Rag House Airborne Pickups in Years past

[General Apathy]

Hi Louie and other members, twenty years or so back there was a warehouse in England called ' Uncle Sam's ' they shipped in 1000lb bundles of rag from the states, these bundles were so big and heavy they used construction equipment to unload from the shipping container. The bundles were compressed in baling mahines and bound with steel strip, it was fairly dangerous snipping the steel strip as the bundles would fly open.

 

I was one of the first to find this warehouse place and the owner would sell the stuff according to weight which is how he had bought it, so I would pick through these bundles and put aside what I wanted. When it came to pricing he would suspend every item on his index finger and guess the weight, camo, airborne suits, were for nothing, wool overcoats were fifty times the price of the neat stuff, patches and such didn't mean anything to him.

 

Sadly however as the word of the place spread then stupidly the people going there started telling him how valuable and collectible this stuff was and what militaria dealers dealers were charging, then they wondered why the prices jumped a couple of thousand percent, he had been quite happy before working on the weight pricing.

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

[Tankpatches]

thanks for i.d.ing the unit Dave. Remember your fine article in the Trading Post. Some have asked if I sell them. The ones shown are not for sale now, but if I do, I will let everyone know. Another asked if I have found Ranger or 1st SSF units. Not one, yes, not one 1st SSF. The Filipino scout unit, Goldfish club, Mars Task Force, Chemical Mortar Units, Raiders and Paramarines, rarer units to find, but not one 1st SSF in all these years. I have found 2 Ranger units, One on a khaki shirt, the ill fated 3rd Ranger, and on an Ike the 5th. I will try and dig these out.

 

Louie,

 

Fantastic ! ....is all I can say, very very nice uniforms

but I have to ask;Have any Armor ?

Dave (tredhed2) and I just looooooove Armor !!

 

Al

[Patrick.]

What a fascinating and amazing thread this has been, and hopefully will continue to be.

 

Thanks for taking the time to show the remarkable finds and give an insight into how they came to be found.

[oddmod]

What a fascinating and amazing thread this has been, and hopefully will continue to be.

 

Thanks for taking the time to show the remarkable finds and give an insight into how they came to be found.

 

 

Louie,

 

Really amazing thread (and yes, I am envious ).

 

I used to rag pick by the pound for my vintage shop years ago (anybody know Gary P. from Chamblain ?).... and those places are surreal to say the least. Imagine if Purgatory smelled like onions, and was housed inside a warehouse three football fields long and populated entirely by Mexican women who spend their entire lives climbing over piles of used clothing.

 

Anyway, hope I don't step on a toes, but this is the only thing I have left from those days. The jacket was literally falling apart, so I took the only thing off it that seemed worthwhile to me at the time...(these days of course I would have saved the whole thing).

 

Thanks,

JC

[tredhed2]

Louie-The SEAWOLVES shirt is HALTRON-3. For a Vietnam Navy collector it doesn't get much better then that.

Also, you should be careful posting those Railway Bn pieces and anything with tabs / scrolls as that is is the equal to Cyber porn for Tredhed.

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Louie-The SEAWOLVES shirt is HALTRON-3. For a Vietnam Navy collector it doesn't get much better then that.

 

Yep, I rarely comment on these threads, but that one made me a skoch' dinky dao.....

 

Photo: After 1968, nearly all gunships carried on their nose the HA(L)-3 insignia, a firebreathing dragon carrying a trident and shield all emblazoned on a circular field of white.

[louie]

Yep, I rarely comment on these threads, but that one made me a skoch' dinky dao.....

 

Photo: After 1968, nearly all gunships carried on their nose the HA(L)-3 insignia, a firebreathing dragon carrying a trident and shield all emblazoned on a circular field of white.

Looking for some armor and Korean War stuff to post came across more Navy in Vietnam stuff.

[louie]

For the Capt of the 7th..It's WW2 but still 7th I.D. and

[louie]

It is titled Airborne, so more Ike Airborne jackets.

[louie]

Not pure Airborne or pure Armor, but both on an English made Officer's blouse.

[Patrick.]

Looking for some armor and Korean War stuff to post came across more Navy in Vietnam stuff.

 

Hello Louie,

 

That does grab the attention!

 

What is the qualification badge obscured by the lapel?

 

 

Patrick.

