This originally had the trapezoid on it, but I took it off as I could see from the inside that the cap had two holes at the front from badge fittings, with another lower down where something (like an SS button?) had been pushed through at the front seam & sewn in.
There's no need to break it to me gently - about a week after I bought this thing as a kid 35 years ago I decided it was fake, hence the trapezoid removal, but I'm puzzled as to its origins - what was it converted from, or was it made up especially as a fake? Although very well amde it looked old & knackered 35 years ago, with the black fading to brown etc & the green piping stained black or vice versa. A metal vent was missing on each side, so I put two new ones in. It's dirty & sweatstained inside. The original colour of the material it's made from is turquoise, & it looks as though the thing was dyed black after construction. The name on the lozenge is "Alkero", I have an idea that I read many years ago that this name was used a lot on post war fakes. The skull on the trapezoid has a single row of teeth - is this a particular hallmark of a fake badge? Why would someone make the cap out of turquoise material with bright green piping & then "paint" it black, let alone stick metal badges on it & then replace them with the trapezoid, & all for the equivalent of less than $3. Film prop? Living history? They don't seem right somehow, but if there's one of these around then presumably there're more, & they're distinctive enough to be noticed & remembered. Is somebody going to tell me that it's an original that I've ruined by taking the trapezoid off??
There's no need to break it to me gently - about a week after I bought this thing as a kid 35 years ago I decided it was fake, hence the trapezoid removal, but I'm puzzled as to its origins - what was it converted from, or was it made up especially as a fake? Although very well amde it looked old & knackered 35 years ago, with the black fading to brown etc & the green piping stained black or vice versa. A metal vent was missing on each side, so I put two new ones in. It's dirty & sweatstained inside. The original colour of the material it's made from is turquoise, & it looks as though the thing was dyed black after construction. The name on the lozenge is "Alkero", I have an idea that I read many years ago that this name was used a lot on post war fakes. The skull on the trapezoid has a single row of teeth - is this a particular hallmark of a fake badge? Why would someone make the cap out of turquoise material with bright green piping & then "paint" it black, let alone stick metal badges on it & then replace them with the trapezoid, & all for the equivalent of less than $3. Film prop? Living history? They don't seem right somehow, but if there's one of these around then presumably there're more, & they're distinctive enough to be noticed & remembered. Is somebody going to tell me that it's an original that I've ruined by taking the trapezoid off??
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