Lot 581

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Description:

310TH FIGHTER SQUADRON JACKET AND SIGN
Brown leather American A-2 style aviator's flight jacket, belonging to a member of the 310th fighter squadron, known today as the "Top Hats". The jacket bears a hand-painted squadron emblem on the left breast, which features a grinning skull wearing a top hat and bow tie, over a pair of lightning bolts and above a pair of dice, all on a blue background with a white border. The jacket is missing its epaulette straps and its hook-and-eye neck closure. It also lacks its inner specification label and its leather hanging strap. The lining shows no sign that these items were ever sewn on to it, indicating either the jacket has had its liner replaced at some point, or possibly was made in-theater, most likely in Australia. The A-2 jacket was phased out starting around 1943, and many disappointed airmen commissioned copies of the official A-2 to complete their "look". The 310th was first deployed overseas in Australia in Nov. 1943, as the A-2 was becoming unavailable. The leather is stiff and the emblem is worn, but the jacket is otherwise in good condition. The jacket is accompanied by a hand-painted circular metal sign, 22" in diameter, showing a variation of the 310th logo. The dice are gone, and the dapper skeleton is clutching a walking cane and is wearing a monocle. The emblem has been signed in red ink with the first names of seven individuals, men and women, possibly veterans and their families. The signatures have faded over time, and have been traced over with black pen. The verso reads, in part: "Property of Jean Beverly Leibiger", with a Washington D.C. address. The name "Jean" appears among the signatures on the front. Some of the paint on the emblem has crackled and flaked over time, leaving several bare spots, each less than 1 cm. in diameter. The 310th was deployed to the Pacific in 1943, where they flew P-47 Thunderbolts on missions over New Guinea, the Philippines, Korea, and southern Japan throughout the war. The squadron is currently based in Arizona, where they operate F-16 Fighting Falcons.

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December 9, 2015 10:30 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000