What are BDUs and DCUs Worth?

[ehrentitle]

I retired from the Army in 2003 and still have an accumulation of 20+ years of BDUs & DCUs spread through various places in the house. Recently a friend of mine who collects camouflage offered to buy my BDUs, DCUs and any field jackets I have. I really didn't think these things had much value, especially since the ACU has come out and BDUs/DCUs are hitting thrift shops and flea markets in larger numbers. Of course I remember Vietnam vets saying the same thing about their uniforms 25-30 years ago.

 

I know that attaching value to this kind of stuff is tricky business, but can anyone give me a ballpark general range of what these uniforms sell for?

 

I assume that older uniforms (I have a few with the old larger collar) and ones with elite unit patches have more value. But most of mine are really not that special. I have patched BDU uniforms for the 9th Infantry Division, Berlin Brigade, 3rd Corps Support Command, ROTC, 10th Mountain Division, Combined Arms Support Command and the Quartermaster School and Center. I also have several sets of mostly un-patched 3 color DCUs and well as a DCU field jacket with olive green subdued 22nd Support Command patches on both arms.

 

Kevin

[Laury Allison]

I retired from the Army in 2003 and still have an accumulation of 20+ years of BDUs & DCUs spread through various places in the house. Recently a friend of mine who collects camouflage offered to buy my BDUs, DCUs and any field jackets I have. I really didn't think these things had much value, especially since the ACU has come out and BDUs/DCUs are hitting thrift shops and flea markets in larger numbers. Of course I remember Vietnam vets saying the same thing about their uniforms 25-30 years ago.

 

I know that attaching value to this kind of stuff is tricky business, but can anyone give me a ballpark general range of what these uniforms sell for?

 

I assume that older uniforms (I have a few with the old larger collar) and ones with elite unit patches have more value. But most of mine are really not that special. I have patched BDU uniforms for the 9th Infantry Division, Berlin Brigade, 3rd Corps Support Command, ROTC, 10th Mountain Division, Combined Arms Support Command and the Quartermaster School and Center. I also have several sets of mostly un-patched 3 color DCUs and well as a DCU field jacket with olive green subdued 22nd Support Command patches on both arms.

 

Kevin

 

Kevin,

 

I haven't attempted to sell BDUs or DCUs too much as they are generally a tough market. I see them for sale locally for $10 per piece and they seem to move at that price. The field jackets bring more and sell for about $20 locally. I have sold field jackets on ebay and gotten in the $50 range for them...I always get a lot of interest in these...maybe everyone wants an alternative since the goretex takeover. BDU/DCU pants are easier to move as they like to wear those.

 

If they are in good shape with patches I would think they would bring more as a matches set (pants/shirt). Ebay's completed items would be a good source to check what kind of prices this kind of stuff is bringing.

 

I've got tons of old uniforms too....don't we all. I think most of mine are out in the garage and I haven't really done anything with mine. I do keep my Mess Dress and Class As in the living room closet. I have actually worn the Mess Dress once since I retired.

 

It just figures that after you retire they come up with uniforms you don't have to iron and boots you don't have to shine huh?

 

Laury

[Bob Hudson]

We have a thread about these and in it I show some examples of woodland camo piece that have sold for surprisingly high prices. It really does depend upon what patches are on them: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=7557

[ehrentitle]

Laury - Thanks for your observations and price estimations. I have been checking E-bay a bit this week and I did see a 101st patched 3 color DCU field jacket go for over $80 and was shocked. Another for the 82nd hit the $50+ mark. It appears that Airborne and Special Operations related BDUs/DCUs are much more desirable and thus fetch high prices than your regular unit.

 

Being a military collector for over three decades I'm a bit of a pack rat and haven't gotten rid of much of my uniforms and field gear hoping they might have value some day. It drives my wife crazy. My initial excuse was that retirees were subject to recall and I had to hang on to this stuff. But with the phase out of BDUs that excuse is hard to justify.

