• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Learn more about ROADSHOW's 2022 Tour
  • 2022 Tour Complete Rules
  • 2022 Tour FAQs
  • Past Event: Nashville, TN — May 10, 2022
  • Past Event: Boise, ID — May 31, 2022
  • Past Event: Santa Fe, NM — June 14, 2022
  • Past Event: Woodside, CA — June 22, 2022
  • Past Event: Shelburne, VT — July 12, 2022
On Tour

On Tour

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

FAQs

FAQs

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 25
  • Best Moments of Season 24
  • Best Moments of Season 23
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 3

Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 3

Watch | RECUT: Desert Botanical Garden, Part 1

Watch | RECUT: Desert Botanical Garden, Part 1

Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 1

Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 1

    Quick links
  • Detours Podcast
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Article | The History and Legacy Surrounding "The Well of Loneliness"

Article | The History and Legacy Surrounding "The Well of Loneliness"

Related | John Fery Oil Painting, ca. 1895

Related | John Fery Oil Painting, ca. 1895

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Hotel Del Coronado

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Hotel Del Coronado

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

World War II 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment A-2 Jacket

Value (2019) | $3,500 Retail – $4,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, this is my father's. He's a, was a veteran of World War II. He was in the 507th P.I.R., Parachute Infantry Regiment. From what I know, he was in the military just before the war broke out. I see a couple of pictures of him wearing the jacket. He was at Normandy and he was at Ardennes. And he said he never was so cold in his life when he was in Ardennes in December of '44.

APPRAISER:
Do you know when those photos were taken?

GUEST:
Well, the back of them, one says October of '45, and one says December 7 of '45. He was 24 years old, and he was a instructor in England, teaching the troops how to parachute. He arrived not on D-Day itself, but after D-Day. From what I understand, the 507th was attached to the 82nd Airborne.

APPRAISER:
The 507th was an outfit that saw a lot of action. When you're think about World War II collectibles, obviously, there are people who collect just a little bit of everything because they want to tell the whole story. And then there are people who collect very specific things, and one of the sub-areas that is the most likely to get a big following is airborne. It just evokes the unit camaraderie in collectors today that it did for these guys at the time. It's definitely something to be admired. Oftentimes, they purloined these what are Army Air Forces' flight jackets. It's a U.S. Army-issue jacket, but primarily for fighter pilots. Fighter pilots, bomber crew-- It, it's aviation-specific. It's a brown leather steerhide A-2 flight jacket. It's a little bit out there. Normally, when we see these things, we're thinking fighter pilots, we're thinking bomber crew. And you would expect this to be a squadron patch, when in fact, this time, this is the unit insignia of the 507th Airborne. You know what this represents?

GUEST:
No, it's a spider, and it looks like he's doing a lot of stuff at once.

APPRAISER:
What this is is the unit insignia just specifically for the 507th.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
It was designed by two sergeants within the unit, but it represents a black widow spider. If you see here...

GUEST:
Oh, yeah, right.

APPRAISER:
He's, he's got the, the hourglass symbol, he's carrying down the bomb and the lightning bolt. And I like the way that you phrase it. He's doing a lot of things at once. GUEST (laughs): Right.

APPRAISER:
Which I'm sure these guys were doing, as well. More than likely, he got this in England.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
Would, would be my guess.

GUEST:
And, and the patch would have been sewn on in England?

APPRAISER:
Yes. Let's take a look inside. We've got the label here, which tells us that this was made by Aero Leather Clothing Company in Beacon, New York. The contract number tells us that it was made in 1942. In fact, this is, I believe, one of the last contracts that Aero had, if not the last. We have his name on the front above the patch. We also have his name inked in the liner with his service number. If you're interested in preservation, flat is better than hanging. Hanging puts a lot of wear on the seams. Flat in an acid-free box with acid-free tissue supporting the, the piece. That way, when it's flat, you've stuffed these seams, and it's not getting self-ironed.

GUEST:
So, it's in pretty good shape?

APPRAISER:
It's in very good shape. On its own, without the insignia, it's a wonderful thing. With the insignia, it's even nicer.

GUEST:
I'm proud of it.

APPRAISER:
I'm curious, have you given any thought to what you think it might be worth?

GUEST:
I've seen online the patches going for, like, $800.

APPRAISER:
This is one of those cases where I like to say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This jacket, as it sets, would have a retail value of between $3,500 and $4,000.

GUEST:
Wow, that's, uh, that's nice. Um, I'm more proud of the service that he did, so, that's, uh... but it... thank you for that.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Jeff Shrader
Arms & Militaria
Advance Guard Militaria
Burfordville, MO
Appraised value (2019)
$3,500 Retail – $4,000 Retail
Featured In
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Hour 3 (#2403)
Event
Winterthur, DE (June 18, 2019)
Category
Arms & Militaria
Period
Second World War (WWII)
Form
Jacket
Material
Leather

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

More from PBS

Benjamin Franklin

Get to know one of the 18th century's most influential figures.

Now Hear This | Great Performances

Discover the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written.

Putin's Road to War

Explore what led to Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine.

"I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

What’s inside the case?

@RoadshowPBS on Instagram

William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… @RoadshowPBS

We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry, and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by GBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2022 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!