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A beer after an event. I’m thinking pre-war. Opinions.

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Hello, this is my first time posting here, though I’ve browsed quite a few threads in my quest to authenticate this piece. I purchased this cap on a whim at a no-reserve auction for $400 when I saw that few people were showing interest. This was before I realized the rarity of Third Reich memorabilia, and consequently how often faked they are. Since then, I’ve purchased Gary Wilkins’ book "The Collector’s Guide to Cloth Third Reich Military Headgear" to avoid making stupid mistakes again. However, after meticulously examining it for hours, I believe there is a possibility it is actually original, and was looking for other opinions. I’ve attached as many images as I can, I apologize for the poor lighting. I also apologize for the wall of text you’re about to read, but I want to give you as much information as I can. I don’t believe it is a fake, but I am concerned that it is most likely a very high-quality reproduction that has been artificially aged.

For starters, it is a very small cap, designed for someone with a head circumference of about 18-20 inches. It certainly smells old. Not sweaty, per se, but it smells like my grandpa’s old WWII uniforms.

It is made from Trikot wool. The cap band is made from a fine felt with a short nap, and is black. It is sturdy, and I cannot move it on the board beneath it. The wool beneath the cap band is the same color as the top, but is not woven in a Trikot pattern. The piping is white, and shows no signs of dyeing. In some areas it is worn away, and it is apparently constructed from some type of inner cord wrapped in the piping material. The visor is not leather, it is some type of lacquered fiber, which is apparently called "Vulkanfiber." It is a glossy black on the outside, with a molded, raised brim, and on the inside it is a reddish-brown and exhibits a sort of cross-hitch pattern from the fiber. The chinstrap is not a standard Waffen-SS chin strap, rather it is the Heer-style. However, Wilkins states in his book that war shortages often led to Waffen-SS chin straps being substituted with Heer chin straps.

The Eagle and Totenkopf appear to show about the same amount of patina and wear. The Eagle has some seemingly fine detail. I haven’t removed either for fear of damaging the cap, but looking behind them, I can see that they are attached with brass-colored pins. They are both sturdy and impossible to bend. The Totenkopf is not as detailed as the Eagle, but I cannot feel any holes on the cap band where it had been replaced.

Inside, the cap bears the logo of August Schellenberg. The sweat diamond is made from celluloid and is yellowed with age (I took a small piece that broke off and put it to a flame, it went up like gun cotton). The lining appears to be silk or some type of artificial silk; it is fine, with what appears to have been an original blue-gray or gold color (can’t tell because of the staining). The sweatband is made from leather approximately 1mm thick. It does not have a cork insert, but there is another small leather strip inside on the front of the cap. I couldn’t get a picture of it, but beneath the lining there is a leather or cloth rigid strip that is holding the cap’s shape up. The sweatband is attached to the cap with some sort of V-stitch pattern, but it appears much more sturdy and intricate than a simple V-stitch. It has a galvanized steel insert that I presume is to help the cap keep its shape.

That is about all of the information I feel is relevant, if anymore pictures are needed please feel free to ask and I’ll try to get them posted as quickly as I can. I was not aware of how valuable and therefore how extensively faked these caps are. I followed all of the guidelines laid out in Wilkins’ book and I think I can confidently say that this is not a fake made from a post-war cap or modified Heer cap. But, I know there are several companies who supply very high-quality museum reproductions, and I fear that is what this is.

Thank you again for bearing with all of this text, I look forward to finding out if I have a genuine piece of history here or just an imitation. Even if it isn’t authentic, I learned a lot from this experience and perhaps found a passion for something I wasn’t aware I was all that interested in before!

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I went trough the Avers catalog and couldn’t find anything, I’ve also been searching online. Kind of resembles the radio amateurs badges

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Could anyone let me know if there’s a serious militaria shop in the Big Apple?
Tks

Hi all

My finger is hovering over the PayPal button to buy this visor.

As it would be my first one I would love for your opinions on it to its make up and authenticity. I’m in the uk and it’s in the US so I can’t see it in person. Am in contact with the seller who seems to be genuine.

It looks good to me, and looks to have the similar markings as the other schellenberg LW visors I’ve seen on the site. The sweatband looks to have a good age to it as does the lining. The doe skin looks ok to me too. Please correct me if I’m wrong!

Thanks in advance
Tim

Hello fellow members,

Just showing my newest acquisition, a late war coconut canteen in very good condition. The flask itself dates from 1943.

The webbing is revited! (not sewn) and dated 1945. The red cup is repainted in green and dated 1945. The carabiner is from Ritter, dated 1944.

The front strips of the webbing are quite thin, still the hole webbing is made of one piece.

Bryan

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Hi!
What is your opinion? original or repro?
Thank you!

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Hi Gents,
This is not my area so I am hoping to get some views on this case, looks a bit to new to my eyes. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

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