Japanese Field Cap - Information Needed

[Collector5516]

I recently purchased a small collection of WWII caps including the one shown below. I don't collect Japanese items, so know nothing about it. As a disclosure, I will likely be listing it for sale on the forum but want to make sure my for sale post is accurate as possible. I did some searching and believe this is a field cap? Any information would be appreciated.

P.S. I JUST NOTICED THAT THERE IS A CLOTH STAR BENEATH THE METAL ONE. Should the metal one be there?

[Jareth]

It might of had a cheese cloth liner with stamps & sweat band. Almost looks like it was cut out based on wavy edges around. Any signs they were there?

[Collector5516]

Additional Photos

[Papa Nambu]

The various parts all look original, but it's obviously been messed with, pre- or post-1945. The repaired chinstrap seems to point to post-war, it looks like it was repaired in a way to make it look better rather than in a way that would allow it to be used (like overlapping the broken ends and sewing them together for a stronger repair).

Definitely looks like the liner & sweatband have been removed. Those parts tend to suffer the most from wear, soaking in sweat, they fall apart after long use, so they may have been discarded by someone who thought they were too far gone to be worth saving. I've seen one period photo of someone wearing a metal star on a field cap and that was a civilian Army employee. That star is from a visor cap. Japanese soldiers often wore their field caps under their helmets (they were designed with that in mind), adding a metal star would mean having its pointy bits digging into your head when you put your helmet over it. Doubly strange that it would be added when there's a cloth star already there. I'm guessing the work of a well meaning but amateur collector who thought he was "fixing" it.

[Collector5516]

Thanks for the info, Papa Nambu! Your insight is a big help. I guess I will remove the metal star before selling the cap. It's a shame the liner and sweatband have been removed. Do you think $70.00 is a fair price for the cap?

[Papa Nambu]

I don't try to guess at prices. It looks like it would still display well for a mannequin or on a stand since you won't normally see the inside. It's also possible the metal star was placed there because the moths ate some of the cloth one. They seem to like to eat that part first.

[maverick87]

Your best bet is to put it on ebay and just see how much it goes for.