1940s Reliance Mfg. Co. BIG YANK Herringbone Twill Work Shirt with Cigarette Pocket

BIG YANK shirt photos courtesy of andvintage

Another beautiful Reliance Mfg. Co. BIG YANK work shirt with the iconic cigarette pocket in much favored blue cotton herringbone twill fabric. The unique pyramid top pocket design features a front and back sided pouch sewn on top of the shirt body as opposed to a conventional patch pocket in which a single piece of material is sewn directly on top the shirt body. This pocket is constructed using a single piece of material folded at the bottom to create the pouch which was then stitched along the sides and bar-tack reinforced, hence the lack of stitching on the pocket's bottom. These type of pockets are also referred to as sweat-proof pockets and were used to hold items best kept dry and perspiration free such as a pack of smokes or a pocket watch.

Vintage BIG YANK Diamond Match Co. Matchbook Covers

Received a nice gift from our friend Randy Jones of the TIKI RANCH at the recent Rose Bowl Flea Market. Funny that it was given with the disclaimer "you probably already have one of these but I thought you would like it". I knew I had one in the collection but appreciated his nice gift and gesture none the less. Upon digging out the earlier matchbook cover I was pleasantly surprised to see that the new piece was a slightly different variation showing a different color cigarette pocket shirt.
As the old saying goes, "It's the little things in life that mean the most" and this piece fits the bill quite nicely. Thanks Randy!