4 caps, real? U-boat lieutenant, waffen SS, Allgemaine

[rbminis]

Welcome to the forum!
If you have some time, and you wish to learn, you can read many threads in this section that will help you to identify originals from fakes.

You can also find much information in this section as well.
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/ss-uniforms-insignia/

Ralph.

[stonemint]

The Binner cap caught my attention. I am almost 100% sure the two SS caps were part of a exhibition of German militaria at a show in the Curragh many years ago. They were owned by an elderly gent who allowed three of us to handle and examine some of his items. Being a German cap collector I checked these two caps and several others. There was an eagle on the WSS cap then. I was interested to buy but he refused to sell. I d'ont claim to be an expert but I am collecting German headgear for 22 years, and both these caps appeared to be 100% genuine . Insignia, wool, linings peaks were all of WW2 quality materials.
The pictures here are poor and all over the place and show absolutely no detail, so I can understand the comments
I am now wondering did I miss something when I examined them. So please Guys educate me by explaining why they are fake
and what did I not pick up on. I can then apply this info to my caps

Before investing your money in hats, I would suggest becoming a Gold Club Member:

Want to See & Learn More? Join the WRF Gold Club!

[Narcis]

The last one is the last in this thread:

SS-Gray-Top White-Piped OFFICER Schirmmuetzen
#140

[rbminis]

The last one is the last in this thread:

SS-Gray-Top White-Piped OFFICER Schirmmuetzen

Yes, it was just posted there by "stonemint" today.
Ralph.

[alexander11]

So could the Grey top piped Officer cap be genuine just with eagle removed for some reason? I don’t have access to the members club.

The Allgemeine cap was off putting to me for the following reasons, the skull looked like a poor cast for the reason that there is signs of bad casting around the eye area, particularly noticeable on the left eye as the picture is viewed. Having compared this cap to a picture of an original I found online I am surprised anyone could even entertain the thought it is genuine. The quality is lacking, the material looks very cheap compared to an original. There is a stain on the left side of the eagle that loooks like silver paint as well.

The U-boat Officers cap just doesn’t correspond with any example that I could find online. In the barge there is not fabric but what appears to be plastic, I am dobtful. To me these 2 appear poor copies.

If someone has started a new thread on the grey cap though then the seller at least appears to have got lucky with one. Although I looked at it & thought even the piece of paper with the soldiers name written on it inside the cap looked pretty recent in its application. It didn’t jump out at me as quality in the pictures but if people on here think it’s genuine I can forward the email address of the seller as long as they agree to it.

But if people are saying

[alexander11]

then maybe they are correct & I was wrong in what I thought. German WWII caps definitely appear to be a lot harder to evaluate than I could ever have imagined. I much prefer WWI items, it is much easier to tell with a Pickelhaube if it is genuine or not.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

then maybe they are correct & I was wrong in what I thought. German WWII caps definitely appear to be a lot harder to evaluate than I could ever have imagined. I much prefer WWI items, it is much easier to tell with a Pickelhaube if it is genuine or not.

Even with Pickelhaube... there are some scarily good reproductions, i'm not talking about the Indian made junk either.

[alexander11]

Very true Harry, they are challenging as well sometimes, it’s important to have provenance as well. The Indian reproductions are really bad, very cheaply made & will no doubt be some people’s 1st pickelhaube before they decide to spend enough for an original. My experience so far has been from a handful of German WWI purchases, that items I bought in France & Germany were excellent. Bought three WWII badges from auction houses in the UK in the last few months just as an interest. Now the items they are selling where the auctioneer states original are debatable. I have out of two badges, 1 is 100% genuine, the gilding has almost all been absorbed & it’s got a very thin rusty pin on the back. Both are maker marked but
1 is a very high standard gilded brass aged copy. Out of the couple of items I’ve got I’ve done alright I think.

Also with WWII helmets I know it’s not highly rated but I really like the German helmets reissued to Norway just after WWII. You are getting a German shell & in some cases an original chin strap, if collectors can get past the fact the liner & paint isn’t original these could become quite valuable in years to come. Because they are in much better condition than most of the original German helmets especially as corrosion & time takes its toll on the ones which aren’t given any tlc. It’s definitely something I will be interested to see, if the Norwegian helmets really take off.

One guy I was talking to said that back in the 70’s & 80’s they were ten a penny being sold for £25 each back then, not I would expect to pay ten times. But the same has happened with a lot of things to be fair. Maybe there’s many like me who arrive a little bit too late to the party.

[no expert]

Can you please pm me with sellers details:

[stonemint]

Real SS visors here--compare & contrast:

SS Gray-Top White-Piped OFFICER Visors

SS Kleiderkasse Officer Visors