 

The post newspaper had a commentary on the demise of the black boot this week since they are being phased out in the Spring. It mentioned that the black boot has been around since 1956 and was the longest serving Army clothing item. It talked about how highly shined boots were a symbol of attention to detail and used by 1st SGTs and CSMs as a time honored gauge of quality and discipline.

 

I still have cans of shoe polish, brushes and rags spread all over the house. I'm sure the new boots are a real economic blow to Kiwi and other polish makers.

 

It also mentioned the problem that airborne units now face since they wear the black jump boot as part of the Class A uniform. It says that new boots are a "fashion disaster" when worn with the Class A or the Blue uniform.

 

Like BDUs the only folks you see wearing the black boot these days are a few reservists, airmen, sailors and folks close to retirement/discharge. I can still remember the days we ran in boots and can say that I don't miss them. I wore mostly jungle boots in later years as they were more comfortable. The newspaper polled several solders and to a man and women they all said thy preferred the new boot.

 

Kevin

[ehrentitle]

Thanks. Very enlightening! Kevin

 

We have a thread about these and in it I show some examples of woodland camo piece that have sold for surprisingly high prices. It really does depend upon what patches are on them: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=7557

[keith d]

I have been picking up lots of patched BDU's at the local thrift stores recently. I think that on average I pay $4.00 each. There have been a few around $12.00, but none more than that. I have also seen some patched field jackets for the same price. I passed on them because I have to draw the line somewhere!!

[ehrentitle]

I have been picking up lots of patched BDU's at the local thrift stores recently. I think that on average I pay $4.00 each. There have been a few around $12.00, but none more than that. I have also seen some patched field jackets for the same price. I passed on them because I have to draw the line somewhere!!

 

Keith, I guess I'll have to look harder the next time I visit the local Thrift Shop. They usually have 50 or 60 BDUs at any given time. Plus I'm starting to see DCUs and ACUs. I've never give them a thought in the past as I'm going thru the Class A uniforms looking for unusual color patches.

 

Kevin

[ehrentitle]

Here is a photo the DCU field jacket with the 22nd Support Command patches. This was a thrift shop find. I only picked it up since the 22nd was a short lived Desert Storm era unit and I was intrigued by the use of subdued green patches. Kevin

[ehrentitle]

And the tag -

[ehrentitle]

I just noticed that the tag shows Golden Mfg Co as the maker. Apparently Golden Manufacturing is the DoD's go to company for for M-65 field jackets. Here is their website:

 

http://www.goldenmanufacturing.com/

[Laury Allison]

Laury - Thanks for your observations and price estimations. I have been checking E-bay a bit this week and I did see a 101st patched 3 color DCU field jacket go for over $80 and was shocked. Another for the 82nd hit the $50+ mark. It appears that Airborne and Special Operations related BDUs/DCUs are much more desirable and thus fetch high prices than your regular unit.

 

Being a military collector for over three decades I'm a bit of a pack rat and haven't gotten rid of much of my uniforms and field gear hoping they might have value some day. It drives my wife crazy. My initial excuse was that retirees were subject to recall and I had to hang on to this stuff. But with the phase out of BDUs that excuse is hard to justify.

 

The post newspaper had a commentary on the demise of the black boot this week since they are being phased out in the Spring. It mentioned that the black boot has been around since 1956 and was the longest serving Army clothing item. It talked about how highly shined boots were a symbol of attention to detail and used by 1st SGTs and CSMs as a time honored gauge of quality and discipline.

 

I still have cans of shoe polish, brushes and rags spread all over the house. I'm sure the new boots are a real economic blow to Kiwi and other polish makers.

 

It also mentioned the problem that airborne units now face since they wear the black jump boot as part of the Class A uniform. It says that new boots are a "fashion disaster" when worn with the Class A or the Blue uniform.

