- Worn and seated original T-insignia on an otherwise new cap
- Worn original edelweiss on wool backing on an otherwise new cap
- Looks like a recycled used button, but could be the picture
- New cap. Inside seams show no signs of unraveling from washing or wear and look like they were cut yesterday, inside shows no sign of wear on top or sweatband, outside utterly mint from buttonholes to seam stitching.
- Obvious seam shift on front looks like conversion by the creator from a flapless tropical style to a M43 flap-type cap. Based on material match on thread, flaps and body, probably a re-do by the sewer when it was being built
What would cause me to reconsider:
- Solid provinence on this exact cap
I didn't want to leave this with a cryptic one-liner dismissing it, and provide some justification as to why it is a new and poorly made reproduction IMO. Again, stuff like this did get produced during the war and rock solid lineage to the war would change my initial opinion, but the cap on it's own merits - not for me.
The very worn insignia on a mint cap that shows no real wear indicates either a reproduction cap that someone chose to dress up with a salvaged original set, or a wartime cap that recycled insignia on a field made cap that never actually saw use.
Other variations exist, but to accept this cap without some serious lineage is beyond me.
I had the hat in my hand about 3 years ago. She made a good impression on me, but I didn't buy it at the time because it is often a question of faith with such pieces. I would not pay high prices there. At the same time, the following photo was also in an eBay auction. Not the same hat, but there are some parallels. The tent track material does not absorb the dirt like field gray wool. Therefore, the condition of the badges may different.
In wartime Germany, nothing went to waste , especially material from surveyed uniforms and equipment, including what had been captured. As is the case with firearms and much else, the fact that an item shows little or no sign of use doesn't preclude its originality. I can recall an instance where a similar cap was panned as a fake which knowledgeable dealers accept as original which is interesting, especially when the matching gloves came with it.
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