Sometimes looking again is a disappointment

[Collectinsteve]

Tonight I was exploring deep in my collection and it required the use of a headlamp. While moving aside some BGS items my light caught something at an angle. My first thought was "crap" because I knew exactly what I spotted. My supposed very rare "2 pocket BGS Sumpftarn smock" is nothing but a modified standard 4 pocket type. BUGGER!

Now that I know that, I've figured out how I could have missed this for so long.

I got this smock more than 15 years ago when I was just starting to get serious about collecting. It was the first BGS smock I had (I have three at the moment) and so, at the time, had nothing to compare it to. The removal of pockets is something that I had seen on other uniforms but usually it leaves very obvious signs from the damage done to the cloth by the sewing machine and/or the removal process. However, a combination of being newer to collecting and not having experience with this specific item caused me to not know to look much harder.

Over the years the smock has been occasionally taken out of storage and not carefully reexamined. In my mind it was already identified so I didn't look at it too hard again to see if the identification was accurate or not. Until tonight.

My headlamp caught a faint vertical disturbance in the cloth about where a pocket would be. I took it out and examined it very closely and at first thought it was nothing. However, I was suspicious that there was more to find so I put one of my 4 pocket smocks next to it and examined the exact areas where the pockets and bandage pocket (also missing) should be. And yes, now I could see a little over there, a little here, some over there. Still not very obvious, but small signs of it in all three spots. Now it is obvious!

Anyway, the point of this story is two fold:

1. There is no such thing as a factory made 2 pocket Sumpftarn smock. At least not that I know of!

2. It's not a bad thing for advanced collectors to go back and look at stuff they collected many years ago and see if they missed something. I've found mismatched minor variants, items with incorrect stamps, etc. over the years, so this isn't the first time I've found a really old acquisition that wasn't as I remembered it. Sometimes for the better, sometimes (as with this case) for the worse.

Steve

[Klaus1989]

interesting, at least you solved that one. It was what I suspected earlier, but not handle it, so thought maybe you had better evidence. The 2 pocket design never had sense for me, especially since the splinter version (which cut is based on) also have 4 pockets.

Regards
Klaus

[Gordon Craig]

Steve,

Your point is well made about inspecting things, again, that you have had for some time. It is not unusual for me to pull something off a rack and right off the bat I think "I didn't notice that before". And this has surely happened more than once. And what I find isn't always bad news. Often a new interesting fact about this artifact. A good point for old and new collectors.

Regards,

Gordon

[Collectinsteve]

interesting, at least you solved that one. It was what I suspected earlier, but not handle it, so thought maybe you had better evidence. The 2 pocket design never had sense for me, especially since the splinter version (which cut is based on) also have 4 pockets.

Regards
Klaus

It also did not make sense to me EXCEPT if it was an experimental example. When I first received it there were very few 4 pocket smocks on the market. They used to sell for $500+ at the time, now they sell for 1/2 of that in my experience. Many years later it became even more suspect in my mind, mostly because of discussions here, however a quick look at the "2 pocket" smock did not set off alarm bells. Therefore I kept thinking "I know this item doesn't make sense, but there are all kinds of odd things in my collection that are mysteries!"

For example, my BW jacket in reverse Broad Splittertarn. I have never seen another item in reverse colors, I have never seen Broad Splittertarn on anything other than the FJ uniform, and I've never met anybody who has ever heard/seen of a jacket like mine in their lives. Yet my jacket is for sure what it appears to be... a genuine 1957 production jacket, most likely an official trials piece. I have quite a few others in my collection that are similar in rarity and lack of information. I thought the "2 pocket" BGS smock was one of them.

I am looking at it again in my hands right now and I do not feel too bad about not noticing the modifications. There is almost not sign of the removed pockets even though I am looking for it knowing those signs are there. The cloth is exceptionally forgiving of sewing machines!

Steve,

Your point is well made about inspecting things, again, that you have had for some time. It is not unusual for me to pull something off a rack and right off the bat I think "I didn't notice that before". And this has surely happened more than once. And what I find isn't always bad news. Often a new interesting fact about this artifact. A good point for old and new collectors.

Regards,

Gordon

Yup, totally agree. More than once I pick up something I've had for a long time and find something interesting I didn't notice or know about at the time.

The worst is when I get something in trade or from eBay that I'm excited to have and then I find out I already have one. Or two! Sometimes I don't notice for several years. I have perhaps 6000+ individual items (not including badging) in my collection, which does explain why not every piece is categorized correctly in my head or not at all.

Hmm... maybe my wife has a point about me having too much stuff? Nah, that just doesn't sound right

Steve