Heer Einheitsfeldmütze M43

[DerFunker]

Hello, all. I've just finished posting my introduction, so I'd like to jump right in and show off one of my favorites. I don't have any peers with German headgear expertise to rely on, so I'd like your thoughts on this one. I've had it about a year, and to my very moderately experienced collectors eye, I believe it's a good one. I'd love to hear from some of you more M43 savvy members. Some info the camera may not pick up:

• The trapezoid looks to be stitched at the top and then folded over, hiding the seam - I believe this is common and correct?

• It certainly appears (and smells) aged, and there's plenty of grime in the interior (and a bit on the outside of the cap) that the camera doesn't pick up

• The visor feels to be cracked right down the middle, and a crease down the middle of the cap makes it appear it was stored folded-flat for a very long time

• The wool is a bit coarse, but not as much as the camera makes it appear. It does have a few tiny holes here and there that appear to be moth nips

[MAP]

Definitely wait for the soft headgear experts but looks like a good one to me. Just not sure about the buttons.

[DerFunker]

Hey, thanks so much! The buttons threw me off when I was first pondering the purchase, but after seeing a few examples of similar caps in historical photos, I wasn't too concerned - but I do agree that they're a-typical. Thanks again!

[reneblacky]

Nice but I'm no expert on these! but the buttons to me are those found on blouses and great coats. And used on 43's

[rbminis]

You may be able to find out who belongs to this RB Nr. in this thread.
The Reichsbetriebsnummer RB numbering system.
Ralph.

[DerFunker]

You may be able to find out who belongs to this RB Nr. in this thread.
The Reichsbetriebsnummer RB numbering system.
Ralph.

This forum is such a goldmine of information - thanks so much for the link, rbminis. I didn't see my specific RNBr. there, but I could have overlooked it. Some research tells me 0/0520/0017 may be Hermann Potthoff in Coesfeld, but I don't know if that's entirely accurate. Thanks again for the info!

[Danmark]

I wonder if late in the war that particular manufacturer simply ran out of pebbled buttons and couldnt be resupplied??

( sometimes the simplest solutions are the correct ones )

[DerFunker]

I wonder if late in the war that particular manufacturer simply ran out of pebbled buttons and couldnt be resupplied??

( sometimes the simplest solutions are the correct ones )

I think that's very possible. The regular buttons gave me pause when I first found the cap, but certainly some examples of these buttons can be seen in historical photos:



Neat, eh?

[Kohima]

I don’t have any problems with it, though some shots in natural daylight are always preferable.
It is probably just my eyes, but I think I see a faint ‘ghost’ above the insigne (as if it is a replacement, although it certainly doesn’t appear to be), but this may just be shadow from the lighting.

[DerFunker]

I don’t have any problems with it, though some shots in natural daylight are always preferable.
It is probably just my eyes, but I think I see a faint ‘ghost’ above the insigne (as if it is a replacement, although it certainly doesn’t appear to be), but this may just be shadow from the lighting.

Thanks for the input, Kohima. I took a snap in some brighter light, and I think you're correct about it just being a shadow.



Thanks!