About 15 years ago I bought a motorcycle jacket from a local thrift shop. I was intrigued by its padded elbows and shoulders, which sported a marvelous scuffed-and-buffed patina. I figured the jacket had seen better days, but I never gave a second thought to its age—or value. Until recently, that is, when I chanced upon a couple library books about the history of biker apparel.
In Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Bikers’ Fashions, I spotted a garment that looked like mine. Reading further, I learned that this “Padded Cascade” style originated with Langlitz Leathers, a small family business in Portland, Oregon. One of the oldest and most venerable biker outfitters, this company used white labels for most of its history (beginning in 1947), except for a brief period during 1950-56 when the labels were green.
Was my jacket a Langlitz, and if so, what color was the label? I had never paid any attention to the brand, so I rushed to my coat closet and searched the lining. And there it was: a beautiful silky label reading Langlitz Leathers —somewhat threadbare, but most distinctly green. That meant my jacket was more than half a century old!
Next thought: How much is it worth? “Green label examples are even more desirable,” states author Rin Tanaka, “with some bringing more than $2,500.” Wow! I’d need a formal appraisal, of course, to determine the actual worth, but there is currently an active market of avid collectors, many in Japan.
Am I going to sell the jacket? Probably not. I love its scuffed, burnished patina even more now that I know its esteemed vintage. I’m tickled that it could be worth many times more than what I paid for it, but I treasure owning a little piece of Northwest history. And all this thanks to a book I stumbled across while browsing in The Seattle Public Library!
~Michael E., Central Library
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