Wilson Center on line headwear extravaganza

[BenVK]

That yellow piped cap would have fooled me too in the early days. Reminds me a bit of all the Huesken.com fakes.

[BenVK]

Here's one that I bought but sent back the very same day it arrived. A very clever fake.

[BenVK]

A not so clever fake and one that I couldn't send back!
It was very early on in my collecting career and only cost the price of a nice repro so I don't feel too bad about it.
I'd never heard of fake Russian museum stamps before, I just assumed they must be real!! hahahahahaha

[M18922]

Both of the caps would have fooled me. May I ask, but what is wrong with the first black SS cap? Is it the sweat band?

Cheers, Patrick

[BenVK]

I show this one as an example of what can be done because I actualy made it myself. Not all of it, that's way beyond my skills.
When I bought it, it had a wool covered peak, no lining, no badges and was advertised as an original SS feldmuetze. I knew it wasn't original but it looked interesting and I wanted to inspect it. A few years later I decided to make a nice display hat out of it using an authentic leather peak, wasserdicht lining and some decent quality repro insignia.
It wouldn't fool an educated collector for one second but looks convincing in a photo.
So the lesson is, photos can lie!

[BenVK]

Both of the caps would have fooled me. May I ask, but what is wrong with the first black SS cap? Is it the sweat band?

Not exactly Pat, the sweatband was actualy the only thing I could swear was authentic and from the period. It was an extremely well made cap, even the black melton wool used was correct (in theory, not in touch) for the period it was supposed to be from i.e. before Trikot took over. However, it all "felt" modern and fresh and with a few tell tale signs that I'm not going to divulge in public. The only way to learn this "feeling" is to handle lots of authentic hats and I think you're well on your way to learning that skill.

[BenVK]

So bearing in mind that I can alter a cap to make it look like the cap above with just a needle and thread and some simple hand sewing, look again at this Wilson Centre cap with it's Imperial lining and tell me what you think?

There are some seriously skilled people out there with sewing machines and decades of experience using them.

[M18922]

The first black SS fake got me thinking, I have been looking at this cap and for some reason I doubt its originality. Am I right in thinking that? Or is it a good original?



Cheers, Patrick

[BenVK]

I don't like it and I think your doubts are well founded Pat.
My gut feeling is telling me something is wrong here but I can't put my finger on it yet. Fuzzy piping is a not a good sign and I'm not 100% convinced about the RZM tag which is completely blank for some reason?

[Friedrich-Berthold]

We already went over the Winkler cap above a while ago.
The tag is not completely blank, but mostly blank.
Since this vendor is a very aggressive faker, I am not enjoined to instruct him in all his errors, either.

One noteworthy point is the rayon lining is plainly not at all of the era, and on and on, but I will refrain from a long list.