[louie]

Sorry, took the pic too quick.

[louie]

Can't seem to find chemical mortar unit, but did find the Ranger looking for it.

[louie]

Found another Marine Para type camo shirt looking for it, but chemical must be in different duffle bag.

[louie]

Heres a Para coat made from a sleeping bag cover in occupied Japan by some 11th A/B trooper.

[louie]

Heres a Para coat made from a sleeping bag cover in occupied Japan by some 11th A/B trooper.

you can still see the U.S. from the sleeping bag cover!

[mdk014]

Louie, just seeing this for the first time today. Oh my! is all I can say. Sounds like you earned all you found and more so. Thank you for sharing.

 

Looking at your posts kind of reminds me of looking through old Bannerman's catalogs. All kinds of goodies to be found.

 

Mike

[kammo-man]

Time for pinning this great thread under Rag mill finds !!!!!

 

L

Did you ever find the 3rd pattern trousers to go with the USMC para jacket ?

 

 

Just back from the rag mill today myself .

7 things in the bag !!!!

But also 250 HarleyDavidson t-shirts !!!

 

owen

[kammo-man]

L

I do not want to hijack your awsome thread but here is asmall haul from Aug 14th .

owen

[louie]

L

I do not want to hijack your awsome thread but here is asmall haul from Aug 14th .

owen

this is the kind of stuff I find now. I did find some Korea and WW2 in the last two weeks, but not like the stuff I have posted here, not even close.

[BEAST]

Incredible finds! It sure looks like enduring the dirt, smell, etc. was well worth it! How do you find a rag mill? I never heard of them in the mid-west.

[jim2]

all I can say is WOW :jeal0001: nice finds. I cant believe people would just toss this stuff out.

[louie]

I know there are or were mills in Chicago, and also in St.Louis. Are they still there, I really don't know. Usually they will be in the worst part of town where industry left in the fifties or sixties and left behind the building. If you see the last post by Kammoman, this is usually what you will find now. Very little WW2 stuff comes out, and not even that much Korean or Vietnam stuff. It is even getting hard to find nice all cotton fatigues. You are now getting a lot of BDUs, DCUs, Camo M65s, coveralls, lots of civvie hunting clothes, orange especially, blankets, sleeping bag covers, ponchos, etc. Haven't even found a nice P coat in a long time. Also many new Class A uniforms, mostly from the eighties to now. Will there be a surprise in all this non interesting surplus stuff, yes, but now and then, but not everytime. And if you find one be forewarned these people who run the places never took hospitality classes. I remember one mill in L.A. now long gone where I found great stuff. Waiting to pay the owner who we nicknamed Jabba the Hut, yes he looked like him, some German guy who bought by the pound had maybe 30 lbs at most of vintage. Good ole Jabba looked at it, then at the scale, and then at him, and said GET OUT OF HERE YOU M.F., NO GOOD PIECE OF ETC. DON'T EVER LET ME SEE YOU HERE AGAIN YOU SON OF A ^^%%^. Obviously he didn't buy enough in Jabbas mind. Jabba usually was drinking, smoked, way overweight, obnoxious, but damn did he get good rag in the eighties and early nineties. I always tell people everyone wears clothes, but not everyone was in the military, so right off the bat you have to take that into consideration. And until you have established a good relationship w/ them, you better buy a minimum of what they will tell you or else, bye bye. Now that as Bob C. said might be striped Air Force blue jackets, mixed w/ nasty blankets and fatigues you wouldn't use to wash your car with. This fall coming up I will set up at local swap meet to dump the junk that I had to buy over the years. Halloween is always good for selling off the stuff people on here wouldn't even look at. Hope this helps with your question.

 

P.S. It really helps to speak Spanish! Most women there who sort will speak little or no English. Owner will, and foreman too, but not pickers. When I started this some pickers were Black, but they are long gone. And yes if you are lucky enough to get in, and show them what you want tipping is a must! No tipping, no findee! It's a parallel universe in some of these places to say the least.

[earlymb]

Louie, those are some great finds! I think the biggest thrill (and most of the fun) is to pull those gems from a heap of junk! Please post the stuff you want to get rid of on the forum, your junk might have value for other people.

 

Greetz

 

David

[louie]

Some D Day guys, one in the 101st and the other in the 29th.