KM Visor Collectors--be aware of these!

[stonemint]

As you know, a lot of the german cap makers managed to stay afloat in the immediate aftermath of the war by making caps for police, feurwehr, and railway.
Furthermore, the marine organizations of the Police and Customs (BGS) continued to exist, and they used the standard KM NCO style for their visors. So while Bundesmarine visors are easy to spot (even if reworked), these early Wasserschutzpolizei and Wasserzoll can (and are) re-worked to KM specs.
Anyway, this is a typical BRD Wasserschutzpolizei:

[stonemint]

BRD Wasserzoll:

[stonemint]

I can't remeber if this is customs or police, but it is KM specs:

[stonemint]

So, a little bit o' thread, some Paki bullion, and prestp-whamo, you just turned a 25.00 cap into a 1500 dollar cap!

[Dave Kane]

Very true! The 'manufacturing world' in Germany didn't change in '45! It took years to import, set up and begin production utilizing American technology and machinery.....during this transformation the collectors market was building and being supplied by willing (cash starved) business owners.

One shouldn't forget that thousands and thousands of cap "FRAMES", "UPPERS", "INTERIORS", "VISORS" were left in limbo until the collector market got in to high gear....then the rush was on to buy and piece together these remnants!

[NTZ]

Very true! The 'manufacturing world' in Germany didn't change in '45! It took years to import, set up and begin production utilizing American technology and machinery.....during this transformation the collectors market was building and being supplied by willing (cash starved) business owners.

One shouldn't forget that thousands and thousands of cap "FRAMES", "UPPERS", "INTERIORS", "VISORS" were left in limbo until the collector market got in to high gear....then the rush was on to buy and piece together these remnants!

Dave this statement is 10000000% true. In fact there are a lot of visors out there that most collectors except as period visors that IMHO were made post war by some enterprising and unemployed cap makers using original stock of materials. Some of the visors we except a “late war” are such visors. I have intensely examined a few of these “late war visors” and I am convinced they were produced post war with mostly or all period material. But this is for a whole other thread (or book).

If you don't think the materials were available just ask Michael Janke.

[Dave Kane]

.................1974, the GREAT WESTERN GUN SHOW......black plastic trash bags filled with visor cap liners in bundles of 100!!! All sorts of makers and colors and as nieve as I was I thought 'for what'!!!!

We now know....and unfortunately today we are asked to PROVE it

[NTZ]

We sit here and out the byproduct of these bags every day. Fortunately most of these enterprising fellows did not study the nuances of each individual cap maker and there are construction flaws in most of them.