Good Wear Leather Coat Company — Sale Original Rough Wear 27752 A-2 Jacket

This item has been sold.
Original Rough Wear 27752 A-2 Jacket
Price: $1,400.00 (used condition) — note shipping costs below
Fit: this pattern is comfortable in the correct size
Leather: horsehide, seal finish
Lining: all original with some damage and staining
Knits: waistband original, with some holes, cuffs period replaced
Zipper: original Crown, broken, format of Crown never seen before
Thread: mid-brown and olive cotton
Size: 40

Rough Wear was a prolific company making garments, and the military made the most of their skills during the Second World War. With many, many contracts for A-2s, B-3s, sheepskin trousers, cloth jackets like the B-10 and B-15, the workers of Rough Wear did not seem to get much rest. We have one of their products, a vintage Rough Wear 27752, from a large and final contract for A-2s from them. This jacket, though, isn't quite valuable for that alone, but rather because it has a zipper applied to it that has never been seen on any other A-2 jacket.

The zipper is a Crown, and it would appear that the timeframe of production of that Crown would be 1942, based on the ridge along the top edge of the slider body. But, the teeth are straight! We know that Crown used straight teeth, which were cast, not pressed onto the gimp, on earlier 1930s zippers. But, starting around 1940, the chevron zipper tooth was their standard for No.5 zippers. How on Earth did this anomaly of a zipper end up on an issued Army A-2? We haven't seen this on any other 27752, nor any other A-2 for that matter.

The zipper is 100% original from production. Sewing a replacement zipper is extremely difficult with the collar stand and lining design, and any replacement zipper would be obvious with secondary stitching along the wind flap and collar stand.

That is what makes this jacket collectible. Just when you imagine that you've got a handle on zippers used on A-2 jackets, a jacket like this expands the universe another light year. Note the thin wire in the tape near the edge of the teeth, which grounds the zipper's metal. This is typical of Crown zippers. Also, the base metal appears to be a form of bronze or brass, and the chrome plated finish will wear down to that base metal.

The jacket itself is extremely worn, but it has robust horsehide that is both flexible and dense. There are some areas where the top thread along rolled seams or the lower half of the stitch that makes the wind flap is missing, most likely loose enough that friction led to it being pulled off over time. Those seams hold just fine, though. The lining is frayed along the neck line, and has a number of holes above the waistband, and one rip near an armpit...typical of a used A-2. The waistband has moth holes, but is still present in strong condition, while the cuffs were replaced at some point long ago using a more olive shade of brown, and they are tattered. The Crown zipper has one break on the wind flap side, and feels fragile, so it has to be operated with extremely careful handling.

As is so painfully common with A-2 jackets, this one has a paint smear in the upper left wearer's side of the chest and a little on the back. So many fellows felt OK painting with their A-2s on, but they earned it a million times over, and could do whatever they wanted with it.

Note the pocket stitching that's broken on each side. We could close that stitching, but it would take a little time, as the lining has to be opened and those two areas sewn very, very carefully. We think it should be left as is, as they're stable once the pocket flaps are snapped.

This Rough Wear would not be of interest to everyone in the flight jacket community. But, there are collectors who like a one-of-a-kind rare jacket that opens eyes as a sole example known among originals we've seen today. For that, this jacket is fun. And we do plan on offering this exact format of zipper in the near future for our 27752 A-2 jackets.