Cuff Patch / Litzen attachment

[David H]

Over the years there have been many a heated debate over the 'correct' attachment of cuff patches to OR's wool uniforms, the majority view being that they were attached during the manufacturing process before the lining went in, with the result that anything sewn through the lining was probably added post DDR. Now I have seen alot of tunics over the years that have had cuff patches added and indeed a lot of them I have been very uneasy about, but every now and then I am convinced.
Below is an absolutely mint signals tunic from October 1967 it has never been issued and sat in stores until the early 1990's. You can even see the the original chalk marks for the alignment of the cuff patches. The cuff patches were attached to this tunic but were removed at stores level to render it a service tunic after the introduction of the open collar tunics during the 1970's........ Now the interesting bit.... the cuff patches were originally sewn to the jacket after completion resulting in visible stitching through the lining!!!!! This is not a one off as I have another three all the same, these were part of a variety of bundles on dark collar jackets I bought in 1994.

View:
Cuff patches were sewn through linings at stores level and possibly manufacturing level, so forget the myth it didn't happen, it did....
This doesn't mean there are not post wall added ones out there because there are... a lot, but don't discount a jacket as not original just because it doesn't seem 'normal', look at every jacket on its merit.

[David H]

Label

[David H]

Original chalk alignmwent marks

[David H]

Interior of sleeve showing original stitching

[David H]

Stampings

[iannima]

Dave
I always look forward to seeing pictures of items in your collection What I do wonder is what of kind of storage facilities you have ... At Beltring I met a chap (West German) who manages his own collection with a forklift truck ...
Parenthesis aside, I am delighted to see another posthumous rule de-bunked...

[Mike G.]

I don't think the "Rule" (if there is one) is necessarily "Debunked". I think the closing remark - "Each on its own merit" should be taken to heart and is what is important here.

There are always going to be exceptions to everything out there. Not just how uniforms were produced, assembled and put together, but also how and when they were worn. On the whole, cuff bars and cuff bands sewn through the lining on a Tunic that shows much wear, is deserving of some scrutiny and subjective questioning.

In the case of the example David posted (and he has three other examples, all the same, from the same "Lot"); it is important to note that this Tunic was never issued. That already sets it apart from the norm.

I'm glad this example was acquired in 94. Quite frankly everything I see being offered today just looks suspicious in general to me, and consequently I've elected some time now to quit adding anything new to my collection. Basically, I'm done. Stick a fork in me.

Fortunately, I have other interests these days to keep me entertained, or it would be a sad moment indeed.

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David - as always, you have exceptional and unique artifacts in your DDR collecting tank, and just as exceptional is your long time acquired knowledge, wisdom and insight. Thank you sir for sharing them with the DDR collecting community.

This information I'm sure will serve to avail some fears of some of our brethren who have a Tunic or two that fall into this category, and now they can breath a little easier, knowing their Tunic is good.

Much appreciated.

[Mike G.]

David,

Forgot to mention ..... good to see you on the board. Hope all is well.
All the best.

[Capt. R]

good points. We discussed a similar occurence in an old thread about the cuff bars being sewn thru the lining on one of my grenz tunics. This is a nice example so thanks for posting.

[Rev462]

David,

Great information! I've seen several examples of officer cuff bars sewn through the lining, but this is the first example I've seen of it being done with an EM tunic. Guess I'm not surprised, but it is nice to see concrete evidence confirm one's suspicions.

[Ralph P]

David - Was the cuff titles sewn through twice?

[David H]

David - Was the cuff titles sewn through twice?

No, those are the marks of the feeder foot that runs next to the needle, it leaves a little indentation in the fabric that you would not see in wool.