Luftwaffe Overseas Cap

[Bosley]

Hi All,

Was hoping to get some more opinions on this cap, which has proved itself a pretty problematic item. For years I was under the impression that it was legitimate, but after posting it recently over at WAF, as well as talking to others, I have gotten opinions all over the board. Some believe it is all legit, others think it is all repro. Some have liked the cap itself, but not the insignia. Others have thought the insignia was ok, but the cap wasn't right.

At this point I'm really at a loss with this one.

Here is a link to the WAF thread:

Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums


Note that I've included a few different sets of photos to show the cap in different lighting.

Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

-Bosley

[Bob Lyons]

I am on the fence with the cap, but that eagle is definitely not a good one...

Bob

[Adrian Stevenson]

I think the cap itself might be ok. The wear does like a bit contrived though. But the insignias are certainly bad.

Don't waste money on this one. They are not rare.

[Bosley]

I am on the fence with the cap, but that eagle is definitely not a good one...

Bob

Thank you, sir. Is it just not a known variant?

[Bosley]

I think the cap itself might be ok. The wear does like a bit contrived though. But the insignias are certainly bad.

Don't waste money on this one. They are not rare.

Thank you for sharing. Are these just not known insignia variants? Or are they types that you would not see on this type of cap? Thoughts on what the folks at WAF might be mistaking in thinking this is original?

Unfortunately this is one I've already had for many years. But no hard feelings. I'm happy to purge it from the collection, just trying to be careful to not purge a good one!

[Dean]

As already said above, the cap appears okay but the insignia looks horrible. It was just very sloppily made and really lacking in detail seen in original examples imo. After many years of looking at this stuff you get a feel for it. For instance, just take a look at the swastika alone..

[Bosley]

As already said above, the cap appears okay but the insignia looks horrible. It was just very sloppily made and really lacking in detail seen in original examples imo. After many years of looking at this stuff you get a feel for it. For instance, just take a look at the swastika alone..

Thanks, Dean. I'm trying to develop an eye for detecting this better. I took a look around to find some other comparable Luftwaffe cap eagle examples, and I guess it just isn't so clear to me what makes this a definitively sloppy reproduction compared to some originals. Such as the Overseas cap in this first thread, or the cap featured in the second thread:

Luftwaffe Other Ranks M43 cap by 'ALMI'

Luftwaffe Other Ranks Bergmütze


For instance, I can see that the swastika in my cap is a bit askew, but I feel like that's also the case in both of the examples above. I really also don't see a huge difference in the level of detail in general with mine, especially compared to the one in the Overseas cap above. Those eagles look quite similar to me. But maybe I just don't know where to look.

I'm of course not trying to be argumentative; just trying to learn how to spot these things.

[Adrian Stevenson]

When looking at any Luftwaffe cap or breast eagle for that matter, always look for the four long stitches which help detail feathers indicated here. Originals have them and some fakes don't. It is easy to spot once you know where to look.

You didn't know I was a photoshop expert did you

[Bosley]

Thanks so much, Adrian. This is super helpful to see. Incredible photoshop work!