A denim vest covered in heavy metal patches that disappeared for three years and turned up in a Macy’s display will be returned to its owner next week.

Meshach Babcock, bass player for the Oregon speed metal band Maniak, lost the vest three years ago during the band’s first show at a Battle of the Bands held at Oregon City high school.

Babcock, now 23 and a carpenter, said he took off the vest – decorated with numerous patches honoring heavy metal bands such as Rigor Mortis, Mercyful Fate, Coroner and Cannibal Corpse – and threw it into a pile of jackets backstage before the show started.

It was the last time he saw it.

But about 10 days ago, Babcock received a call from his drummer Sergio Ginez, who said he had spotted a photo of the vest in a Macy’s display on the Facebook page of Florida metal band Nasty Savage.



Recognizing the Nasty Savage patch, plus a Misfits patch he had sewn on the inside of the vest, Babcock realized it belonged to him.



“All those patches are kind of uncommon bands you don’t usually see on vests,” Babcock said. “Not a lot of people are into those old school 80s heavy metal bands. Plus, I put the whole thing together.”

Word spread, and soon a Facebook page entitled “Macy’s, Give Back Meshach’s Vest” was created, bringing nearly 5,000 likes in a little more than a week.

By talking to Macy’s, Babcock traced the vest to a display in the Denim & Supply men’s shop in the Ralph Lauren section of the flagship store in Herald Square, New York.

Now, a reunion between Babcock and the vest is in the works. Babcock has been negotiating with Macy’s to get the vest back, and said the store is requiring him to prove he is the owner by sending them pictures of himself and the vest.



“Basically, I just told them all the patches that were on the back – that was a clear indication because there’s no pictures [of the back] online,” he said.

Ryan Lally, a spokesman for Ralph Lauren, told the Guardian that once Ralph Lauren’s creative team – which purchased the vest through a third party – and Macy’s became aware of Babcock’s claims, they agreed to give it back to him.

“The jacket was taken down already last week and it will be sent back to him,” Lally said.



A Macy’s representative said the vest was not the store’s property and confirmed they were working with Babcock to return the vest.



“It was a visual prop featured in a display case in the Denim & Supply men’s shop at our flagship store,” the representative told the Guardian in an email. “We have reached out to Meshach and we are in communication with him so that we can get this resolved as quickly as possible.”

The return of the vest coincides with a reunion of Babcock’s band. Ginez called Babcock about the photograph on 6 Febuary, the day after Maniak had its first practice following a year-long hiatus.

“It’s kind of funny – our first show, my vest goes missing and years later we decide to get back together and it resurfaces,” Babcock said.