Thinking of buying this - opinions?

[Peter R.]

Luftwaffe 'overseas' sidecap as advertised on a dealers site (hope he doesn't mind my posting the pic from his site here, is that an acceptable thing to do?).

I'm new to caps and will be getting some reference literature on them but right now I don't even know what the common term 'overseas' means in relation to German WWII caps - hence any opinions are welcome.

Cheers,
Peter

[Peter R.]

No opinions either way?

[airborne_steve]

Hi peter


I was thinking of purchasing this some time ago. It is apparently in mint condition. The hat looks good but without having it your hands and seeing it close up you can never be 100%. The eagle looks funny to me. The eagle, most likely origional, is slightly lighter in color than the rest of the hat? The hats wool being darker than the eagle's wool leaves me wondering. Just an observation. Steve

[Peter R.]

Is the material that the eagle was produced on being lighter than the main cap material a known issue?

I guess that to a novice like myself, it seems understandable that the roll of wool fabric the eagles were sown onto might differ slightly from the rolls used by the cap manufacturer (assuming that no factory made both insignia and cut/assembled complete headwear pieces).

Does that make it a suspect piece?

If not, I'll see if Grenadier have a money-back guarantee - if so, might be worth getting it and posting closeup pics here of the cap, if it turns out to be a repro then at least I'll be out of pocket for shipping only.

But if that colour difference rings alarmbells immediately...

[airborne_steve]

Peter,

Please post close-up pics of this hat. I'm very curious about it. I believe this hat is OK, but make sure that this guy gives you a guarantee (written if possible). When you get it, give it the UV test and the thread test and let us know what happened.

The one thing that gives away a fake faster than anything is the statin liner, and the polyester thread used in its construction (if its an American fake. Europeain fakes use cotton thread and it is harder to spot. The quality and color of the wool is the final give away).

All that aside, I have, myself, been looking for a LW side cap in this kind of condition and this one is a nice size to boot.

Respectfully Steve

[Peter R.]

Well, emailed Grenadier very politely asking for some closeup pics, but haven't heard back. Guess I'll be passing on this one.

[keifer kahn]

Peter,
The colour backing on the insignia in comparison to the colour of the hat has nothing to do with originality.
Insignia was produced at totally independent factories and the insignia ordered in for sewing on the hats.
Yes,the cap maker would try to match the backing colour to the hat but this was not always possible and was dependent on what was in stock.

regards keifer

[Derek O.]

Grenadier has a 100% original policy and will refund you fully if you're not satisfied. I've dealt with him and was pleased. About the e-mail...give it some time, I believe he has been out of town for a week or two. I have an e-mail out to him too.

[J Melvin]

Keifer, an interesting observation and something that is bothering me a bit about a cap in the schiffen thread that Edelweiss posted. Take a look at that thread. I, too, agree that the chances of a perfect match are somewhat remote since most embroidered insignia was produced by another manufacturer. But, I also assume, maybe wrongly, that some manufacturers may have produced their own insignia. Still, I would doubt that both the caps and the insignia would come out of the same bolt of material. What's your opinion on the LW cap posted on the last page of the Schiffen thread?

[Peter R.]

OK Derek, positive feedback on Grenadier noted - hopefuly I'll hear back from them (him?) - if so, I'll post the closeups here and consider buying it if it sounds OK. The originality return policy really helps the decision.

Thanks,
Peter

[TMurray]

Peter, definitely get some close ups of the eagle. Are there any stencil marks etc on the inside? size no? etc...