Good Wear Leather Coat Company: Sale Golden Fleece Long Half-Belt Jacket

This item has been sold.
Vintage Golden Fleece Long Half-Belt Jacket
Price: $695.00 (used condition) — note shipping costs below
Fit: comfortable in the right size
Leather: seal brown horsehide
Lining: light tan heavy cotton twill, shirting weight in sleeves
Zipper: very solid original Talon
Thread: cotton
Size: approximately a 46

This jacket is a product of Isaak Spiewak & Sons, using their sub-brand Golden Fleece. They made a huge volume of leather and cloth jackets throughout the last century, and continue to this day. Based in New York, they had a catalogue business, but we're convinced they also made jackets for department stores. From what we've seen, they used almost every form of leather common to work-wear jackets, with horsehide, goatskin, and sheepskin all being regular choices. This particular jacket was called a Sur Coat in their catalogue.

We believe this jacket was made just after WWII, as the Talon zipper, which is original to the jacket, was commonly seen on both Navy and Air Force flying jackets in this exact same configuration (blackened brass). The jackets made before WWII had a different retainer box. This jacket is massive compared with what we see today in vintage half-belt choices. It's hard enough to find a size 42, but this jacket is a vintage size 46, if not bigger.

The condition of the jacket is quite rare, too. It's very well preserved, with the horsehide and lining still extremely solid and wearable. The horsehide is pliable and soft, close to new condition, but the left shoulder back is where some surface wear shows. It's cosmetic, so the leather is fine for use. There are scars in the leather from the horse, not wear, but Spiewak chose skins that did have a surface cut here and there. It's something that can be seen when very close to the jacket, but not of any consequence to the jacket's usability. The lining is still very good, solid, without damage, and only very lightly stained here and there. It's a heavy twill cotton, with lighter shirting cotton in the sleeves.

The shoulders have shoulder pads, another common feature of leather jackets after WWII. We've experienced this in California Sportwear originals from this period as well.

The jacket would ideally fit someone in the range of 5'11" to 6'2", with a chest of 45" to 47", and a weight of about 190-220 pounds.