow came from an Ebay seller in N. London. As far as a budget goes you can pay from £500 to £2000+ for a decent wearable A2. Size 44 and 46 jackets tend to command higher prices as do those from rare contracts, painted jackets or those worn by remarkable pilots.

thank you for the info. most of the time I see a WWII A-2 on the bay, I get

"Unfortunately, access to this particular item has been blocked due to legal restrictions in some countries. We are blocking your viewing in an effort to prevent restricted items from being displayed. Regrettably, in some cases, we may prevent users from accessing items that are not within the scope of said restrictions because of limitations of existing technology. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, and we hope you may find other items of interest on eBay."


I will keep on going the quest...

you are a lucky guy to have found this one!

 

[Brettafett]

Beautiful Andrew! How many originals do you currently own?
Also, do you 'clean' your jackets in any way or just leave them as they are?
I have always wondered about acquiring an original, but have never been sure whether I would feel 'good' about wearing it.

 

[Aerojoe]

Hey Andrew, very well preserved Dubow indeed Knits look like new.

 

[aswatland]

Beautiful Andrew! How many originals do you currently own?
Also, do you 'clean' your jackets in any way or just leave them as they are?
I have always wondered about acquiring an original, but have never been sure whether I would feel 'good' about wearing it.

I have 20 original A2s. I do not clean them, but give them a light coat of Pecards.

 

[wild_balls]

Impressive collection!

 

[GoodTimesGone]

Thanks for sharing these pics Andrew! Posts like this are truly the highlight of these forums. I have some questions if you would indulge me.
I notice a majority of the A-2s you have shown are russet colour. Is this because you prefer russet, the contracts you like were usually made in russet, or that a majority of all the original contracts were made in this shade (as opposed to seal brown) ?
I own some vintage examples of '40s and '50s civilian A-2 style bomber jackets, and more often than not they are made from heavy front quarter horsehide. I have seen original A-2s through a glass case at a couple museums but have never handled one. What is the thickness and weight of an original A-2 like? The ounces won't really help me but a general description like medium or heavy would. How does the weight of original contract A-2s compare to a modern Eastman or horsehide Avirex? Is there a great variation in leather thickness from contract to contract?
______________________________________________________
Tom

 

[aswatland]

Tom, I do not have a preference for either russet or dark seal A2s. More contracts were russet than seal and generally you see more russet ones around today. The thickness of the leather on original A2s varies from being quite thin as on most Poughkeepsie jackets to thick as on some Bronco and Aero jackets. As with modern repros the makers used different batches of leather even for jackets from the same contract and therefore you get as much variation within contracts as between contracts. I have originals in my collection that weigh more than an ELC or GW repro and others that weigh less.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Gorgeous Dubow you got there, Andrew. Is that a pigment finish?

 

[aswatland]

Yes Joel, it is spray finished as most Dubows were from this contract.

 

[GoodTimesGone]

I found this interesting.

I have originals in my collection that weigh more than an ELC or GW repro and others that weigh less.

Thanks. It's good to know that modern repros "measure up" in accuracy as far as weight goes. That is more important to me than if the hardware is exactly correct for daily wearers.
_________________________________________________
Tom

 

[Deleted member 16736]

Not to harp on the leather, but do you know if it's veg or chrome tanned? I love the leather on vintage A-2s, and I don't know if anything sold today can compare. I do believe that GW's seal brown horsehide is that good, but it's an aniline-finish and will fade over time unlike this beauty.

 

[aswatland]

I suspect it is chrome tanned judging by the dark area where the spray finish has worn off at the base of the windflap, which is a characteristic of some chrome tanned 1940s leather.

 

[Deleted member 16736]

I had the same impression about WWII jackets. I tend to think the aniline finish jackets were veg-tanned and the pigment jackets were chrome-tanned, and most were the latter. I ordered a 41 Werber from John with the seal brown aniline finish. I've noticed old Werbers have a mottled appearance, which tells me they are aniline leather.