Tanker Jacket.

[dunit35]

Thanks for your assistance. It doesn’t look like the seller will budge from his $560 price as I came back with $540. I’ll have to pass on it until another comes along.

I’m hopeful I’ll find one as it’s the last piece for my mannequin display.

[Mariagorn]

I'm from Argentina, and I'm about to visit the US for vacation next month. I always wanted to have a piece of history, in particular WWII. I would love to buy on eBay or any other legit place, that I can relate to a person. I think this is called "identified", but also would like a "grouping", like a photo or letter, plus a piece of uniform.
I found one Tanker Jacket, (only the jacket) but even with all the correct patches (I'm not an expert though) I don't think it's legit. It has some rips and tears that can be seen in the back, but it lacks stains and dirt. The patches look old though. The label doesn't look legit or has a manufacturer I can rely on which makes me doubt too. The price is $450 or something like that, and considering it's a 2nd Armored "Hell on Wheels" looks too good to be true.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5J0AA...Vl/s-l1600.jpg

Appreciate help here.
Thanks!

[Rakkasan187]

Mariagorn,

You are to be commended for asking here some questions before making a costly error..

The Army Air Forces Tanker Jacket label is pure fantasy. The Army Air Forces had their own Jackets B-2, B-3 etc. The AAF would have no reason to have a TANKER JACKET label in one of their jackets.

There is so much misinformation going around that there were "TANKER JACKETS" this is not true. There were Field Jackets such as the Parsons M1941 field jacket that Tankers wore, that's it. No authentic labels from WW2 would have the designation TANKER JACKET.

Look at the information I posted on page one regarding the labels. The label would indicate Armored Force

A word of caution about Ebay and other sites, do research and ask questions. Provenanced (identified items) are fairly easy to come by but a word of caution with this as well, some people see fast money and will "enhance" an item with a name that they may have pulled off the internet. Without rock solid proof from a family member be skeptical about items being sold on auction sites such as Ebay.

Here is the TANKER JACKET in question for those who want to see the description. The Seller has in the item description that he is not an expert so that right there is a huge red flag..

Vintage 40s WWII US Army Military Tanker Combat Winter Lined Field Jacket. | eBay

Hope you have a good time in the US

Best regards

Smitty

[Mariagorn]

Thank you Smitty!!!
I'm glad I had doubts about that label, as I learned there was always a company and serial number behind authentic jackets. I spent many days trying to find an authentic grouping but a lot of items with a "named" or "identified" are not solid, as you mentioned you have to rely on someone. There are some good ones with lot of images, a lot of letters, medals and mailings but the Division or designation of that person in the army is not in my best interest.

Can you recommend a trusted website to purchase groupings or authentic items? I only known about gettysburgmuseumofhistory.com and I know Erik Dorr is to be trusted. The only item I might be interested are some relics from D-DAY (and again I know I can trust Erik Dorr) but will be great to find a grouping of personal items that are identified.

Thank you Smitty!!!

M

[Rakkasan187]

M,

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner.

There are some reputable dealers that I would recommend that you look at their websites:

Danial Griffin of Griffin Militaria

Griffin Militaria – Quality Military Collectibles

Bill and Sue Shea of Ruptured Duck

The Ruptured Duck - Original WW2 German and US Militaria For Sale – The Ruptured Duck, LLC

There is also K&M Collectibles, they are on Ebay but they are reputable. The Co-Owner James (Jim) Mcduff is a member of ASMIC (Amercian Society of Military Insignia Collectors) and his reputation is remarkable.

Bay State Militaria:

Bay State Militaria and Antiques

Smitty

[Mariagorn]

Oh no problem at all Smitty! I appreciate all those links! I already visited all of them, and there are a couple I'm interested in but...out of my league. So I'll be pending for some small grouping with perhaps no uniforms. I'll visit them regularly to see if anything of my interest pops up.

I found this grouping on eBay, and looks legit. Again not 100% sure as I'm not an expert, but in this case looks legit. I'm sure will be out of my budget anyway as I see a lot of bidding, but perhaps someone here is interested if you guys find out is authentic.
I'll try to bid, but since it's a 29th Division, not sure if the price will be under 1k.

WW2 Original Named 29th Division 116th Infantry D-Day Uniform, Photos Grouping | eBay

Thanks!
M

[Rakkasan187]

M,

The grouping that you sent the link to is interesting, it is rather pricey at this point. There would have to be further research done (Request records from the National Archives Records Administration) in order to confirm provenance to this particular individual and given the fact that the D-Day anniversary was just a few days ago, any of the units that participated in the assault landings would garner much interest now at on-line auction places due to the events of that day. I have to look at each grouping for sale on Ebay with some degree of skepticism as should many others. The fact that many of the sellers do not collect militaria and only see a profit after doing a little research on-line to "enhance" their sales is quite common so beware of this. Many times a grouping will have added extras like photos, paper items, etc to look more convincing.

I am not saying this is the case with this particular grouping but looking at the images of the photos if you look at the uniform where the Soldier is being presented an award there is no indication of a shoulder patch, especially the 29th division, again this is not an automatic red flag warning, but it is one to think about. There is also another image of a soldier with what appears to be a shoulder patch on the left sleeve but the image is blurred and it looks to be too large for a round 29th division patch. The 29th patch sewn over another patch is also something of concern/curiosity as the patch on the bottom has a blue outline and I don't think this is another 29th Division patch but something else. The only way one will know is to remove more of the stitching to reveal what may be underneath. IN 50 plus years of collecting I have never personally seen this happen, but in this collecting field "never say never"... There is a slight possibility that the patch underneath is the WW2 era Virginia State Guard patch but again just a guess. I say the Virginia State Guard since many members of the 29th Division came from Virginia..

The best thing to do in these cases if there are many questions is to ask the seller and they may or may not know or respond.

There are plenty of groupings out there that are available and they may be affordable but keep in mind the more items in a grouping that have direct provenance to an individual, the price will increase.

Best regards

Smitty

[Mariagorn]

I see what you're saying. Makes sense, and the only doubt I had was one you mentioned which is this seller does not sell military items only. I visited the store to see if he specializes in military or WWII, but that wasn't the case which started me to doubt a little bit. Like you said, not saying it's not authentic..but I would like to be more secure before pulling the trigger.
50 plus years collecting! Damn!! I can't only imagine that expertise and collection. Must be worthy of a private museum I guess!

Another concern that I have is that I found a lot of "authentic" uniforms in good condition, but unnamed or unidentified. Like they are being sold just as a uniform from WWII with not much importance, and I saw those are not expensive, but I'm not sure if it's normal to see those prices on these uniforms. Something I noticed is that many of these seem to be new, like no one used them before which is a red flag. Idk.

Sample
WWII US Army 3rd Armored Division Infantry SPEARHEAD Uniform Ike Jacket Patches | eBay

Also, feel free to move this last question to another thread, as I might be driving away from this topic.

Thanks, Smitty

M