Some help with a Luft Trop cap please

[BenVK]

I've been looking at this cap for hours. I'm 50/50 whether I like it or not.

Asked a couple of experienced collectors via email but they must be out enjoying a few beers right now.

Thoughts please gentlemen?

[BenVK]

more

[Richard T]

Those Luft tropicals are a tuff call but I kind of like this one.

Richard

[NZMark]

I have not handled an original enlisted man's LW m41 (note I didn't say m40 for a change!) only officers...but one thing strikes me immediately. The lining material looks very 'soft' as opposed to the smooth Berolina lining I'd see in their sidecaps of the same date. Maybe nothing, but thought I'd mention it.
I look forward to a dedicated collector of LW tropical headgear's opinion.
Mark

[BenVK]

Interesting, thanks guys.

I emailed Ralph because he posted a Berolina cap years ago on this thread and it looked different.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=277678

For 2 x 1941 Berolina caps to differ so much in construction strikes me as very odd. However, which one is the anomaly? Do we have any others to judge?

[Gene]

The letters are the same size for BEROLINA as BERLIN, which is unlike my overseas caps (one enlisted, one officer). BEROLINA is a larger font:

[Tim O'Keefe]

Hi Ben

I like it, though i have never handled one of these...insignia application looks good to me. Interested to hear John's thoughts on this one.
Good idea to check with Ralph too has he knows the DAK very well.

cheers
Tim

[Seb777]

Not for me...

[billbert]

I want to like it... It aint jumping out at me.. Billbert

[John Hodgin]

Ben, the Berolina stamp in this cap is the same as found on sidecaps discussed in the pinned tropical side cap thread. The cap, nor the stamp are anything I would be comfortable with. The stamp Gene posted is the Berolina stamp found inside original caps with veteran provenance.

I might add that even field made Luftwaffe tropical field caps have the false flaps. This cap has none, and this is a big issue for me. As are the grommets, which are not the type typically used in Luftwaffe caps, either German or foreign manufactured.

Regret to say, for obvious reasons, I do not like Ralph's M41 either. IMHO the eagle applied to it is not genuine.

JOhn

[BenVK]

I've heard from Ralph now and he likes the cap.

I knew this one would split opinions.

John, I'm concerned that you don't like the eagle on Ralph's cap. That would obviously be a major issue and deal breaker. Here it is for further discussion.

[Bond]

For what my opinion is worth, I don't like the eagle you have shown Ben and I think the eagle on the thread starter could also have problems. Any chance of a close up of the eagle please. Just my opinion.

Thanks,

Jerry

[John Hodgin]

My opinion is re-enforced by this photo.
Sorry,
John

[BenVK]

Any chance of a close up of the eagle please.

Hi Jerry, just to clarify, I don't own the first cap posted but was thinking of buying which is why I'm after opinions. Here's an enlargement of one of the photos if it helps. I've sharpened it up a bit too.

I went back and re-read the pinned tropical side cap thread. For the moment, I would like to leave the Berolina stamps aside because I'm personaly not yet convinced that we can say for sure that one particular stamp, if any, is definitely a reproduction or not. It's the same with the Lago-Berlin and Clemens Wagner stamps.

John, could you reiterate your concerns about the eagle on Ralph's cap please? Is it this "no eye" issue?

[Bond]

Thanks Ben for the closer view. I like it better than the other eagle, but I'm not certain either way, as it does look pretty good, though it has a hint of being reapplied -the fluffy edge in places- and to be honest, it has a feature that I dont like to see, but that feature is found on some original Luft eagles, so it might just be me. Sorry, this has gone a bit wafflely and maybe its getting a bit late for me to pass an opinion which might be mistaken and so I'm gonna sleep on it and look in the morning, after some coffee.

Thanks,

Jerry

PS I'm glad caps such as this are beyond my budget, as this would be hard to walk away from, as the cap looks pretty good, but others with more knowledge have already given it the kiss.

PPS Odd looking washers on the grommets, funny colour?