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Horsehide Half-Belts; McCoy, Sportclad, Californian, Rich-Sher

jacketjunkie

jacketjunkie

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These all look great, the one I like most is probably the heavily lined one you wear while presenting the others. That black Californian is something special though, horsehide that old often looks so withered and worn out and this one looks good as new. Great stuff. Thanks for the vid!
 
tmitchell59

tmitchell59

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Grayland said:
Always love your videos. So much more detail than just pics. Love them all, but the black Californian is special.
Click to expand...

The Californian may have an added label. My friend Dave Sheely confirms it was made my Monarch of Milwaukee. It is a quality jacket and quite hard to find in black. I just don't see to many vintage half belts of any color, certainly not in comparison to vintage MC jackets. They just don't show up for sale.

thanks for the thanks. I've got several other from last season to post. Three are Monarchs.

jacketjunkie said:
These all look great, the one I like most is probably the heavily lined one you wear while presenting the others. That black Californian is something special though, horsehide that old often looks so withered and worn out and this one looks good as new. Great stuff. Thanks for the vid!
Click to expand...

The Rich Sher jackets are very high quality. This one has the heavy lining and a very thick hide. I just saw a motorcycle jacket with the label. Vintage half belts are getting difficult to find.
 
jacketjunkie

jacketjunkie

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Yes, I know. I've been looking around a lot recently and it is really hard to find something in my size 40. A guy on etsy has a nice Californian for sale but it's like three times what you asked for the one I missed out on and it's also no half-belt but a flight jacket. I seached for Rich Sher after seeing your video but there's even less of these than there are Californians. I'll keep looking.
 
jonbuilder

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tmitchell59 said:
I just don't see to many vintage half belts of any color, certainly not in comparison to vintage MC jackets. They just don't show up for sale.
Click to expand...
Terry do you think the smaller number of 50s half belts compared to 50s MC jackets is because fewer half belts were made,
the half belts were worn more being more of a utilitarian design, or possible collectors tend to hold on to 50s half belts?
 
R

Rgcards

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What would you call this style, a car coat?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133636741727.
upload_2021-6-11_8-25-5.png
 
tmitchell59

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jonbuilder said:
Terry do you think the smaller number of 50s half belts compared to 50s MC jackets is because fewer half belts were made,
the half belts were worn more being more of a utilitarian design, or possible collectors tend to hold on to 50s half belts?
Click to expand...

This is a thread from the past! Interesting question.

I believe the half-belt had it's day in the 30s as a fashion statement. There were interesting designs and innovations use of all leathers. Those were the Golden years. The war came and production of civilian leather goods declined as war time leather needs increased. As civilian production came back the post war Motorcycle boom hit, hence all these beautiful dedicated MC jackets were produced to fill demand.

Perhaps the mind-set, after the war, changed. The half-belt was seen as "old" and new designs came into play during the 50s. Less fashion, less innovation in 50s half belts. There were very few daring designs post war as seen before the war. Jackets became sorta plain.

I don't think there is a collectors market for 50s half-belts. When I think of collectible half-belts it is the 1930s. They just made fewer half-belts, so fewer of them to see today. Taste changed?

To me, the Golden years for Half-belts and most civilian leather jackets was 1935-1941. Golden age of MC jacket development began post war. I see innovation in MC jackets today along with the traditional designs. I see makers today recreating vintage designs in half-belts nothing really new? In fact there are many more Classic half-belt designs to redo.

This is my take on the question. Interested how others may feel.

one example from the 30s. Californian half-belt in Capeskin

20180210_160445.jpg
20180210_160742.jpg
 
Canuck Panda

Canuck Panda

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Interesting, the original had the zipper (not grommet type) on the other side it seems, than the repro from Japan.
Image1.jpg
 
Benny Holiday

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tmitchell59 said:
This is a thread from the past! Interesting question.

I believe the half-belt had it's day in the 30s as a fashion statement. There were interesting designs and innovations use of all leathers. Those were the Golden years. The war came and production of civilian leather goods declined as war time leather needs increased. As civilian production came back the post war Motorcycle boom hit, hence all these beautiful dedicated MC jackets were produced to fill demand.

Perhaps the mind-set, after the war, changed. The half-belt was seen as "old" and new designs came into play during the 50s. Less fashion, less innovation in 50s half belts. There were very few daring designs post war as seen before the war. Jackets became sorta plain.

I don't think there is a collectors market for 50s half-belts. When I think of collectible half-belts it is the 1930s. They just made fewer half-belts, so fewer of them to see today. Taste changed?

To me, the Golden years for Half-belts and most civilian leather jackets was 1935-1941. Golden age of MC jacket development began post war. I see innovation in MC jackets today along with the traditional designs. I see makers today recreating vintage designs in half-belts nothing really new? In fact there are many more Classic half-belt designs to redo.

This is my take on the question. Interested how others may feel.

one example from the 30s. Californian half-belt in Capeskin

View attachment 340674 View attachment 340675
Click to expand...

I think it was simply a shift in fashion. If you go to the Suits thread and look st the BIG SUIT ROOM STICKY catalog scans, many men's suits and sportscosts in the 30s also sported halfbelts with pleats and fancy action backs, often with matching pleated patch pockets too. They lasted through the war years and then declined with the elevation of the Bold Look to general menswear after WWII.
 
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