Dr H
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,006
- Location
- Somerset, UK
A Japanese friend of mine checked that one out for me a month ago. Your images have essentially answered your question as you have the price/info tag (and the jacket remained in the shop following my enquiry ;-) ).
I got very excited about stock number MT-96 (unpriced), even contemplated what I might sell to buy it...
I asked my Japanese friend to call on my behalf and, perhaps predictably the assistant explained to him that the price (1,575,000 Yen) is 'a price for an American maniac' . Furthermore, the shop wouldn't ship overseas.
Aside from that tactful and respectful piece of customer service, the ready reckoner brings that to be £12,377 (or the price of a small car)...
The jacket is a grand looking civvy capeskin A-1 - beautiful.
Who knows? It's been there a while - perhaps £12,000 for cash...?
Air Associates were well known in the '20s and '30s through supplying jackets to famous aviation pioneers (including Lindy), but I don't have more specific info to hand. It is a high quality jacket for the time and a rare survivor.
Technically (pedantically) it's not a Type A-1 (i.e. it's not a mil. spec. jacket unlike the 37J1 with provenance in the OP, which must be more valuable). What does that do to the price? I don't know really - it depends on the collector (as the jacket is too rare/fragile to be a wearable item).
As a guide though - the ratty/holed/flaking heavily modified (zipper added/re-lined/knits replaced) Mirabelli Brothers Type A-1 that I mentioned earlier made around $1000 on EBay...
I got very excited about stock number MT-96 (unpriced), even contemplated what I might sell to buy it...
I asked my Japanese friend to call on my behalf and, perhaps predictably the assistant explained to him that the price (1,575,000 Yen) is 'a price for an American maniac' . Furthermore, the shop wouldn't ship overseas.
Aside from that tactful and respectful piece of customer service, the ready reckoner brings that to be £12,377 (or the price of a small car)...
The jacket is a grand looking civvy capeskin A-1 - beautiful.
Who knows? It's been there a while - perhaps £12,000 for cash...?
Air Associates were well known in the '20s and '30s through supplying jackets to famous aviation pioneers (including Lindy), but I don't have more specific info to hand. It is a high quality jacket for the time and a rare survivor.
Technically (pedantically) it's not a Type A-1 (i.e. it's not a mil. spec. jacket unlike the 37J1 with provenance in the OP, which must be more valuable). What does that do to the price? I don't know really - it depends on the collector (as the jacket is too rare/fragile to be a wearable item).
As a guide though - the ratty/holed/flaking heavily modified (zipper added/re-lined/knits replaced) Mirabelli Brothers Type A-1 that I mentioned earlier made around $1000 on EBay...
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