This Week in Our Vintage Bundles: 1940s Duckead Jeans

File under: Pre-historic denim.

Okay, so these aren't buckleback Levi's, the holy grail for you denim collectors out there, still these are an incredibly rare piece of denim history with some nice design elements. Check 'em out.

As always, here's a label for your viewing pleasure:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

Visit Us!: You Pick, We Ship!

As an alternative to selling pre-sorted vintage by the bale we also entertain factory visits. You're welcome to visit our plant, we'll set aside a month's production for you and ship only what you select yourself. Our minimum is $1000 and the price/lb includes shipping to New York City.

We only sell to one customer per month, and never ship pre-sorted bales the the same month as a factory visit.

Interested in a visit?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1940s/WWII Hand Painted USN Deck Jacket

We've had a great week. Painted flight jackets are rare as it is, this is the first painted deck jacket that we've seen. The dates on the jacket and it's USN markings date it to WWII, although we're not sure whether it may have seen action in West Germany or Japan. Check out the detailing:

The sleeve has the name of it's owner (Jack Dielkey), his years of service? (1946-1949) and his "Cloud Luster" squadron's insignia. The back has a hand painted feather (does anyone know what this means?)

The Airforce became a separate entity in 1947 but we're sure that the jacket is an earlier military issue and was not made exclusively for the Airforce. It's possible that either Air Force issue clothing had not been made yet or that Jack Dielkey was issued the jacket in his service during the war and then continued to use it during his subsequent tours. These are the finds that we live for!

As always, here's the label for your viewing pleasure, good luck reading it :)

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: 1984 Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA" Tour T-Shirt

This was the album that made Springsteen a commercial success. The back has a listing of all the countries that Springsteen toured that year, leading us to believe that this may have been purchased abroad. The bad news? Like many vintage polyblend t-shirts it's shrunk to a size that only a girl or teenaged boy could wear, nonetheless, it's a great find for any Springsteen fan.

Other great items that didn't make this week's short list:
-A 1981 M*A*S*H T-shirt
-A 1970s Levi's Western Shirt (White label)
-A pair of 1940s-50s US Navy Wool Pants
-A "Beaver Creek" wool blanket by Pendleton

As usual, here's the label to help you identify one for yourself.

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

In Our Vintage Bundles This Week: Late 40s Silk Scarf Made in Occupied Japan

This scarf is a beauty. It's hand painted, hand rolled and made in Occupied Japan (Japan was occupied by UN troops in 1945-1952). It even has the label to prove it! It'll be headed in our bundles to NYC this month so keep an eye out for it in your local vintage shop.

Other great items that didn't make this week's short list:
-A 1940s Jantzen sweater.
-A 1940s-50s Montgomery Ward 101 Denim Western Shirt
-Levi's Big E 505 Jeans
-Deadstock 1970s Dickies
-WWII "Ike" Military Jacket

As always, here's the label to help you identify one for yourself:

Interested in a bundle?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.

The Secrets of Successful Vintage Resellers Pt1: Wholesale Sourcing

Ever wonder where your local vintage shop, or online vintage superstore seems to find rare pieces every week?

Sure, it's possible that they've had amazing luck with thrift stores and flea markets, but increasingly successful sellers are buying vintage in bulk in order to save themselves the time required to "cherry pick" and in order to acquire the volume that they need to run a business.

From who?
There are several possible vintage sources. We're one.

What we do:
Run factories that process thousands of pounds of used clothing each day. The clothing is then sorted into various grades and vintage is separated for resale.

How do we sell vintage?
We sell by the pound in bundles of 150lbs.

What's in a bale?
We usually provide pictures (stay tuned for our upcoming posts). But we regularly pick out Vintage Denim, Vintage Tees, Military Clothing, Dresses, designers like Christian Dior and more.

If we're buying in bulk, why not buy from estates?
Those selling at estate sales often are not professionals and do not grade their clothing. You may find that the condiiton of vintage purchased at estate sales varies wildly. Also, on a pound per pound basis, the cost of purchasing in bulk is significantly cheaper than purchasing at estate sales.

Interested?
Click the "email me" link on the top-right of the page to learn more.