New Purchases to Share

[aurelius180]

I'm always seeing on here the nice purchases that forum members make at flea markets, etc. and I've been left out until now. With the nice weather upon us there is a local flea market every weekend and the last two weekends I've been able to make some nice purchases for myself. I'm new to collecting and take enjoyment in rescuing old uniforms and militaria and providing them with a good home.

Last weekend I purchased an Ike jacket and pants for $15. The QM tag on the Ike date sit to 1944 and there is a last name in the pants. Unfortunately the collar dogs and ribbon bar are missing. At some point recently they were dry cleaned as the tag was still on the pants. The seller did not have them.



This weekend I picked up a nice wool overcoat with a QM tag from 1943 for $40. All of the buttons appear to be attached and original. The SSI is 3rd Army with 4 overseas bars and a ruptured duck. The seller was using it as a buffer between his truck and a framed picture leaning against the truck. He then tried selling it for $100. It now has a nice home.



They're nothing terribly special but I enjoy adding nice clean pieces to my collection and wanted to share.

[octavian]

Good pickups. I like the trench coat especially. Does it have a tag on the inside? Year?

[DrCMH]

These are great, you just need some collar brass. Well done.

CMH

[ww2relichunter]

Neat finds at very fair prices

[MD Helmets]

Very cool. Great prices. Throw some brass on the Ike jacket and you'll be all set. It's nice to see US stuff still fairly affordable.

[aurelius180]

Good pickups. I like the trench coat especially. Does it have a tag on the inside? Year?

Thanks. Yes, the overcoat is dated May 26, 1943 on the QM tag.

[aurelius180]

Thank you all for the kind responses.

Is it common to add collar brass in the event they are missing? My wife suggested it but I was leaning towards leaving it in "as found" condition. I was just curious what others do.

The over coat is heading to the dry cleaners today and that was tough for me to do. It's in very nice shape but as mentioned in the OP it was not properly stored.

[octavian]

If you studied the exact placement of the Correct Brass Insignia then why not dress it up?

[aurelius180]

If you studied the exact placement of the Correct Brass Insignia then why not dress it up?

The frustrating part is it is quite obvious where the collar brass and ribbon bar were and appear to have been removed recently. But unfortunately the dealer did not have them.

Any idea what the correct brass insignia would have been?

[MD Helmets]

Yes it is acceptable to dress up the jacket with insignia. If it was on there for a while you might even be able to see the outlines of the brass etc, just as Octavian wrote. Adding brass doesn't damage the uniform so go for it if you wish.