Jump to content

rarest US battle uniform?


LE LOUP DES MERS
 Share

Recommended Posts

LE LOUP DES MERS

 So me and another local military collector were talking about battle uniforms. So I asked the question what would be considered the holy grail, the rarest of the rare for US battle uniforms. He was telling me that would a ww2 jump uniform. My question to you guys is, is that true? If not then what would be considered the holy grail, the rarest of the rare for US battle uniforms? I would like to keep the timeline from WW1- Vietnam. US Battle uniforms ONLY no experimental or dress uniforms. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts

Actually jump jackets/ trousers are fairly common as they are regularly for sale. They are sought after but doesmt make them rare.  One that is reinforced or actually combat worn is another story or one level further a Anti gas treated suit M42 suit for Normandy would be rare as many didnt survive.

 

I have seen, owned and had in hand more M42 jump jackets than the WWW2 issue Muntain jackets. Over the years ai have owned maybe 8 Mountain jackets and still have a couple. Took me years to find a jacket in excellent condition with a tag in the pocket. I to have one with while leather elbow patches added and white leather trimmed cuffs. 

 

As for rare combat items I would go with a WW2 Ranger assault vest or a Vietnam SOG 1-0 vest. 

 

Probably my favorite jacket would be the Vietnam era Navy Float Coats. An experimental type clothing item but actually issue/ worn/ used . Here is one that came from a veteran. This is a very early poplin Grenadiers Jacket. There is Riflemen and Radioman models image.png.8b106eef24eb64aa41dbbdc1ea606500.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18th century battle used uniforms are pretty scarce, I'd say any combat worn 18th or 19th century battle uniform would probably be the rarest. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LE LOUP DES MERS
14 minutes ago, P-40Warhawk said:

18th century battle used uniforms are pretty scarce, I'd say any combat worn 18th or 19th century battle uniform would probably be the rarest. 

That's why I want to keep the timeline from WW1- Vietnam. Because an 18th century battle uniform is of course going to be rare

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, doyler said:

My thoughts

Actually jump jackets/ trousers are fairly common as they are regularly for sale. They are sought after but doesmt make them rare.  One that is reinforced or actually combat worn is another story or one level further a Anti gas treated suit M42 suit for Normandy would be rare as many didnt survive.

 

I have seen, owned and had in hand more M42 jump jackets than the WWW2 issue Muntain jackets. Over the years ai have owned maybe 8 Mountain jackets and still have a couple. Took me years to find a jacket in excellent condition with a tag in the pocket. I to have one with while leather elbow patches added and white leather trimmed cuffs. 

 

As for rare combat items I would go with a WW2 Ranger assault vest or a Vietnam SOG 1-0 vest. 

 

Probably my favorite jacket would be the Vietnam era Navy Float Coats. An experimental type clothing item but actually issue/ worn/ used . Here is one that came from a veteran. This is a very early poplin Grenadiers Jacket. There is Riflemen and Radioman models image.png.8b106eef24eb64aa41dbbdc1ea606500.png

I concur.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, given the timeline I think an actual war used WWI uniform qualifies. Nearly all of the uniforms out there are post war issued and never saw a minute of combat. We see this often in the debate over ssi etc... Much like Doylers take on the items he selected, I would venture to say that very few here have a combat used WWI uniform.   Scott

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, LE LOUP DES MERS said:

That's why I want to keep the timeline from WW1- Vietnam. Because an 18th century battle uniform is of course going to be rare

 


Ah didn't see that, then yes a WWI combat used uniform I think would be rarest. Many of the WWI uniforms out there were issued for discharge, victory parades, coming home. There are some uniforms that made it through the war, but whether they were truly combat worn is the big if. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LE LOUP DES MERS
11 hours ago, doyler said:

My thoughts

Actually jump jackets/ trousers are fairly common as they are regularly for sale. They are sought after but doesmt make them rare.  One that is reinforced or actually combat worn is another story or one level further a Anti gas treated suit M42 suit for Normandy would be rare as many didnt survive.

 

I have seen, owned and had in hand more M42 jump jackets than the WWW2 issue Muntain jackets. Over the years ai have owned maybe 8 Mountain jackets and still have a couple. Took me years to find a jacket in excellent condition with a tag in the pocket. I to have one with while leather elbow patches added and white leather trimmed cuffs. 

 

As for rare combat items I would go with a WW2 Ranger assault vest or a Vietnam SOG 1-0 vest. 

