From the above image the sweat band does in fact show considerable wear with splits, fraying and staining from use. What is not visible in my shots is the peak inner support which I think must be some type of fibre board (?) is also split from wear and the outer cloth is soiled and stained—but you are right not overly so and you are right to be cautious, but it is actually more worn than my photos show in strong sunlight when I took these photos earlier today. The thread is cotton throughout not synthetic and my source a fellow AK collector in Warsaw I have known (and trust) for years.
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