WWII A-2 Leather Bomber Jacket & Photo

Appraised on: June 18, 2011

Appraised in: El Paso, Texas

Appraised by: Rafael Eledge

Category: Arms & Militaria

Episode Info: El Paso, Hour 2 (#1611)

Originally Aired: April 2, 2012

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Appraisal Video: (1:00)

GUEST: I brought my dad's World War II bomber jacket. He served with the Army Air Force.

APPRAISER: He actually served with the 8th Air Force. They were one of the hardest-fighting groups. And this is an iconic World War II piece. It's the leather bomber's jacket that he wore. We have the hand-painted insignia. And you can see on this side of the chest, we have 30 bombs. Each bomb was a mission.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: So that's 30 times he left, not knowing if he was coming back, and that was his badge of courage. You've got everything you could possibly hope for on this coat. They call them an A-2 jacket-- that was their official military designation. This coat, on today's market, would retail between $3,000 and $4,000.

GUEST: Wow, that's awesome.

APPRAISER: It's not as awesome as your father was. We are so lucky we had those guys.

GUEST: Thank you.