30s RUMSON TWEED Jacket

[GoldenEraFan]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-30s...pt=Vintage_Men_s_Clothing&hash=item2587e434d1

 

[Fastuni]

This is a very good price.

 

[SteveAS]

Interesting and pretty close to my size, but the shape of and stitching on the pockets make the jacket look a little clunky. Also, I'd have put this jacket in the early '50s rather than '30s, but I don't have the experience to be confident in that. What do others think?

 

[Fastuni]

Yes, I'd agree with the late 40's to early 50's dating. The more "squarish" cut, the short center vent and the labels suggest as much.

 

[Guttersnipe]

The construction details of that center vent look exactly like those I've seen on several dated jackets from the early '50s.

I really like the fabric and was interested in learning more about "Rumsom Tweed," and the BR Baker Co of Toledo, so I did a bit of poking around on the Internet. It seems there was a company in New Jersey that loomed Rumsom Tweed of imported wool. BR Baker Co was a men's store that offered off-the-rack clothes and cut, make, trim items, all of which were made by someone else and relabeled under the store brand. The company was started in the '20s and in business until at least the '70s.

There are a lot of digitized ads for Rumsom Tweed online. The earliest one I could find was from about '47, however, I found an add from 1954 or '55 that seemingly depicts this exact coat, right down to the distinctive weave and pocket shape/stitching.

Given that BR Baker bought and relabeled it's OTR stock, I'd guess that 1954-1955 is a pretty accurate date for this sport coat.

 

[GoldenEraFan]

Though uncommon I have seen '30s examples of jackets with small center vents, particularly tweed jackets.