USAAF cap found in El Salvador

[danhashman]

i found this airforce cap at an antique shop in centralamerica, and after some hard bargain i´ve bought it for 70 dollars. It gave me good vibes, it´s not too battered but still looking old, even the leather under the (rigid) visor brittled into dust, so i treated it with an leather-treatment.. i´d like to think that it belonged to a B17 pilot : )
What do you guys think ´bout this cap? Real or fake? anyhow i´m quite happy with it, but knowing that it was a good deal will make me even happier...

[Patgore]

Doesn't the "silver" badge mean the badge is USAF rather than USAAF ? Just wondering.

PG

[Walkwolf]

It appears to be a nice WWII era tan/summer Officer's cap, in a decent size.
I think these are worth $100 or more these days. And yes, the badge
has been replaced with a modern U.S. Air Force type.

The WWII style insignia is of gilt brass, like the side buttons. It should not
be hard to find an original replacement on E-bay etc, for around $20.

Look for one with a maker, such as 'Amcraft', 'Amico' or 'Luxenberg'
to be sure it is WWII era, if you are picky..............

[danhashman]

Thank you guys
So it seems to be an antique cap, with an insignia which is not matching the cap´s perid. Nevertheless both seem to be official & original... I ask myself..why would someone have removed the original eagle and replaced it with an newer original? Seems complicated, maybe it has been used during ww II USAAF years, and after the war they replaced it with the newer one ?
Therefore i like collecting stuff... all the stories and misteries within the objects...

[Walkwolf]

Thank you guys
So it seems to be an antique cap, with an insignia which is not matching the cap´s perid. Nevertheless both seem to be official & original... I ask myself..why would someone have removed the original eagle and replaced it with an newer original? Seems complicated, maybe it has been used during ww II USAAF years, and after the war they replaced it with the newer one ?
Therefore i like collecting stuff... all the stories and misteries within the objects...

I think you may be correct.

If you remove the badge, there may be a makers name or numbers marked
on the reverse. Certain details could show the period the badge is from.

The Army Air Force continued to wear army gear after WWII, until it became
a separate branch - the U.S.A.F. - in October 1947. A new blue uniform
with silver buttons and insignia was then issued, but in remote bases
around the world, supplies were not always timely. Plus, they may
have continued to wear the tan uniform much later as well.

There were a lot of AAF bases set up for the training of pilots and flight
crew in the southern USA during WWII, so it may have possibly
drifted south from any of those airfields too.

[SteveR]

It also may have come from Panama.
SteveR

[Walkwolf]

It also may have come from Panama.
SteveR

What SteveR says above is possible too...........................!

[António Fragoeiro]

Its very interesting to see where some items apear after all these years.
Great find.
Cheers.
Nuno

[soalebm]

Yes my guess would be that the owner was in Panama in the Canal Zone or maybe did submarine patrol duty from a number of bases in Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, or maybe even Salinas Air Field in Ecuador. Who knows the 6th Air Force was all over that area. They were also there until 1949 in many cases so the owner might have replaced the eagle then. I have a WWII era crusher cap with a Korean era eagle. I purchased it from the original owner. He said he liked the cap and when the eagle broke while he was in Korea he received a new hat. He didnt like the feel and put the new eagle on his old cap. He wore the cap again in Taiwan during Vietnam. This might be the case here. The eagle looks sterling to me if it is you have a nice eagle one just went on ebay for $40 marked "Sterling London" on the left wing of the eagle (if your looking at the back).

[Patgore]

Any legit British silver item will have a series of (usually) four hallmarks.

The term "sterling" is usually used in the USA or Canada.

I'd be suspicious of anything marked "sterling, London".

Case in point, I used to have Birmingham hallmarked USAAF wings that belonged to a colonel who spent a lot of time in the UK with the 8th Air Force and either replaced his original wings there or bought a spare. Wish I still had them.

Cheers,

Pat G.