 

Probably my favorite jacket would be the Vietnam era Navy Float Coats. An experimental type clothing item but actually issue/ worn/ used . Here is one that came from a veteran. This is a very early poplin Grenadiers Jacket. There is Riflemen and Radioman models image.png.8b106eef24eb64aa41dbbdc1ea606500.png

I don't know if you would consider a Vietnam sog 1-0 vest the holy grail of battle uniforms here is one that sold in 2019 for $1,500 but I understand that was 2 years ago this vest could have gone up since then. 

 

 

Screenshot_20211011-000451.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you are mixing two distinctions here, rare vs. expensive... One is not always inclusive of the other. While the vest is expensive, it is clearly attainable as it was advertised and bought for $1500.00. Now, try to find a combat used US WWI uniform for sale. If you do, it likely won't be as expensive as the vest, but it will be rare.   Scott

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about Dick Winters’ D-Day M-42 uniform VS Sgt York’s WW1 Combat uniform? 
 

And which one would be worth more?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, manayunkman said:

How about Dick Winters’ D-Day M-42 uniform VS Sgt York’s WW1 Combat uniform? 
 

And which one would be worth more?

Choosing a named uniform is cheating...they're all equally rare as they're unique. But take the name off, and their rarity plummets

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LE LOUP DES MERS
8 minutes ago, Brig said:

Choosing a named uniform is cheating...they're all equally rare as they're unique. But take the name off, and their rarity plummets

Yes, what he said, let's keep named uniforms out. Just because name uniforms is of course going to be rare.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’d have to agree- a real battle-worn WW1 US uniform would be a top contender. Many units went through at least four uniform cycles while in France, and certainly got new stuff for the trip home. Nearly all the cotton summer-weight khaki clothing was issued after they got back and demobilized. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps it would be easier to categorize rarest uniforms by war or era as opposed to just overall.  Just a thought.

A combat used uniform from WW1 is certainly a rare item as stated by the members above, but we can't dismiss the fact that the SEAL float coats from the Vietnam War are exceedingly rare as well.  Kind of like comparing apples and oranges.  Might be better to break it down by era as opposed to just a blanket statement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LE LOUP DES MERS
52 minutes ago, Nkomo said:

Perhaps it would be easier to categorize rarest uniforms by war or era as opposed to just overall.  Just a thought.

A combat used uniform from WW1 is certainly a rare item as stated by the members above, but we can't dismiss the fact that the SEAL float coats from the Vietnam War are exceedingly rare as well.  Kind of like comparing apples and oranges.  Might be better to break it down by era as opposed to just a blanket statement.

That's a good idea, let's reword the original post question. So from WW1-Vietnam what would be considered the rarest of the rare for battle uniforms, in each war? Let's leave named, experimental and dress uniforms out. I'm curious to know what war as the rarest uniform and what war has the most expensive uniform (In todays money).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Just ran across this thread and remembered a grouping that I saw come up for sale over on Baystate Militaria last year. Unfortunately I didn’t save any photos but from what I remember they had obtained a collection of AEF pilots uniforms, one of which was soaked in engine oil. The previous collector had purchased the uniform directly from the vet and it came with documentation on where the pilot had been shot down in France. That batch of uniforms also had a tunic that had been in the possession of a widow whose husband was a pilot in the AEF and was killed in France (obviously not the uniform he passed away in.)

 

I’ll dig through my photos to see if I saved anything from that listing but if my memory is correct the combat worn pilots tunic was quite pricy!

 

-JD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

My first thought would be a 1st US Sharpshooters (Berdan's sharpshooters) forest green uniform. I don't recall how many still exist but the number is very small with very few in private hands. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

collectsmedals
On 12/15/2022 at 2:24 AM, CAC1901 said:

My first thought would be a 1st US Sharpshooters (Berdan's sharpshooters) forest green uniform. I don't recall how many still exist but the number is very small with very few in private hands. 

I  agree with CAC1901, I remember quite a few years ago hearing of one selling at auction for over $100,000.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

I believe that any trousers or shoes would be rarer than a jacket.

For regular uniforms (meaning in a QM specifications somewhere), I would say that early denim overalls are pretty scarce. I don't know if those would be holy grails, but that's pretty hard to find.

What commends a higher price would be early jump uniforms (balloon suits, M41 jump uniforms, related shoes and all that sort of things)

Max

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...