Overcoat Mystery

Ok guys, I have an interesting question to ask. I stumbled upon an unissued WWII style Melton Roll Collar Overcoat on ebay. Here is the mystery part. The coat tag says it was manufactured in 1951. By that time the M1950 Overcoat had replaced the melton coat as the standard issue overcoat. From what I have read, the melton coats contract ended at the latest in 1947. I checked out a few books about army uniforms and cannot find the contract number and all indications are that these coats were no longer made by this time. The tag is not a misprint on the year because it is based on the 1942 pattern which did not call for brass buttons, which this coat has. So, does anyone have any insight/thoughts on how it was made and why?

Perhaps for whatever reason a previous owner added them? That's a nice looking overcoat nonetheless.

Mark70 said:

Perhaps for whatever reason a previous owner added them?

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It's possible, in fact probably likely, that whatever has been written up in books isn't fully accurate. Remember, this was decades ago and a time when even the military didn't keep super-detailed records of this stuff (look at the issues around official records, or rather the lack of, regarding nylon flight jackets). What I mean is that it's possible they made the coats into 1951 even though the generally held view is they stopped in 1947. Or perhaps they were made for a foreign government sale of some kind (such oddities do exist in the flight jacket realm).

That's a nice looking overcoat nonetheless.

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I agree. These old US army coats are nicely detailed (half-belt at back, buttons on the rear vent) and they don't look quite so "army" as greatcoats from other militaries do, so they can be worn more easily in a casual civilian environment. I have a UK mounted trooper greatcoat which has the same sort of ability to be worn in a civilian environment without looking like an army surplus outcast, etc.

Those are all valid points. With regards to the buttons, they were definitely put on by the manufacturer. But, the non brass button requirement was a wartime thing so maybe that explains it as WWII was over by this time.

As expressed above, it is a very nice coat, just funny to see from 1951