Questions About the United States Navy Peacoat

[Dr H]

Here is a selection of images of the aforementioned peacoat (taken in direct sunlight).
Please note that this is straight out of the parcel (it needs a dry clean and some minor stitching to close up several small openings on the sleeve, the rear neck and the shoulder seams. Nothing serious and aside from the replacement buttons it's in great, sturdy condition.

 

[Dr H]

More images of the peacoat.

Some of the damaged areas.

Note colour of original thread showing replacement button.

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Peacoat]

Two nice ones, D-Man. And I like the tie. I have several very similar to it.

 

[Doctor Damage]

(click for larger)

 

[Spoonbelly]

Looks like a fun picture. Just my opinion - They'd look better if the uniform were Kersey coats and pants.

 

[sam 2000]

This is a fascinating thread.
Never knew there was so much info on one garment.

I have an unusual pea coat.
It is DSCP Sterling brand USN w/ contract # etc..
It is 6 gold button front,
but has sewn in epaulettes straps w/ button on each to shoulder,
(Similar to an Army uniform, not the shoulder board loops).

Does anyone know of this type of Peacoat?
Maybe for Merchant Marines or something?

Thanks

 

[Peacoat]

That is a current issue officer's reefer. The small straps on the shoulders are for attaching rank boards. The gold buttons are authorized for officers' and chiefs' peacoats. Chiefs do not wear rank on their coats. But in truth, neither officers nor chiefs much wear peacoats anymore as they are both authorized to wear the bridgecoat. Both prefer the bridgecoat over the peacoat.

BTW, welcome to the Lounge. PC.

 

[sam 2000]

Thanks Peacoat for the reply.
So it's a Reefer coat. Cool!

Apparently you can not upload photos here,
so am going to try to draw what the shoulder
tab things looks like if the formatting survives posting.
(Ignore the"..." just used for spacers.)

.... _________________
../................................|
/ ..O ............................|
\ .................................|
..\__________________ |

Collar .......................... Sleeve
side ............................ side

Have not seen photos on here with this on shoulders
of the peacoat/reefer coats. Just the loops for the hard
shoulder boards.
Looks like you can pin the metal rank devices on this one.

 

[zedeffe]

Hi, I'm new, but rather happy to share this peacoat I got off eBay recently. I'm rather small in stature so I took a risk getting this size 32 instead of a 34 but I'm pleased with it! I suppose this was a chief's coat? It has no loops for shoulder boards though.

Any thoughts on whether I should replace the gold buttons with bakelite buttons?

 

[Spoonbelly]

Hi, I'm new, but rather happy to share this peacoat I got off eBay recently. I'm rather small in stature so I took a risk getting this size 32 instead of a 34 but I'm pleased with it! I suppose this was a chief's coat? It has no loops for shoulder boards though.

Any thoughts on whether I should replace the gold buttons with bakelite buttons?

Looks like a nice excellent condition coat. Probably a late WWII or post war. It could be a naval officer coat from the Naval Academy since it has the gold buttons? Or maybe the owner had gold buttons put on it? Which buttons do you think you like best?

 

[Peacoat]

Yes, it is a 1945 tag, so it could be late WWII or early post war, as Spoon said.

Back during that time period, Chiefs wore peacoats, not bridgecoats. So without the shoulder straps for the rank boards, I would say it was a Chief's peacoat.

I would leave the buttons alone and keep the coat in its original condition. Appears to be in excellent condition. A size 32 is rare, even for that time frame.

Welcome to the Lounge. PC.

Edit Note: I neglected to mention this in the original post, but the Bakelite buttons are the very old type and hard to find today. Plastic buttons are the ones most readily associate with peacoats for the past 70 years or so. I don't know when the plastic replaced the Bakelite, but it was a long time ago. Even my WWII coats have the black plastic buttons.

 

[Peacoat]

Thanks Peacoat for the reply.
So it's a Reefer coat. Cool!

Apparently you can not upload photos here,
so am going to try to draw what the shoulder
tab things looks like if the formatting survives posting.
(Ignore the"..." just used for spacers.)

