SA Kepi's Opinions Needed

**maximus71** · 07-27-2015, 02:50 AM

Hi All,
I am wanting to purchase a SA Kepi, I feel they are a rare and important part of the Third Riech that belongs in my collection, my budget can only handle a salty one, so here are 3 salty examples in the same price range, my question is which one would you choose, is one Gruppe more rare then the others? First one is Pink Sudmark(missing liner, broken eagle prong) second is Orange/Yellow Sudwest(missing sweatband, faint maker mark, and last is the dark Green Kurpfalz(worn around the edges) Please help me choose! Assuming from my limited knowledge and study they are all period originals, Thank you!

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 07-27-2015 02:50 AM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**BOB COLEMAN** · 07-27-2015, 03:43 AM

The first two are definitely fakes. The third could be. Does it have a RZM tag? The photos show just enough to attempt to fool the novice.

**maximus71** · 07-27-2015, 03:52 AM

No tags Bob, I shall stear clear of them all. They fooled me but I know better to be cautious with these which is why I asked first.

**BOB COLEMAN** · 07-27-2015, 03:55 AM

I am not surprised at all. The construction is poor and the shapes are off. Good decision to trash the idea of buying any of them. Dealers in fakes seldom have genuine material.

**harryamb2** · 07-27-2015, 07:05 PM

Bobs 100% right.

**Glenn66** · 07-27-2015, 07:15 PM

Nice save! Well done Bob!

**Ironheart** · 01-17-2018, 02:23 AM

Sorry, you're having to break your necks looking at the pics, I guess I am too lazy to read the instruction manual on proper usage of War Relics Forum threads. I tried importing the pics, tried copy and paste but I suck at this techno stuff! Anyway, so far I am beginning to doubt a few things in my collection are genuine.
Even though the photos do not show it, my Kepi is heavy with sweat stains. The leather is fragile, if I slightly try to move it, it reacts as if it is going to tear. In some areas it started to do that. I wanted to take the lining off to look underneath (search for RZM tag) it but like I said it is more fragile than it looks. The thicker cloth is fine, it is the other pieces holding it all together that is weak. But what good is searching for an RZM tag when those are faked now also?

**Kursk** · 02-19-2018, 10:45 AM

You may not find a RZM tag in many Kepis, especially if they were constructed before the need to have one, or was privately purchased (i.e. not coming through official channels) for example...even some prototypical RZM spec Kepis managed to slip through without them...rarely, but these things happened...

As for your cap, there are some good points and some that would be questionable unless examined in hand...the cap appears to have the cream lining and thick leather sweatband typical of a private purchase cap ca. ‘35-‘36...now..big question..was the cap period constructed to be emblematic of the rank and status shown, or was it done postwar to increase the value of the cap?

We need a series of pics of the rear seam, the top and a good pic of the underside of the brim where it meets the sweatband...those could go a long way in determining what this is...real, real and enhanced or fabricated out of non period parts.

**Kursk** · 02-19-2018, 10:57 AM

Hmm..just noticed this member was banned,,,I suppose we won’t get to see those pics!! I’ll try and post pics of a same period private purchase Kepi for comparisons sake..