"Minty's" Request...

[stonemint]

...is that no one be shy about posting. We are all learning, and there is something to be learned from the rattiest postal visor to a stonemint SS general's hat. I realize (and I am guilty of this myself) that most hats posted are in spectacular condition--but I don't want any of our newer collectors in this field to be intimidated by the same--if you have a visor you are proud of, no matter how common, or in what condition, by all means post it! My first cap was a beat up artillery officers--but I loved it (and for sentimental reasons, wish that I still had it--and I would have been proud to post it and invite comment.

Furthermore, although Wehrmacht caps are most often posted, don't be shy about posting political/paramilitary/or civil--what makes this hobby is the endless amount of variety, and none of use will ever be able to collect every style of TR hat made.

Also, if you have a question (and no picture), by all means, ask it on the forum--there is no such thing as a stupid question.

And to our non-English speakers, feel free to post as well as best you can--use more German terms if that is what you are comfortable with--most of us have a passing familiarity with Deutsche.

Further, although this is primarily III Reich, don't be hesitant to post Weimar-era (or even Kaiser-Reich) hats--I am still trying to figure out the evolution of hat-making, especially as it concerns the TR hatmakers--the same can be true for the early DDR and BRD hats.

Further, I can't always be searching the web for other makers--)this d**n thing called "work" gets in the way of this hobby!)--so if you see something interesting, post it--just give credit to where you found it (and IMHO, if its on the web, and there is no caveat for copy-right, its public domain and can be posted.)

I know there is a lot of "lurkers" out there who have yet to post(and I know some of you are advance collectors)--come on in from the cold--its warm in here!

Anyway, thats my "soapbox" speech for the week--happy collecting, and POST!

(Just call me "Minty")

[DougB]

OK. Here is one of my W-SS visors, NCO.

[Erwin L]

Here my LW officers side cap. Not officers insignia but at least original. But somebody told me that this was done often. I don't know

Regards

[Erwin L]

insignia

[Karl S.]

I just love the saddle shape of this Luft. Flight em/nco. When I got it it was bent out of shape and was missing its eagle. The outside is in fairly good shape but the inside has seen better days, sweat shield is gone and sweatband is almost gone. There's no marking except for size.
Any ideas of who the maker was?

[Karl S.]

interior

[Karl S.]

size 53

[stonemint]

Guys, thanks for posting--but you don't need to add to this thread--start a thread that showcases your hat--show us the front, sides, "under the hood", etc--tell us why you like (or even dislike) the hat--its "show and tell" for adults.

BTW, if you have a hat that you have posted before, and you feel it adds to a thread, don't be shy about re-posting it! Sometimes we forget, and need to see it again--just like Rons "Red Top" DRB visor I had forgotten about--and if you have a hat you havent posted in a while, by all means, please do so--there are some hats we just can't get enough of, and they get lost in all the posting!

[stonemint]

I'm going to get back on my soap-box for the minute, in light of the "linings" threads. What is respected on this fourm in terms of an opinion is not just experience, age, the # of years in the hobby, but contribution. Aside from "the Bobs", Ron, Derek and Dave Kane, I don't see many others of the "baby-boomer" generation (and I am a tail-end member, having been born in 1963) who saw and examined "hundreds and hundreds" of caps during the 50's and 60's posting their collection to buttress their credibility. No, no one has to post to be a member, but I find it hard to give someone due credit and respect when all they do is post words, and their first posts come out very opinionated, and confrontational. If you want credibility and for your opinion to be taken seriously, then POST--don't hide under a rock and come out only during a lunar eclipse, and then slink away into the shadows. I get tired of hearing how advanced collectors are afraid to post because they fear criticism--thats what life is about--I've posted many times, and sometimes we have to agree to disagree (ie, the late-war Pekuro thread)--the free exchange of ideas is what I like about this hobby, and I enjoy the give and take, and have been wrong on more than one occasion (ie, the LW NCO pebbled visor).

Back in the late 70's, when I started to collect, a lot of the "old guard" collectors and dealers were loathe to give out their advice and secrets, and were more intent on separting one from his money, or "low-balling" and finding some alleged flaw with a hat that somehow made it worth a lot less than it actually was. If you look at my threads, I try to post every so-called secret there is that I know and/or discover, so that the younger collectors don't get burned by a Janke, an Alteste, or even a super-fake.

The hobby has become more expensive, and proportionately more risky--that is why you see most TR collectors specializing in certain areas. I collect (and have collected) only visors--I don't know squat about medals, daggers, helmets, etc--for trying to learn about them only takes away from my being a student of the Schirmmutzen. Do I get bogged down in minutiae? You betcha--because that is what being a SERIOUS student of
any hobby is all about--and I look at every visor I can get my hands on--not only TR, but Kaiser Reich, Weimar, BRD, and DDR. I also go to any primary source material I can get my hands on--Der Schneidermeister, Uniformmarkt, etc--and of course, the secondary source material--the books. I look for each manufacturer's characteristics--that is why I am obsessed with labels. Further, I know nothing about M-43s, Schiffchens, Kepis, and Shakos, and I wouldn't dare comment on one, other than to give a kudo. Collecting a wide range of areas in this hobby doesn't make one an expert, and only serves to distract. Further, memories fade over time--and what one remembers from the 50s/60s or even a week ago may not be as it really was--photographic evidence is the only substitute, and that is where the internet comes into play.

I believe our "senior statesmen" who regularly post here ARE sharp, contrary to an earlier assertion--because they stay active in the hobby, post regularly, and listen to collectors, both young and old--they don't lurk in the background--and when they do give a contrarian opinion, we all listen, and may disagree.

I work in a highly adversarial field, and have 20 years in it--but never do I say to a younger person something to the effect that "what do you know, you've only been doing this for ____years, and I have been doing it for 20". That kind of commentary only provokes a defensive reaction, as the elder is trying to marginalize the younger, and discredit his work--the same holds true here. What I do is only give encouragement--I want ALL to post, as that way we ALL learn. I've seen advanced collectors collections that had repros in them that could be spotted by our youngest member, (if that member had been reading our posts). We've pointed out the obvious fakes on dealer sites, and the same is true with Ebay and the reference books as well. Personally, this forum is worth more than all the reference books published on the topic to date, and I am sure this forum has caused much in the way of heartburn to less than scrupulous dealers, Ebayers, and even "advanced collectors" when they see the value of an item of theirs depreciating at light-speed due to the posts here (BTW, that A-SS White-top and Generals cap on a certain auction site were posted by a "long-term advanced collector" whom I am sure collected in the 50s, and 60s, and knows better).

As I wrap up my speech, I go back to my thesis--if you want your opinion to be taken seriously, and if you want to be respected, THEN POST YOUR COLLECTION (even if you only have one hat)--otherwise, go back to lurking.

[stonemint]

In echoing what NTZ just said in his thread, lurkers, please read my post #9 in this thread.