Mint Luftwaffe Flak Visor

[LuftMike]

Greetings cap collectors! First off I thought I'd show you my small but very much loved luftwaffe headgear collection. It's still in a fledgeling state, but I'm sure that soon it will "take flight" It consists of my Flight Officer's visor, salty EM's sidecap and a few other sordid cloth patches and belts (there's a belt under the officer's cap) and one of my mini luft. daggers marked D.R.G.M Solingen Eickhorn.
The rest of the photos are of my new Flak visor from the Collector's Guild. It is named to Unteroffizier Bittrich, Hitzingen 1. Kp. Fl. Abt. It is also private purchase. The interior of the sweatband is marked in ink with a giant "C" size 58 and 39 as date of manufacture. I'm still in the midst of determining the manufacturer. If anyone can help me out by telling me what I need to photograph in order to determine the maker please let me know, I'd like to end the mystery!
Enjoy! comments welcome.

[Gene]

Based on these pics I have doubts as to its originality

[LuftMike]

Based on these pics I have doubts as to its originality

How so? I posted this cap in a thread a few weeks ago, and I got a good concensus about it's originality. It even includes the link to the page on the CG website where I bought it.

here's the thread
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=196580

[Dave Kane]

Mike, sometimes it takes a different 'eye'....Gene has seen something and I'm not thrilled about the cap in general!

Will you show a shot of the cap's lining w/ the leather turned out? That may clear things up a bit

[Gene]

Looks like an English repop to me, especially in your second to last pic.

[steiner99]

Hi Mike,
please post a picture from the complete inside.

Best,
steiner99

[NTZ]

Here are the pics from Peters site.

http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Luftw...s/L012656.html

I had no problem with the cap but it would not be the first time I was wrong. Gene knows more about Luft's than I do. What do you guys see that I am not seeing?

[REMUS]

Yes,I would also like to know what is wrong with this one,c'mon Gene,share your wisdom of Luft caps with us please.

[LuftMike]

Sure, I'll get some pics up as soon as I can. I've been stuck on the midnight shift at work , so it has limited my free time greatly. I didn't mean to seem hostile after the first response I got , It may have seemed that way, but I was more surprised than anything. if it is a repro, the Guild offers a lifetime guarantee for originality, which I'm glad they do, I'll simply explain the problem. But we shall see, It is a very nice visor....I just don't want to pay an "authentic price" for a repro

[Gene]

Gents, without giving too much away the shape, style and symmetry of this cap are typical of English repros. I don't have this cap in my hands to render a concrete opinion but based on these pics, it looks like a reproduction and I would not want this in my collection.

[LuftMike]

Ok, well let's do this....I'm holding my breath here.
First up, the visor attachment


next is the ink markings "C" size 58 and manufacture date 1939 (you can also see the prongs for one of the chinstrap buttons)


I sincerely hope all is well.

[stonemint]

Mike--the hat looks good to me, as I stated before in a previous thread. I would be shocked if they are "Frankensteining" such a common cap. However, if it is a repro from the ground up, run the basic tests--blacklight, burn test, etc. See if you can peek into the wadding behing the front silk lining and black light that as well. Check the chinstrap knots to make sure they are metal, not plastic. Also, this hat may still have the cap spring--see if it is magnetic.
I am not familiar with British repros, but then again, I do not recognize the makers mark. If it is a repro, I am surprised they did not use matching insignia--and this insignia looks original to me (check to see if it is die-stamped vs die-struck).
Let us know the results of your tests.

[stonemint]

Oops, forget the "knot" test--I am displaying my officer-centrism!

[sturmbannfuhrer]

I saw a few of the Lufty EM/NCO repros at the Yate military show on Sunday last. Fortunately these had plastic diamonds and sweat bands that absolutely stank of a chemical that would make a skunks secreation palitable.

Caps stamped 58 in size sometimes draw flags as this is the size that seems to be most favoured by the Latvians, but the repros I saw didn't seem to be exhibiting this basic traits or the others the Lats have. The dealer just didn't know what the hell he was doing with caps.

This cap looks good, but if not, the fakers are going some on this one, a franky is a possibility as Gene smells a rat, but I wouldn't want to stick my neck out on this one. After seeing the rise in Lufty EM/NCO shennanigans I am not buying one.

[mjfur]

Am I the only one seeing the pebbled underside on the visor? Isn't this a big give away and a big no-no?
I'm in agreement with Gene & Dave, a fake.

Regards,
Mike