Sell to Us · Military Clothing & Patches
Grandpa’s uniform deserves a real answer, not a donation bin.
Free video appraisal · paid before you ship · no obligation
Every week, somewhere in America, a family clears a closet and finds the war: a wool tunic with patches sewn on by hand, a leather flight jacket, a footlocker of insignia. The usual fate is the donation pile, because nobody nearby can say what any of it is, and the family half suspects that selling it might not even be legal. The truth: uniforms, patches, jackets, and field gear are entirely legal to sell, the collector market for the right pieces is deep, and a painted flight jacket can be worth more than everything else in the closet combined. An identified WWII A-2 brought $5,547 at auction, and painted squadron examples have been appraised on Antiques Roadshow at $6,000 to $9,000, with dealer-reported sales well above that.
We buy military clothing and insignia from anywhere in the country, WWII and earlier especially, through the same remote process we use for denim: photos by text, a short video call where we explain what you are holding, a price agreed on the call, PayPal payment before you ship, and shipping on us. These things carried a person’s service. We handle them, and price them, accordingly.
What we buy, and one thing we will explain instead
Flight jackets
A-2, B-3, G-1, and the cold weather sheepskins. Painted and squadron-patched jackets are the top of this market, worth many times a plain one, so photograph the artwork first.
Uniforms and uniform groups
WWII and earlier tunics, Ike jackets, and named groups with a story. Women’s service uniforms, WAC, WAVES, and nurse corps, are rarer than the men’s and often more valuable.
Patches and insignia
Squadron patches, wings, and unit insignia. Dealers report the best WWII squadron patches bringing a few hundred dollars apiece, while common division patches bring only a few, and we will tell you which you have.
Cold weather and field gear
Parkas, mountain troop gear, deck jackets, HBT fatigues. The Army proved its arctic clothing at Ladd Field in Fairbanks, and gear from the northern posts is a particular interest of ours.
Medals: handled honestly
Federal law restricts trade in some American decorations, and the Medal of Honor can never be bought or sold. When medals are part of an estate, we explain plainly what the law allows before anyone makes a decision.
Sold with respect, from anywhere in the country
The video call matters most on militaria. Patches, paint, and name stencils are exactly the details a photo flattens, and they are where the value lives, so we look together, explain what the insignia mean, and agree on a number you can weigh calmly. Payment goes through PayPal before you ship, and the shipping is on us. If the collection includes letters, photographs, or a name, tell us: provenance raises value, and the story deserves to travel with the garment. And if the honest answer is that a piece belongs with a museum or the family, we will say exactly that.
Our Word
One phone call is the whole process. A real person answers, we come to you, and you decide with a cash offer in hand.
From the Shop
Sell Vintage Clothing in Orange County. We Buy in Bulk and Pay Cash
Read the transcript
Hey guys, Sam here from California Vintage Buyers. Not only do we deal with all kinds of estates and auctions and property clearouts, but we also own Orange County's biggest vintage clothing store, called Old 44 Vintage, down in San Juan Capistrano. Therefore, we are a bulk buyer of all kinds of vintage clothing, 1990s and previous. We want to see it all. How do you know if something's vintage or not? Glad you asked. Here's a tell to know it's not vintage: printed tag. If you see that it looks like a stamp went on there and just made the tag, not vintage. Physical tag, it has a higher probability of being a vintage garment, especially if it says Made in USA. That's the main tell. But we buy leathers, military kind of stuff, western wear, sports, and most of all, graphic t-shirts. It could be a pink Harley-Davidson to a 1979 Pink Floyd concert tee. We love it. We want to see it all. Give us a call, 949-449-1255, or text photos to 949-449-1255.
How it works
Text us photos.
Send shots of the piece, the tags, and the buttons to (949) 449-1255. A real buyer answers the same day.
Video call, price agreed.
Ten minutes on FaceTime or whatever you already use. We agree the number while the piece is in your hands.
Paid before you ship.
The PayPal payment lands before you pack a box. Then we handle the shipping label, and shipping is on us.
Common questions
Is it illegal to sell military uniforms?
No. Uniforms, patches, insignia, and field equipment from past wars are legal for veterans and families to sell and are collected openly. The exception is medals: federal law restricts trade in certain American decorations, and the Medal of Honor can never be bought or sold. When medals are in the mix we explain exactly what the law allows.
