Good Wear Leather Coat Company — Sale Ralph Edwards MIL-J-7823B G-1 Flight Jacket

This item has been sold.
Ralph Edwards MIL-J-7823B G-1 Flight Jacket
Price: $349.00 (used condition) — note shipping costs below
Fit: this pattern is a snug fit in the correct size
Leather: chrome tanned seal brown goatskin
Mouton: original reddish brown mouton
Knits: original seal wool, one tiny hole on waistband
Zipper: original No.10 blackened Conmar zipper, which operates well
Size: 42

We have a vintage G-1 made around 1963 by Ralph Edwards Sportswear, Inc. The company had earlier been called Cagleco Sportswear, and as Ralph Edwards, they lasted until the mid-1980s. Based in Cape Girardeau, MO, they were prolific in making G-1 jackets for the Navy. This example is an excellent, wearable original with all-original parts, and in a common size.

The leather is solid, shows wear on high points, but still has a flexible and easy-to-wear strength. The nylon lining is in almost new condition, with no holes or damage. The knits are superb, with only one tiny snag in the waistband, and a 1/4" small run in one cuff, but both are not really worth darning at this point. The mouton is quite solid, with a little bald spot near the neck hole, very typically wear mouton tends to shed a dot of fur. The zipper is a tough No.10 Conmar, and is as solid as the day it was installed. The nylon thread is superb.

This period of G-1 production was an era where the Navy supplied the garment makers with the patterns. Earlier, each company would attempt to fulfill a set of numeric requirements, but the design of each panel of a G-1 was at their discretion. Around 1960, the Navy began to send master patterns, and the garment company would make their own working patterns from them, which were expected to be very accurate to the master patterns. This is why jackets of this period look similar from one company to another. The design had a more V shaped effect, with snug waistlines and wide shoulders, and with snug sleeve ends.

The jacket fits typical of a size 42 in 1960s G-1 jackets. It would ideally fit someone in the range of 5'8" to 5'10" with a chest of 39-40", and a weight of about 150-170 pounds. The wearer is 6' and 178 pounds, with a 41.5" chest.