Vintage US Navy Watch Cap from the Vietnam Era

While picking through piles of old clothing, hats, handbags, and scarves, we're always happy to find vintage military wool caps. Not many of these made it through the years and wars without being destroyed or lost. 30, 40, 50 or 60 years ago, no one could probably even fathom the value that a simple stocking cap could have in the long term.

This one sold at auction for $175.50 here. Made by Rudolph Knitting Mills, it was probably issued to the sailor who wore it in 1970.

We've recently picked up another Navy watch cap that will be put to auction soon. These are always pretty exciting auctions so we can hardly wait! We'll post pics after it's up.

Vintage US Navy Watch Cap

Vintage US Navy Watch Cap

Vintage US Navy Watch Cap

Vintage US Navy Watch Cap Nomenclature Tag. The DSA number dates this cap's issue at 1970.

Vintage US Navy Watch Cap (unrolled)

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket

We got to own this Rich-Sher motorcycle jacket for a short while. For being from the mid to early 50sthe front-quarter horsehide was amazingly smooth, supple and well preserved.  The quilted lining had many cunning repairs made to keep it functioning for 60+ years, and the original front zipper was replaced.  This jacket sold at auction for about $300.

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket (back)

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket (Buckle and Front Zipper)

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket (lining)

Vintage 50s Rich-Sher Horsehide Motorcycle Jacket (label)

Vintage 1930s A. G. Spalding & Bros. Varsity Sweater

So... Summer was really busy... Too busy. We haven't posted anything in awhile due to the extreamly sunny and long Portland, OR summer. We made a ton of great picks over the last while and will spend some rainy time loading up photo eye candy.

A good winter start is this 1930s or 40s  A. G. Spalding & Bros. wool varsity sweater. It's seen plenty of wear but still found a home in a fan's collection.

Vintage A. G. Spalding Varsity Sweater

Vintage A. G. Spalding Varsity Letter

Vintage A. G. Spalding Label

Vintage A. G. Spalding Varsity Sweater (Back)

1940s C. C. Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Hunting Jacket

This is a late 40s Filson jacket that was rescued from a trip to the dump.  Even with the few moth bites to it, we picked it up and set it to auction.


This is one of the 16 oz.wool surge jackets that were very popular amongst Pacific Northwest foresters, lumberjacks and firefighters as well as hunters.

 The auction was pretty uneventful, probably because fall/winter clothing sales are low this time of year, but whoever got it found a great gem of an item in a sea of eBay crap.

1940s Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket

1940s Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket Back

!940s Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket inside

1940s Filson "Union Made" Label

The birth of an obsession: 1930s Laskinlamb Grizzly Jacket

This was found in a Goodwill Outlet store that sells clothing at 89 cents per pound.  I had made tons of discoveries from this place, but had no idea that these sorts of things were laying buried, one step away from being shredded and bailed.  The total cost for the purchase was $3.69.  A lofty price for an item from "the bins."  We sold it at the most inopportune time, mid-July (just when everyone is looking for a heavy fur motorcycle jacket) for just over $1200.00.  This sale started an obsession.

1930s Laskinlamb "Grizzly" Motorcycle jacket... in all it's glory:

Laskinlamb

Grizzly Jacket

They just don't make the patterns the same as they used to.  I'm a particular fan of the narrower shoulders and longer sleeves.  Modern reproductions don't seem to pick up on those subtleties that only someone who was trained in the old art of hand-pattern-making (Darcie) gets.

If you run across one of these...  Buy it! Then email me. I would love to make an offer.

Yeah... Another blog.

Born out of recession/necessity in 2009, Stumptown trading were two hard-headed, un-employable, junk-picking, creative knockabouts with $135-a-week in government funds and a huge dream of being able to pay the rent.

It seems like a century ago.  A lot has changed and evolved.  This blog wasn't created to chronicle the developments of our lives or company (although I might get Darcie to tell the story of her $10.86 Cal 29 Sailboat she bought at auction in Long Beach) but rather document some of the great finds we unearth and hopefully provide some help to fellow diggers in their research of tattered gems and the debacle of retailing them on-line.