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**Donald Abenheim** · 01-09-2005, 09:00 PM

Originally posted by Brian Bonini

Thanks Albert! Boy nothing is easy in this hobby anymore, is it?

I'll be the first to recommend that you never bank on my opinion
(or anybody else's) alone. Mine is based solely on my own experiences
and they have proven to be flawed at times.

Therein lies the
power of this forum. In a fraction of the time it used to take, very
knowledgeable collectors can rush in from all directions and give
excellent advice based on their own experience. You just can't beat
it.

And I can't pretend to trump the collective knowledge of Dave, Bob,
and Donald so I must defer to their judgement. They all make very good
points.

Still I like this cap. And that isn't taking it lightly. I subscribe to no
illusions as to how truly difficult originals are to locate. And I also
have a very good idea as to what lengths master forgers will go to
to screw you out of your moola.

There just isn't anything in your pics that tell me conclusively that
this cap is bad. Other than a very healthy suspicion of all things SS.
I especially like the very high crown and low (close to regulation)
placement of the eagle. Of course both are easily faked, but generally
are not.

At the end of the day, though Albert, the smart money is on the
consensus. So my best advice is to go with that.

Hey Bob! I have books chuck full of period photos showing Waffen-SS
enlisted men wearing visor caps. I'm sure it was very rare on the lines,
but for walking out, L&L, and photo ops, etc. it seems to have been
generally accepted.

All our experience has been flawed. I see the areas of merit that stand before you. For instance, the color of the liner is sort of the NSDAP shade, which is positive in my mind, yet there is a fair amont of snags to it, for instance.....? There are other points that are positive here too, but I have been so burned by put- together caps and even more frightening, near perfect black tunics from non-US sources that I have taken a very negative attitude, unless I can see the bloody thing with a magnifying glass for a goodly number of hours and physically hold it next to ones I know to be real. Grey SS NCO or enlisted caps are really very rare. I just no longer can tell with a piece like this from pictures, and the "Erstklassig" logo is infamous in fakes; and this one does not look exactly right to me, but this is all very subjective. Colleague Coleman speaks from bitter experience, as do I. One would also have to feel the cap cover to see if it was invested of the requisite Watte, i.e. upholstery as it were. Is this Uniformtuch of the right weight? This kind of Einheitstuch was lighter (in originals) than that found in other items of clothing, for instance. The quality of the piping is also quite important, as the fakers do not get the piping right at all. Wilkins points out the piping was done by the Muetzenmachermeister himself, and the fakes I have seen all fall down seriously on this score. How faded or discolored is this white piping? Look for the various shades of same in various places, some more prone to soil than not? How about the Muetzendraht? Does it fit properly? Does it look correct in age? The list could go on. I respect the opinion of others, to be sure and think that colleague Bonini makes valid points---I do not want to bludgeon anyone here. I just don't know in this case and am sorry to say so as not to disappoint the colleague in Germany.

**Albert** · 01-10-2005, 02:23 PM

Gentlemen,

Thank you again for your words of advice both general and concrete. I have asked around but no local collectors wanted to examine the cap due to lack of knowledge. One said he had a crown removed from a CW visor. I picked it up for comparison and the logoes seem identical.

I took a close look at the piping. It is very much like early wool shoulder board piping. The exposed "perimeter" is worn but when you look inside the "sandwich" it's still wooly.

I am not getting anywhere on my own. Collectingwise I am not the type who convinces himself of anything. I go by facts and follow a 0% tolerance policy. The safest would be to just give it back. BUT, what IF it is original... I would hate it to have turned down a great and rare cap just because it was not well enough examined. So the best would be to have it examined by somebody with the necessary knowledge and experience who preferaly has such a hat in his collection.

Any volunteers?

Kindest regards,

Al

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