 

Like BDUs the only folks you see wearing the black boot these days are a few reservists, airmen, sailors and folks close to retirement/discharge. I can still remember the days we ran in boots and can say that I don't miss them. I wore mostly jungle boots in later years as they were more comfortable. The newspaper polled several solders and to a man and women they all said thy preferred the new boot.

 

Kevin

 

Kevin,

 

It sounds like your house is just like mine! I'm not a pack rat though....just because I still have OG-107 fatigues that I was issued at Lackland AFB in Basic Training in 1982!!!!! Those may come back some day!!!!

 

I did the jungle boots my last few years too. Spit shining jump boots every night just got where it wasn't as much fun as it used to be. About a year before I retired I bought a pair of Cochoran III Field Boots. They have the toe and heal caps and are taller like jump boots, but nylon sides like jungle boots. Those were the most comfortable boots I had ever had my entire career. My jungle boots were about to bite the dust and I had to do something.

 

I put one nice set of BDUs up that are all starched with all the badges and patches sewn on them...I'll keep those along with my good dress uniforms.

 

I figure that decent shape BDUs and DCUs will be more valuable in a few years when they get harder to find. I don't buy them though unless I run across some really neat shirts with lots of Airborne and Special Ops stuff on them. I just don't have the room to store all that stuff for the next 20 years waiting on prices to increase.

 

I'm sure Kiwi has taken a beating with all the new boots that don't need shining. I'm sure they will come up with something to clean the new boots with.

 

Laury

[ehrentitle]

Kevin,

 

It sounds like your house is just like mine! I'm not a pack rat though....just because I still have OG-107 fatigues that I was issued at Lackland AFB in Basic Training in 1982!!!!! Those may come back some day!!!!

 

Laury

 

lol I have a couple of sets of the OG-107 fatigues that I wore the first few months in the Army, then they switched to BDUs. I also have a couple of sets of Jungle Fatigues that were issue to me at Ft. Benning back in the mid-80s. As well as the patrol cap we were required to buy and my old baseball style OG-107 caps. Still waiting for all of that to be of value. I did manage to part with my NBC suit, it's a start isn't it. I also attempted to donate BDUs to a local military museum years ago and they just laughed at me. Kevin

 

Kevin

[CNY Militaria]

I agree that the new ACU boots are much more comfortable than the black ones, but they are a lot harder to clean IMO and keep looking good. It seems like once you step into a swamp in them, they always remain somewhat dirty even after you scrub it for a long time.

[CNY Militaria]

Also, in my collecting experience, BDU's and DCU's belonging to officers fetch more. I never buy any, but if its for an officer, I wil get it if the price is right.

[ehrentitle]

This is probably the most unique set of BDUs from my career. It's what I wore while assigned to the HQ UN Mission in Haiti in the mid-1990s. Kevin

[CNY Militaria]

If listed on ebay, I believe that would sell for a higher amount than "normal". Its those unique ones that people one, especially if its from a field grade officer.

 

I would be interested in seeing some other interesting ones you have!

 

Justin

[ehrentitle]

They were also the most comfortable BDUs that I ever owned. I local Haitian contractor washed all of our uniforms. I don't know if they pounded them on rocks or what, but they were soft as pajamas. Of course I couldn't wear them when I returned to Ft. Drum, they would not have passed starched and creased muster. Kevin

[ehrentitle]

I would be interested in seeing some other interesting ones you have!

 

Justin

 

Justin, I would, but the rest are all buried deep in the garage or attic. Kevin

[ehrentitle]

Ok, I ran across my Berlin uniforms. Note that the BDUs have the old larger "Elvis" collar. Kevin

[USMCRECON]

Also, in my collecting experience, BDU's and DCU's belonging to officers fetch more. I never buy any, but if its for an officer, I wil get it if the price is right.

