Gamma68
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,929
- Location
- Detroit, MI
Some of you may remember my earlier thread about the moldy Excelled jacket, which I picked up off eBay and promptly returned. Since then, I've kept my eyes peeled for a better vintage jacket and just won an eBay auction for a Sears "The Leather Shop" D-pocket jacket.
The WPL number on the inner tag indicates it was made by Ralph Edwards Sportswear, which I take as a sign of quality. I believe it's steerhide, although the leather seems thicker on the sleeves than on the jacket body. It has interesting grain variation in different panels. I really like the corduroy along the inner waistband, behind the cigarette pocket flap and along the inner pocket opening.
Maybe someone can help me narrow down the date of this jacket. I've read that WPL numbers were issued through 1959, when they were replaced by the RN number. RES registered its trademark in Feb. 1956 (the company was previously known as Cagleco). I would guess that would place this jacket somewhere between 1956-59. However, other sites place this Sears tag in the late 1960s. Does that mean RES continued to use its WPL tags past 1959?
Photos and fit pics below (feedback welcome). I'm wearing it over a simple t-shirt, and think the fit will allow light layering.
The WPL number on the inner tag indicates it was made by Ralph Edwards Sportswear, which I take as a sign of quality. I believe it's steerhide, although the leather seems thicker on the sleeves than on the jacket body. It has interesting grain variation in different panels. I really like the corduroy along the inner waistband, behind the cigarette pocket flap and along the inner pocket opening.
Maybe someone can help me narrow down the date of this jacket. I've read that WPL numbers were issued through 1959, when they were replaced by the RN number. RES registered its trademark in Feb. 1956 (the company was previously known as Cagleco). I would guess that would place this jacket somewhere between 1956-59. However, other sites place this Sears tag in the late 1960s. Does that mean RES continued to use its WPL tags past 1959?
Photos and fit pics below (feedback welcome). I'm wearing it over a simple t-shirt, and think the fit will allow light layering.
