Late War Erel ??

[TONY Q.W.]

And Lasse there is some cross hatching on underside but only on about 1/4 of visor.
Was the quality really this bad on late war Erels?

Karl, the partial cross hatching some times is due to the thicker paint in some spots.

[Lasse Kongo]

...there is cross hatching, post #7 look on the left side

_________________

OK, if so, I would say it is a original cap!

[MattS]

I've not seen another visor like this one, but I like it
It seems to be an unlikely candidate for a repro, with the ventilated cockade and late-war quality touches. Then again, until recently it would have hardly been worth the trouble to make a fake of a cap on the lower end of the price spectrum, but just about everything is reproduced now.

[NTZ]

Ok this one is real guys!!!

[Karl S.]

Matt, That's what I thought, why go through the trouble of making a repro with a added cap band and vented cockade? Also the sweatband stitching and construction looks like the other Erels I've seen.
This cap came from a nephew of a Vet. that had this cap stored in a trunk over the years.

[Kreager]

OK so we have a crosshatched visor, inked maker mark, and non inked patent SB. So i'm guessing this is a 43/44 cap?

[Karl S.]

Value?

Well it looks like I have a late war double Erel. These Sonderführer Visors seem to be a somewhat uncommon item. I'm considering selling it. What would be a fair asking price?..thanks

[solo]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Looking forward hearing the experts on this one. Looks like no cross hatching on bill, chinstrap looks like a repro.

Lasse

It's not mandatory the cross hatching in visors,expecially in late war.
In many you could't see due the thik of the laquer.
Carlo

[stonemint]

1) The lack of crosshatching in and of itself is not an idicator of originality. I have a few pre-war civil visors without crosshatching. Crosshatching is not integral to the vulcanfiber process. This "urban legend" arose due to the fact that many DDR visors of all eras lack it (and some are made of plastic).

2. Don't be fooled by the maxim that they wont fake even the most common of visors--they will, they have, and they will continue to do so.

I recently inspected an Erel Infantry NCO visor with a vented cockade--it was a 1970's frankenstein. It had a beautiful doeskin top, correct insignia, Erel logo, etc. However, it had a pinking-sheared lining, was HAND-sewn at the top of the pasteboard, the logo was on the outside of the sweatdiamond, etc. The point is that they were faking these things to a very high degree of quality even in the early 70s (and it probably cost the faker as much in time and $ as it would have cost just to buy one back then)--go figure.