Black Cap for Identification

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:17 PM

I have some number of these, bought a few years back when they were the rage. I am in poverty as a result.

Opinions appreciated on the authenticity of this pitched visor, and anyone who can decipher the RZM label wins a big prize:

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-21-2009 09:17 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:20 PM

The TK:

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:22 PM

The eagle:

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:26 PM

The underside:

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:29 PM

Behind the visor front:

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:32 PM

And the tag, which I cannot make out; opinions appreciated.

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:44 PM

I think this is probably Heinrich Willie, A1/195, a commonly found maker of these caps, but I assure you this is a very fine thing in hand, as are others by him that I own or have handled. The peak is quite the best of its kind.

**d'alquen** · 10-21-2009, 09:45 PM

Your cap was made by the company of Heinrich Wille of Hannover. Interestingly this hat maker always inserted the prongs of the chin strap button through the RZM tag and that feature is always a good sign in one of these 195 caps.
D'Alquen.

**Frog** · 10-21-2009, 09:59 PM

d'alquen -

Thanks for this almost unimaginable obscurity; I have several caps by Wille, and will check them for this oddity

With respect, I ask how you came to know this datum.

frog.

**Friedrich-Berthold** · 10-22-2009, 12:35 AM

There are a lot of Wille caps in the firmament and they share the traits that my wise Canadian friend mentions. The RZM tag is often sewn down in a particular way, as well in addition to being impaled by the button/thingy for the chin strap.

These caps also often do not have the RZM/SS stamp on the visor for whatever reason, perhaps that they were made and not issued or the person who made this stamp in Hannover suffocated on his Wurst in an air raid shelter or....you name it. One of the Schiffer books shows such a cap, in fact.

Yours is a nice, attractive piece.

Some of our likes either own the Handbuch d. RZM or its microform equivalent.

I should surely like to buy an actual copy of the former.

Happy arcane details.

I am sure someone can attempt to make a list of "known makers," but such a list would swiftly become obsolete, because for every hallowed, hlist in these places there is one exception and then another.