Are old military uniforms worth anything?
By era, honestly: WWII and earlier, very often yes, especially aviation, airborne, USMC, and the women’s services. Named groups with documents do better still. Most later dress uniforms carry modest value. Send photos and we will tell you which side of that line your family’s pieces sit on, at no cost either way.
How much do WWII flight jackets sell for?
Plain identified A-2s have brought roughly $1,500 to $5,500 at auction. Painted squadron jackets are another world: an Antiques Roadshow appraiser put one at $6,000 to $9,000, and dealers report auction results above $20,000 for the best artwork. Condition matters less than originality, so never repaint, reline, or wash one.
How do I get rid of old military uniforms respectfully?
Find out what they are first. If they carry collector value, selling them to someone who documents and preserves them honors the service. If they do not, we will say so plainly and point you to donation programs and museums that accept uniforms. Either way, the fifteen minutes it takes to check costs nothing.
The wool tunic smells of storage and the patches are loose. Should we clean it and have the patches re-sewn?
No to both. Dry cleaning and washing shrink and felt old wool, fade the dye, and strip out the original hand-stitching, and a re-sewn patch reads as a replacement even when it is not, which costs far more than a loose thread ever would. Never remove a patch to sell it separately either, because a garment with its original insignia in place is worth more than the sum of the parts. Air it in a dry room, keep it on a wide hanger or folded flat in a cotton sheet, and leave the storage smell for us to deal with.
How do I find out what my grandfather’s flight jacket actually is?
Look inside for the label, usually stitched at the neck or on the lining under the collar, and photograph it even if it has faded to a ghost. On a wartime A-2 that label carries the maker, the specification number, and the contract number, and those three lines are what separate one jacket from another that looks identical across a room. Then check the lining and the pocket area for a stenciled or inked name, and look hard at the back and chest for painted artwork even if it is cracked and flaking. Do not touch up flaking paint, and do not wet the label trying to make it readable.
I am nervous about putting my father's jacket in the mail. What if something happens to it?
A fair worry, and the process was built around it. You are paid in full before the jacket leaves your house, so the financial risk of the mail sits with us, not with you. We walk you through packing so it travels well, the shipping is tracked and on us, and if you want to photograph it packed before it goes, do exactly that. Nothing moves until you are comfortable, and the call itself commits you to nothing.
Our family is spread across the country. How do we sell grandpa's things together?
The same way one person does, with more people on the call. Photos can be shared among siblings first, the video call can include anyone who wants to be there, and we explain what each piece is and what we will pay with everyone hearing the same words at the same time. Nothing ships until the family has decided, and the payment arrives before it does. Estates are rarely in one place anymore, and a scattered family is normal for this work.
Are dress uniforms worth as much as flight jackets and field gear?
Usually not, and it is worth saying plainly. Later-era dress uniforms are the most common military garments in American closets, and most bring modest money. Send photos of everything anyway; the modest dress uniform often hangs next to the HBT shirt or the jacket that is the real find.
Do you buy helmets, web gear, and footlockers?
Yes. Helmets, web gear, footlockers, trench art, and personal kit are all part of what we evaluate, and field equipment is often the most overlooked material in a veteran’s estate. We do not buy firearms, and edged weapons are evaluated case by case, lawfully; we are glad to point you to licensed specialists for anything outside what we handle. Photograph gear as found, liners and straps included, and send it with the rest of the grouping.
How should I pack a uniform or flight jacket for shipping?
Simply, and never sealed in plastic. Old wool and leather need air; an airtight bag or bin traps moisture, and on leather that risk includes red rot, the powdery decay that cannot be reversed. Fold garments flat with a clean cotton sheet between the layers, use a sturdy box rather than a tight one, and skip the mothballs. We walk you through packing on the call, you are paid in full before anything ships, and the shipping is on us.
Know what it’s worth before you sell.
Our field guides explain how the market actually prices these things. No fishing, no hype: real ranges and the details that move them.
One call. We’ll take it
from there.
(949) 449-12555.0 on Google · Free visit, no obligation · Cash the same visit
Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm
A real person answers seven days a week, weekends included. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.
Prefer photos? Text them straight to the same number · or send them here
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