Is anything about this SS Visor Cap original?...
Hi all.
I know fake SS caps can be the bane of an SS collector's existence, but as always I like to get feedback about items I have little experience with, and SS caps are one such category where my expertise lacks. That said, there are some things about this cap (in general) that I like, others that I do not.
So... what do you think?
Thanks!
Dzyner
Hello Dynzer. I'm certainly not an authority on these items. But I'm curious to learn as you are. So here is at least my concerns with the cap in question. The woolen fabric used in construction seems a bit loose in weave appearance, and has a fuzzy look about it. The cap visor seems thin/not vulcanfiber and is irregularly long. The tightening buckles on the black chinstrap look incorrect. The sweat shield looks plastic and the makers name with SS rzm tag seems overboard, I'm not certain there was such a thing as a "transitional cap"? The sweatband just doesn't look correct (new-ish heavily grained leather) compared to the appearance of the rest of the cap itself. And lastly the early SS insignia which I suspect are bad too, should not be on a cap that has a RZM tag and label, that combination is IMO mismatched in timeframe. None of these to me are good signs of any part of the cap being real. Of course FB is the authority and will correct me if I'm off base or just blatantly wrong. Best of luck and kindest regards.
Brian
Last edited by bsiwula1; 07-11-2017 at 02:45 AM.
Nothing in said cap is original. My wild guess is it is a Baltic stinker interpretation of a ca. 1934 cap, but I do not think the item is really worth any further inquiry.
I own many authentic examples of this species of cap.
The chief criterion is the mid 1934 reform of SS regalia, whereby the extensive marking regime operated or not.
One has to distinguish as much as possible between caps made prior to or despite said regime, and the traits of a cap as an RFSS befohlene Ausfuehrung, i.e.
that conforms to these regulations of said date.
Black SS caps of early make, i.e. prior to 1936 or so, are widely faked and this is one.
You can examine my many threads on this subject and my many images from my collection.
Happy hats.
As usual, our resident expert is spot on. Study the many original caps found on our site and you will immediately notice the difference. Bravo FB
BOB
LIFE'S LOSERS NEVER LEARN FROM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS.
This is what I mean by a cap made according to the 1934 regime of RFSS model items.
Or this one or ones, without any marks, which are either prior to or in spite of.....
- - ------- - -
We have covered this topic hundreds of times in detail.
The badges on the first cap are also quite fake.
The authentic badges are generally tin or buntmetall, with a silver wash of the epoch, but not aluminum.
Thank you, Bob, you outclass me and exceed me as to date of rank by many, many wisdom filled years. Thanks for all your fine guidance and collegiality over theby BOB COLEMAN
years of our struggle here and beyond in the wreckage of regalia gazing.
Thanks for the clarification Mr Berthold. I noticed many but perhaps not all of your early cap examples have a leather visor, which IMO are more attractive and preferable to the later vulcanfiber visors which are obviously gorgeous as well. Was there a given timeframe for the transition over? I do believe pre 36 the kepi was the standard dress headgear for the SA especially in the early days and prior to their dissolution. The WH and other military visors seemed to more often than not also have the vulcanfiber visors. I assume once the RZM standard came into effect, it was more feasible for cap munufacturers to produce caps for all civil and military branches; at the volume necessary to keep up with demand. I also assume throughout the entirety of existence a SS man could purchase a standard issue cap or prefer to buy a private purchase cap provided it conformed to organizational standards. So I guess the question is was the leather visor the prominent variety in the early days of the SS? Thanks for any clarification. And as always kindest regards.
Brian
In the most recent years of my collecting Mr. Toad's wild ride, I have focused on the caps more or less of the epoch from 1932 until 1936, and have shared what I have found
here in detail. Ergo, my generalizations....
Authentic caps of this type are seen in the cycle of each year, but it is the later models that demand the most collector appetite, or so I am told by Paul Sack and Bill Shea.
That is, the more common caps after about 1936 or so.
And it took me fifty six years to figure all of that out, and a great deal of hard earned cash.
We owe Wim Saris a great debt with all of this, for his books really enable us to understand so much of this very arcane and complicated story.
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