.... _________________
../................................|
/ ..O ............................|
\ .................................|
..\__________________ |

Collar .......................... Sleeve
side ............................ side

Have not seen photos on here with this on shoulders
of the peacoat/reefer coats. Just the loops for the hard
shoulder boards.
Looks like you can pin the metal rank devices on this one.

I haven't seen this configuration on peacoats, only the straps for the rank shoulder boards. It appears to be the standard military epaulets. My Army uniform coats have this design, but not my bridgecoat or any of my peacoats. Maybe one of our Navy types will have an answer.

Edit Note: I thought of this after posting the message, but perhaps the epaulets were added by a subsequent purchaser to give a more military feel to the peacoat? Look to see if the material is the same as on the peacoat itself and if there is any evidence of an add on. It is a long shot but worth a try.

You won't be able to download photos until you have about 10 posts on the forum. I will try and send you a personal message with my email address, but I don't think the PM feature will work until you have more than just a few posts.

 

[sam 2000]

No, the epaulettes seem to be original.
The colour is exactly the same cloth.

The coat seems to be of very good quality
and well made.

Thank you for your info.

 

[Peacoat]

Most interesting. I have never see a peacoat, or even pictures of a peacoat, with epaulets. Nor have I ever even heard about such a configuration. Maybe someone has knowledge and can enlighten us.

 

[EarlGrey]

I've been scouring the internet trying to get a sense for Kersey wool peacoats. Prices have increased a bit since the days of people claiming to find cheap vintage peacoats! 200+ for a Kersey wool peacoat, and VT.com has them topping at about 300, give or take. At this price, do people still recommend trying to find a vintage Kersey wool peacoat? Scoring a Sterlingwear 100% wool peacoat seems to be a much better value proposition these days...

 

[Spoonbelly]

I've been scouring the internet trying to get a sense for Kersey wool peacoats. Prices have increased a bit since the days of people claiming to find cheap vintage peacoats! 200+ for a Kersey wool peacoat, and VT.com has them topping at about 300, give or take. At this price, do people still recommend trying to find a vintage Kersey wool peacoat? Scoring a Sterlingwear 100% wool peacoat seems to be a much better value proposition these days...

What size do you need? If it's a common size it shouldn't take too long to find an excellent Kersey coat. The larger the size the larger the price though. Finding these coats has turned into a year round process. I have a few Kersey coats in size 46 and 46L. I had to scour ebay everyday for a long time to find them all. The prices at VT have gone quite high. You can find cheaper prices on ebay, but it does take homework. Hopefully you won't have to settle for a Sterlingwear as the Kerseys are quite superior.

 

[Peacoat]

I've been scouring the internet trying to get a sense for Kersey wool peacoats. Prices have increased a bit since the days of people claiming to find cheap vintage peacoats! 200+ for a Kersey wool peacoat, and VT.com has them topping at about 300, give or take. At this price, do people still recommend trying to find a vintage Kersey wool peacoat? Scoring a Sterlingwear 100% wool peacoat seems to be a much better value proposition these days...

There is no comparison in the quality of the wool shell between the Kersey and the Melton. The Kersey is far superior, plus it is more wind and rain resistant. I would hold out for the Kersey. As Spoon says, the difficulty of your search is dependent on your size. The smaller the size, the easier the search. What is your peacoat size?

 

[EarlGrey]

I'm a 38, which is quite common, but ideally a Short, which seems almost impossible to find. I can make a 38 work, and there are a few good peacoats of that size on eBay from what I see, however the conditions seem to be a rather mixed bag. I suppose I'll hold out and see if better coats pop up as winter approaches.

 

[Peacoat]

Yes, as the season goes on, there will be a lot of peacoats available.

If you haven't done so, you need to look at my guide on Peacoat Dating, which is in a sticky at the top of this page. There is a section on fit toward the end. Your actual chest measurement and the p2p of the target peacoat are important. Don't only go by the size you normally wear in a suit coat or the stated size of the peacoat. While usually accurate, peacoat sizes should always be compared to the actual p2p of the coat.