Great Mistakes and other Classic Errors in My Cap Collecting

[spandau]

Hi

I was looking at the thread on the Latvian SS visor with coloured piping and got thinking about the "learning opportunities" presented to me by various buying decisions over the years.

There is nothing worse in collecting terms than that gut wrenching, sinking feeling of having bought/been sold a fake.
The joy of adding to a collection turns to misery especially when just starting out but with the benefit of hindsight these mistakes offer the best source of learning...........

Here are a few of my "best" buys and learning curves from when I was starting out..................and what to look out for because all traps are still our there


Classic post war BRD conversion to Lufti Officer.................

Attachment 710583Attachment 710589


Post war Police cap made by Peküro with the tell tale name on the sweatband...............

Attachment 710581Attachment 710582

Alkero Gebirgsjager cap that is 1960's border guard conversion..........

Attachment 710586

Lufti admin/fireman cap, post war police conversion...........

Attachment 710587Attachment 710588

Sold as a cavalry cap, this one was a cause of much confusion in my early days .........

Attachment 710584Attachment 710585

Even Reichswehr caps were faked.............

Attachment 710590Attachment 710591Attachment 710592

I can't even believe I bought the Naval cap, boy was I green .............




Please feel free to add any other classics for those that come after us..............

cheers

Tony

[harryamb2]

sorry mate no pics

[spandau]

Back on track now........................

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks Tony. A very honest thread which many would not admit to.

Cheers, Ade.

[Gunny Hartmann]

Been there and done that!....

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I think we've all been conned at some time or other. I've even looked at things in the past and thought they were not quite right, but the price was - and I ended up buying them just in case they did turn out right!

[Danmark]

Many would be ( are ) fooled by less ........ that's why I admire visors from afar!!!

Dan

[stonemint]

Tony, an excellent lesson for all.
I myself was burnt first by an Alteste Berliner Panzer officer visor which had the tell-tale plastic diamond removed.
Then it was the Jankes and BRD poseuers--we have all been there and done that.

However, thanks to the internet and this forum, many can avoid the same (expensive) mistakes we all made.


IMO, visors are one of (if not the) safest area TR Militaria to collect, due in part to the fact that making these hats is a lost art.
While visors may be one of the most faked areas of TR collecting, they 99% of them are easy to spot just by photos alone--the other 1% just need a hands-on.

Do not let the multitude of fakes intimidate you--if you are new to collecting visors, simply post the hat you want to buy before buying (or after, as long as you have a rock-solid money-back guarantee)--there are many veteran collectors here who will help you (and who have already made the mistakes so you don't have to....)

[Glenn66]

This is why I have only one cap and I was sure to post it on this forum before purchase.