HG-4   Army Wartime Official’s Visor Cap (Schirmmütze für Wehrmachtbeamte auf Kriegsdauer), by EREL
A rarely encountered cap as worn by officials assigned to limited duty with the Army for the duration of the war; the only significant difference between these caps and those of an Army Administrative Official was the blue-grey cap band (admin officials had the standard Army bluish-green badge cloth band).  This cap is made of a rather dark and noticeably green-hued (almost olive green) wool of fair quality, with a soft “hand” (“feel” in textile terminology) - but nothing exceptional. There is some light soiling to the top panel, but the wool is in very good condition with only some tracking below the overhangs just above the cap band (not readily visible). The cap’s forest green Administration branch piping is untouched around the crown, while the cap band piping has a few nibbles. The cap band is a very fine grade Luftwaffe grey-blue Trikot wool (i.e. a ribbed fabric). The front crown has a zinc eagle, matte grey where the silver finish has worn off – though the swastika is still “polished”!. The wreath’s finish has toned nicely, though there’s a little off white oxidate build up along the wreath’s bottom edge here and there. The cockade has a red mesh screen at the center, indicating the cap has the distinctive EREL-patented air vent system. The chin cords are the thin diameter style and, over the years have left some marks on the visor’s lacquered surface. The visor underside is dark tan, with some soiling. The very bottom edge of the cap wool shows some large moth nips, but these are not much of a distraction. The reddish-tan natural leather sweatband is quite wide. It shows definite honest wear around the forehead area. At the rear, the ends do not overlap, as the cap size (perhaps a 60!) was bigger than any available band length - and the only means of making it big enough was to add an additional “linking” piece of band behind and between the two ends. The left side of the band is embossed with the Gothic font pattern “EREL Patent Stirnschutz” mark (in silver). The lining is dark golden rayon; it shows a number of moisture stains, but is otherwise intact. It has a full moisture shield (great shape). The lining beneath is printed in silver ink with the “Offizier Kleiderkasse Berlin” notation, below this the EREL-Sonderklasse logo, and the EREL grade box, which notes the cap as an “Extra” model. The celluloid material has drawn some of the silver transfer ink off the lining - but the EREL-Sonderklasse mark remains immediately recognizable. A tag inserted into the name slot reads “Breddin”.  Up within the top, the cap’s wire shaping ring has broken free of its clip, leaving the ends loose. Very unique cap - and extremely scarce!
$2,250.00

Return

Item HG-4