Two KM Tellermutze

michiel01

Member

Join Date: Feb 2006

Posts: 641

Location: Holland
#1

Two KM Tellermutze

12-02-2011, 08:55 AM

Bought the white one last week on ebay, now this set is allmost complete.

Two JP Mol Breda made Tellermutze in blue and white.

both off them have the typical round marking of the Mol firm stamped on the inside of the leather:

perculiar touch to the white one, are the extended tally tips... they are allmost 30 cm longer then normal:

last but not least I allso obtained the name of the owner, unfortunately there is no tag inside the hat.

And if anyone has a nice cocarde spare..
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John R.

Moderator

Join Date: Dec 2003

Posts: 7498

Location: Louisiana
#2

12-12-2011, 11:42 AM

Extended tallies are not that uncommon from the KM. The reason is that sailors would try to go ashore wearing the long issue tally (150 cms and up) but tucking it into the cap to make it appear that the tally was only hanging down to the collar, usually around the regulation 110 cms or so.

If they were caught, a Petty Officer might cut the ends off. Later, the sailor would sew it back on for studio photos.

Another possibility is that other sailors might nail the tally onto a table when the sailor was not looking and when the cap was picked up, the tally was torn. Again, it could be sewn back on.

Two ideas, there probably are others.

John
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