 

Hmmm, I guess I'd better go to the storage locker and dig out my old "A" bag with the SOCCENT-patched chocolate chip DCUs from Desert Stom. One of the jackets (actually a chocolate chip pattern anorak-styled pull-over jacket that was issued to some Kuwaitis) also has an unauthorized "Free Kuwait" patch on one shoulder, given to me by my Kuwaitis; I wore it during the ground war....yup, same uniform, five days.

 

Perhaps I'd better price these up just in case some day.......................... Nah!!

 

Yes.....I did change my avitar. The new one is a scan of our old Recon Team Dutch Oven patch; 2nd Plt, Bravo Co, 1st Recon BN, 1st MarDiv; no, we never wore it on our bush uniforms. Our callsign and official name was Dutch Over but we called ourselves Dunn's Raiders" after LT Dunn (that's what some of the writing on the scrolls says). Anyway, it's a pretty small picture but I thought I'd try it for a while.

[Polygon]

All depends on the BDU or DCU set. BDUs with no insignia will fetch under $5, those that can be attributed to an officer with Special Forces, Ranger, Military Intelligence, or feature any popular divisional shoulder insignia will command up to about $30-$60. What usually increases the value for these sets is if the seller also includes the boots, field gear, and any other additional components. In cases where you literally have a whole duffle bag full of gear and uniforms, prices go from $50-$100+.

[GIl Sanow]

I can offer some attibuted examples with 1-4 stars on the collars for $150 and up! Some will have matching trou and caps. PM me if you are interested.

 

G

[gwb123]

I can't add a whole lot here. The Vietnam era uniforms didn't attract too much attention at first, except for those who eagerly stripped the patches off of them. Now even mundane examples go for $45 and higher.

 

The OG-107 shirts from the 1960's still are slow to sell. Like the ones we are discussing, they sell better if they are loaded with qualification insignia, combat patches, color rather than subdued insignia or at least mixed. Or if they could be tied to a specific historical event. I collected them for awhile, and when I bid at auction I could tell there was a lack of interest. It seemed I was always winning except for the real hunter-killer-elite stuff.

 

The later OG-107 shirts with subdued insignia also moved slow for a long time, with pretty much the same rules. They just didn't have the "zing" of a true combat uniform, although some were worn in operations. Patched camo shirts from that era, on the other hand, were hard to find and are drawing a good price.

 

I was disappointed with the BDU when it first came out. That darn IR reducing dye that they used for the camo patterns was very dense, and made the first shirts very hot. We had troops who wore them in Grenada suffer from heat stroke while wearing what was supposed to be a "hot weather" uniform.

 

As for the discussion on boots... I can just imagine the new rough out boots with an Army Green uniform. One more thing they did not think of.

 

I too put in many miles running in black combat boots. However, most of us kept an old, worn set for the runs that had been broken in. Running in your dress set of boots was a bad idea. Not good for the shine or the shin.

 

It came out years later that the combat boot in general, and the "jump boot" in particular were not suited for running. About the time I got out they switched to athletic shoes. But not before my knees took a pounding. To this day, I cannot stand a full two hours on a concrete shop floor. My knees give way, and I know exactly where this wear and tear came from.

 

You've got a couple uniforms that would catch the eye of a collector, especially that one from Haiti. That's a keeper. Even the Berlin Bde. one would be a good one as well.

 

But most used BDU's are headed for what fate intended them to be in the first place... hunting clothes and paint ball outfits!

[ehrentitle]

Gil, Thanks for the insight, well said! I plan on hanging on to the 10th Mtn Haiti and Berlin Brigade uniforms, too many memories associated with them. Kevin

[ehrentitle]

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. It's been quite educational.

 

While digging thru boxes and closets for BDUs it has also led me to find my long forgotten pre-1975 ERDL uniform. It was given to me in the late 70s by a friend who wore it in Ranger school. The shirt has a 1968 contract date and the pants a 1970 contract date. No insignia other than an issue U.S. Army name tape. Kevin