Set of saddle bags AND metal bicycle rack.
I believe these saddle bags to be original 1930's. If it is post war, it has a great look. The style of construction most closely matches typical 1930's designs. They even have some military like influences and are made of colors and materials similar to early 30's bread bags. The faux leather trim around the flaps appear to be early vinyl which was really gaining popularity around then and is frequently found on rucksacks and camping or bicycling gear of that period.
There are a couple blotches of green and white paint on the bags. There is a tear along the vinyl trim of one flap and a hole on the back of one of the bags that goes through the canvas and through the backing board. The bags are faded and dirty. Over all, they are still very usable and maybe with a few little field repairs, these would be some of the coolest saddle bags out there. The leather is still pretty flexible and should last with a little TLC. The bag will fit over a rack about 7 3/4" wide.
Included is an original mid war stamped steel bicycle rack that pairs well with these saddle bags. The rack is supposedly the model that was meant to replace the heavier larger PALLAS racks. It is larger than most civilian racks, a little smaller than the Pallas racks, but it has the strap slots like the army rack with the addition of the spring loaded luggage clip.
The saddle bags are an item out of my samples collection. I was hoping to make a repro someday based on this but have decided to refocus on other things. Saddle bags from this period are extremely difficult to find. They were a fairly rare accessory to begin with, and most were destroyed or rotted away from bad storage conditions.
