Star Sportswear 7823E G1 Bomber

[mikejungle]

Just wondering...is there any way to tell whether this thing is made of goatskin or cow leather?

It seems to be dated 1972.

I have another Star 7823D, which i'm not sure is goatskin either, but the 7823 has a lot more pebbling, and is a bit stiffer to feel. To be fair, the 7823E seems to have seen a bit more use than the D.

Any ideas here?

Also, secondary question, but why does the surface of the leather feel like plastic? I feel like it's impermeable to Lexol, and I haven't tried Neatsfoot oil yet, but i'm going to try that next to get rid of the squeakiness. I don't like the idea of putting talc powder and tumbling it like one other thread suggested...

Tertiary question, but i'm pretty sure both have synthetic fur collars, right?

 

[El Marro]

Mikejungle,
Both of your Star G-1s are goatskin. I don't believe that cowhide was used until the mid 1970s and by then Star was no longer making them. I know what you mean about the plasticky feeling. I too have a 1972 Star and it is a pretty stiff and uniform hide. My 1969 D series jacket has much nicer goatskin, it is thick and soft and actually shows some grain and wear.
I recommend trying Pecards on both of your jackets. I find that a little Pecards goes a long way towards eliminating the squeaking and creaking, at least for a while.
The collar on your E series jacket is definitely synthetic. The D series jacket should be real mouton but if it looks and feels as fake as the E series jacket then maybe it is. I believe they started using the synthetic Dynal collars on the last of the D jackets as they were transitioning to the E series.
Hope this helps. Post some pictures when you get a chance.