Tropical sidecap insignia attachment

[90th Light]

It is also worth adding to this thread that LAGO's are not the only tropical cap where you sometimes find the odd hand stitch through the liner.

I have seen a 1940 Robert Lubstein M40 cap that had some threads of the handstitched eagle through to the red lining. On the early 1940 tropical caps by that maker you will encounter hand sewn eagles.

Thus it was not always practice to stitch the eagle to the top front panel of the cap before it was assembled.

The cap belongs to another collector in their collection. I do not have permission to add images here but can assure all reading that it is 101% original, brought back from the war with the eagle applied by the Lubstein factory like that,

Chris

[Willi Z.]

The amateur application.... a whipstitch used on this cap indicates it was most likely a restored piece. The Lago consortium was comprised of professionals who would not have applied an eagle in that method. Eagles are sewn to the cap body before the final assembly and therefore the stitches would not penetrate thru to the lining.

Robt.

I agree.

[Tim O'Keefe]

Thanks for the info on the single retaining loop from #3 LAGO
Here is another half dozen #3's, wonder if your cap is one of them ?
Two sets of six #3's with a white soutache were found wrapped in twine in the Beehive cache. Possibly/probably other singles as well. Not sure of any of these eagle's application.

[Mike Davis]

Reverse machine stitching of the soutache

And here is another cap by this maker; https://www.virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=5555

Again you can see the machined soutache and single retaining loop,

Chris

p.s. it would be interesting to see if the hand applied eagle on the Virtual Grenadier example has a few stitches through the lining or not ?

Well, I finally had a chance to check the listed white piped cap - the same type of stitching can be seen to the lining. Here is a quick snap from my phone. I suppose this must be another ‘amateur application’, ha.

[billbert]

a VERY enlightening post...ERGO my Moniker..Billbert

[OSS]

This has been a useful discussion; I am convinced the workers at these small cap makers were primarily concerned with the exterior appearance of these caps.

[RGD51]

Yes, and hereby duly noted that Lago #3 likely staffed with amateurs.

Robt.

[Mike S]

Mike, thanks for posting that photo. Very enlightening!

Regards,
Mike

[Willi Z.]

Yes, and hereby duly noted that Lago #3 likely staffed with amateurs.

Robt.

Indeed...

[OSS]

I think the professionals who restore insignia to stripped caps would be careful not to make this "amateurish" mistake.