World War II American "A2" Bomber Jacket
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GUEST:
It belonged to my father-in-law. His name was John Burke. He was a radio gunner, they called them in World War II, on a B-17.
APPRAISER:
It's a great jacket. It's called a type A2, which is one of the more popular jackets. It was worn by pilots and crew members. And what they liked to do to them is decorate them and personalize them. It really became a piece of folk art. What's great about this one, it's got John's name, they called him Johnny, and then it has his wife's name, Mary, right next to it. And then it says "Century Bombers," for the 100th bomb group, so it's just wonderful. The front is nicely emblazoned, well-painted. And then we look at the back, and it's even better. There's your B-17, "E'Z GOIN," all the different bombing missions he's on, and the letters in those different bombs would indicate Munich and Berlin. Different cities, yes. You know, and the issue with these kind of jackets is the market has slipped a little bit, except for the ones that are really well-documented and that have kind of great look front and back. And plus, you also have a photo of him wearing the jacket, so we know it hasn't been monkeyed with. So at the end of the day, this jacket becomes the top of the market, because it's got all kinds of provenance and it's really well executed. We're looking at maybe $3,000 to $4,000 today at auction.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And it's just a great piece, and I'm really glad you brought it in.
GUEST:
Well, thank you. That's fantastic.
Appraisal Details
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