Vintage 1940s German Leather Motorcycle Dispatch Rider Jacket

Heavyweight dark green goatskin, cut for the road. This is a German dispatch rider style jacket from the late 1940s to early 1950s, still belted, still on its original moleskin lining, and still every bit as sound as the day it was made.

Dispatch riders carried messages by motorcycle, and German jackets for the job were built to take weather, speed and long days in the saddle. After the war that construction carried straight on into civilian riding gear. The cut, the belt and the four-pocket layout stayed exactly as they were, because they worked. This jacket comes from those early post-war years, made by people who still built for function first.

The goatskin was chosen for strength and flexibility, and it shows. The hide holds its shape across the body and sleeves, with even, settled creasing and gentle tonal variation from years of honest wear. Inside, the moleskin lining has a few careful hand-stitched repairs where the sleeves meet the body, a known stress point on jackets of this age. They're confined to the lining and don't touch the leather.

The German zips are original and have been serviced to run smoothly, and the belt and buckle are the ones it left the factory with.

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Condition & Restoration

Very good condition for its age.

The goatskin is structurally sound throughout, with no tears or holes, and the stitching is solid and secure. The original moleskin lining shows age-related wear, with sympathetic hand-stitched repairs and small reinforcements where the sleeves meet the body lining. These are stable, fully functional and confined to the lining. The original German zips have been serviced and run smoothly, and the belt, buckle, pockets, cuff straps and fastenings are all intact and working.

The jacket has been specialist cleaned and conditioned in-house. Nothing has been reconstructed or covered up, so its age and construction remain clear to see.

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Key Features

• Heavyweight dark green goatskin leather
• German production, late 1940s to early 1950s
• Post-war dispatch rider motorcycle design
• Original moleskin lining with period hand-stitched repairs
• Original belt and buckle
• Period German zips, serviced
• Four-pocket road jacket layout
• Adjustable cuff straps with original fastenings

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Measurements

Measured laid flat:

• Chest (armpit to armpit): 22 in / 56 cm
• Shoulders (seam to seam): 18 in / 46 cm
• Sleeve (shoulder seam to cuff): 27 in / 69 cm
• Sleeve (underarm seam to cuff): 16.5 in / 42 cm
• Back length (collar seam to hem): 30 in / 76 cm

Best suited to a 40 inch chest, with room for a jumper underneath. The belt draws it in at the waist for that classic motorcycle silhouette, and the 30 inch back length sits at the hip. Please compare these measurements with a jacket you already own.