M34 SS Overseas Cap

[tinturkey]

Just picked this up at an auction here in the UK. I think I got it for a good price!?
The pictures aren't that brilliant. I work 12 hour shifts so I don't see much proper day light at this time of the year to take nicer photos! I will post more detailed photo's ASAP. (Work and weather permitting!)
I would imagine that there aren't that many Overseas Caps with the soutache still attached?
Hope it's OK!!?

Cheers.

t.

[tinturkey]

Inside of Cap.

[tinturkey]

Front of Cap.

[BenVK]

I feel the cap has a very good chance of being authentic but it's impossible to judge without much better photos. I put in a postal bid for it myself but didn't want to risk too much money without having seen it in the flesh first.
It went for £750 in the end didn't it? Pretty good price if it all checks out.
More pics please!
Cheers
Ben

[tinturkey]

Hi Ben,

It was my first time at an auction and it was quite an experience!. There were three items I went to bid on. The first was the silver Heer Fallschirmjager badge (that went to a telephone bidder for £4200!). I was prepared to go to about £3500 on that, so I missed it. (I was prepared to go and see the bank manager for a loan!).
The second item was the SS dagger which went for £480. That was a nice dagger except for the ropey blade and re-painted scabbard. I give that one a miss in the end (the 15% auctioneers fees came in to my mind on this one!).
The third was the Overseas Cap, which as you probably know had an estimate of £200 to £300! Yours was obviously the telephone bid and I was just about quick enough to out bid you (sorry!), although, I must admit I know next to nothing about SS cloth (I have a small collection of SS daggers), and I might have bought a "duff" one! It does look and feel original, but obviously I need to post photos that are a lot more detailed.
I can tell you that the TK badge has the number 63 (not circled) on the rear plus the SS runes and the RZM mark (both circled)?
Thanks for your interest!
Decent photos to follow ASAP!
t.

[BenVK]

SS RZM 63 markings are 100% correct for SS-VT cap buttons. The button itself should be made of 3 pieces.

[ReichsHeini]

In my opinion from the photographs you have posted you got yourself a very good buy. I have owned a few of these VT sidecaps, and yours appears to be 100% correct. The only thing missing is the feldmutze tag. This cap has two very nice features: 1) an original hand embroidered cap eagle, which is missing from the majority of these caps when found 2) an original and properly attached soutache for infantry - very nice indeed.

There is another collector who specializes in these that posts on another forum. He has several of these caps with a whole rainbow of branch soutaches!
Jerry

[B. N. Singer]

I thought only the black and brown styles of this type of hat had the SS cloth tags on the inside, not the green (waffen) ones.

Guess I learned something here!

B. N. Singer

[BenVK]

Hi Jerry, are the green ones rarer than the black or the other way round?

[BenVK]

I thought only the black and brown styles of this type of hat had the SS cloth tags on the inside, not the green (waffen) ones.

Guess I learned something here!

B. N. Singer

As I understand it, these are SS-VT caps and pre-date the Waffen SS by 4 or 5 years.

[B. N. Singer]

As I understand it, these are SS-VT caps and pre-date the Waffen SS by 4 or 5 years.

Yes,

Thank you for the correction, I misused the term "waffen."

Yet, I had not realized that green SS-VT hats were produced with the inside labels (only the black and brown.

B. N. Singer

[billbert]

Bravo!!

[Arran]

"This cap has two very nice features: 1) an original hand embroidered cap eagle, which is missing from the majority of these caps when found"

I would be very surprised to find that this eagle is hand embroidered; certainly on an original cap of this kind the eagle should be machine embroidered...

Cheers,
Arran.

[Robin Lumsden]

tinturkey.


You got yourself the bargain of the year with that one.

[RD Rygaard]

"This cap has two very nice features: 1) an original hand embroidered cap eagle, which is missing from the majority of these caps when found"

I would be very surprised to find that this eagle is hand embroidered; certainly on an original cap of this kind the eagle should be machine embroidered...

Cheers,
Arran.

it is machine embroidery..... heres one of mine on a scanner...same eagle