WWII USMC Puncho question...

[alvand]

Howdy everyone,

New guy here with first post.!

I have received a WWII USMC (spot camo) puncho/Half shelter, double sided Green & brown camo from a Friend who says it belonged to his wife's grandpa now passed on and no room for old stuff...

Puncho is rectangular with slit in the middle for head pass, and in great shape, no tears with all buttons and nice vivid colors. Now to explain the material I will do my best because it is a little hard to explain what it is....It seems to be "Fabric" but heavily coated with something..( No not rubberized) it is not very flexible and it is actually noisy..!!!...it is at least water resistant if not proof...it feels like fabric, coated HEAVILY with PERMANENT STARCH to explain it's feel...!!!..

Does this sound like real McCoy thing from WWII to you or maybe a later repro..??

I looked all over and did not see any marks, stamps or tags to give any clue...

So, please tell me what you think and what it would be worth..??

Thanks a million..

Information

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[Sarge]

Sounds right. These often begin to get brittle with age and once started I know of no way to stop the process.
Any markings will be on the folded edge, but not all were marked. I have unmarked ,USN and USMC marked ones.
Sarge

[alvand]

Hey Sarge,

Thanks for your reply and info.....

Yes, my puncho feels like it would start the cracking process in near future.... any way to "LUBE" the dryness back to life..??..LOL......

Also, any idea on it's worth..??

[Aragorn243]

I'm wondering if the stiffness is the chemical treatment they put on things prior to invasions as protection against chemical weapons. I was just reading about the US Army D-Day forces having their uniforms, etc coated with this stuff that made them cold and stiff.

[conductor]

Hey Sarge,

Thanks for your reply and info.....

Yes, my puncho feels like it would start the cracking process in near future.... any way to "LUBE" the dryness back to life..??..LOL......

Also, any idea on it's worth..??

Do some exploring on your computer, and see if you can come up with the email address of the conservation lab at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. If that doesn't work out, talk to someone at the National Museum of The Marine Corps at Quantico. Again, you need to talk to someone in their conservation department.