Crusher of an oaks and swords winner....

[heinrich66]

Hello,

it is just a rainy day over here in Germany. So i thought i would like to post some pics of one of my recent additions. It is a well worn crusher for General der Panzertruppen Fritz-Hubert Gräser. General Gräser was a winer of the oakleaves with swords in the late days of the war.
The cap is unfortunately denazified , but shows no big moth damages. On the left side there're 2 prongs (or the rest of them) visible, where a tactical sign in from of a cross was attached.

Hope you like the pics. I haven't seen to many real (!) generals crusher caps during my collecting career.....

A short biographie and this crusher cap in wear by General Gräser can be seen here:
http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WE...SER_FRITZ.html

[heinrich66]

The side with tactical sign removed.

[heinrich66]

And the interior- shows wear from nearly 5 years frontline service and of course 60 years of hidden storage.

[djpool]

Awesome! Don't see a GO crusher very often. Jim

[Lignemaginot]

Did you recently purchase this off of ebay.de?

[heinrich66]

Yes,

but i knew the seller and the items before.

Gruss

Heinrich

[Lignemaginot]

Here are my comments, and they are only meant to be points of discussion - I'm not saying that the cap is bad.

The guys in Poland (B&S, I think), had a General's crusher on their site a couple of years ago. I was very tempted to buy it, because it looked super. However, the issue that I had was with the gold insignia. Technically, the wear-out date for the Alter Art cap was before the introduction of gold insignia for generals - so under normal circumstances, it would not have been possible to have an Alter Art cap with gold insignia - it should be silver. Of course, it is possible that the General used his rank to have an Alter Art cap made after the wear-out date, in which case, maybe he had gold insignia made for it too.

But putting aside the gold/silver insignia issue, there's also the attachment of the oakleaves to the cap - every Alter Art cap that I've seen had the excess material neatly folded underneath the oakleaves - not just the whole square stitched right onto the cap.

Finally, please can you point out what it is about the photo that makes you think that it is this cap in the photo - it certainly doens't look like the same oakleaves.

Clive

[B. N. Singer]

... However, the issue that I had was with the gold insignia. Technically, the wear-out date for the Alter Art cap was before the introduction of gold insignia for generals - so under normal circumstances, it would not have been possible to have an Alter Art cap with gold insignia - it should be silver. Of course, it is possible that the General used his rank to have an Alter Art cap made after the wear-out date, in which case, maybe he had gold insignia made for it too.

But putting aside the gold/silver insignia issue, there's also the attachment of the oakleaves to the cap - every Alter Art cap that I've seen had the excess material neatly folded underneath the oakleaves - not just the whole square stitched right onto the cap.

Finally, please can you point out what it is about the photo that makes you think that it is this cap in the photo - it certainly doens't look like the same oakleaves.Clive

Of much greater concern (to me) is the "over emphasized" wear on the gold piping, quite atypical for this to be seen especially in these areas and in this fashion.

Other areas of concern will be omitted.

B. N. Singer

[Wolften]

hi heinrich66,

nice cap ! but very salty for a General cap, I like the manufacture, and insigina...

regards.

[Lignemaginot]

Of much greater concern (to me) is the "over emphasized" wear on the gold piping, quite atypical for this to be seen especially in these areas and in this fashion.

Other areas of concern will be omitted.

B. N. Singer

Agreed - I can't imagine what would have caused that ype of wear to the piping.

[J. Hahn]

I've seen a rather similar pattern (although not quite as extreme) on caps that spent many years in a loft lying on the visor and neck area, exposed to bugs and mice nipping at the piping.

[B. N. Singer]

I've seen a rather similar pattern (although not quite as extreme) on caps that spent many years in a loft lying on the visor and neck area, exposed to bugs and mice nipping at the piping.

Why would bugs, mice nip at metal piping when they have the entire body of a hat to devour? The comparison does not "fit". Piping is not the same as wire cord IMHO.

B. N. Singer

[BenVK]

I saw this one on ebay as well. I was put off for the same reasons as above, the really sloppy sewing on of the wreath and the heavy fraying, wear of the piping. Also, putting a Panzer General's alter art cap on ebay with no reserve seems like a strange thing to do.

and.... It's not the same cap as in the portrait IMO.

[J. Hahn]

Well all I can say is that the damage I've observed was on 2 LW officers caps, so I'm not talking about woolen piping.
But off course I can't say if it was mice or bugs, there were no teeth marks. It was more like a slight breaking down of the materials in the neck area that had touched the floor, which had caused the metal piping to fray.

[heinrich66]

Hello,

thanks to all for their remarks and comments on the cap.
I can follow on some arguments on some i can't.
But i'm perfectly happy with this cap.

BTW IF anybody has an identical (not similar) constructed crusher for an General i'm gladly offering him 1500 Euro for this kind of fake cap