HJ Winter Caps: A Primer
Gents, we have been seeing a lot of postwar youth ski caps that have had HJ diamonds slapped on them and being sold as originals.
Real ones are hard to find, simply because many ex-HJ continued to wear their hats after the war, sans insignia.
(As such, a lot of the real ones you find have replaced insignia and heavy wear.)
As the HJ was a party organisation, it was controlled by the RZM, and RZM marks/tags are what you look for.
This is your standard set-up:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
One of the first things to look for is an adjustable buckle.
The buckles are usually aluminum or zinc (sometimes you will see blackened examples).
You want to see RZM markings on the backs of the buckles, as here:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
You want to see an RZM tag.
There area few types depending on the era:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
The HJ diamonds are of 3 types: sewn on bevo; metal/enamel with prongs; and the standard HJ pin:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
You will find examples with buttons, which are primarily wartime:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
These are POSTWAR ski caps.
Note the rubber/vinyl edge trim common to these--90% of the "HJ" caps for sale are of this type--if you see it, run away:
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
This is why I don't do forums anymore..period photos just ignored and swept under the carpet, HJ wearing it = HJ hat, don't care what the "experts" say.. good luck trying to get a refund using "POSTWAR" as the reason with this photo kicking around
Going to extremes.. here's another one that flies in the face of regulations but it's a perfectly good collectable from the period if someone owned it.
Yes, I have been aware of that picture for years.by ColinD
This is why I don't do forums anymore..period photos just ignored and swept under the carpet, HJ wearing it = HJ hat, don't care what the "experts" say.. good luck trying to get a refund using "POSTWAR" as the reason with this photo kicking around
My point is that the majority of ones for sale as "HJ" lack the RZM marked buckle and the RZM tag.
The ones I posted with the rubberized edge are all postwar.
I have yet to see an original with a rubberized edge with an RZM tag and buckle.
As the thread title states, it is a primer--a general guide to helping determine postwar from wartime.
“Show me the regulation, and I’ll show you the exception.”
This issue has already been treated here (post # 19):
HJ Ski-Cap #2
Quite a convincing explanation.
Similar Threads
Posting Permissions
.
Bookmarks