GreatWarGreatMilitaria
Member
I thought I would share another colonial piece today with a bit of a character to it. This was purchased online a few years ago with some skepticism. Since it arrived it is (amongst) my favorite pieces in my collection.
This guy is super salty and as close to falling apart as I care to go with collecting. The felt body is a bit of moth eaten. The inner leather sweat band has been sewed in three times. The cockade is well worn, and the outer white band has been replaced at some point.
The vents and rivets are all original with their trademark tear drop holes and star stamp markings. The vent can be buttoned into place or let to drop freely to protect from the sun. The liner is pressed with the maker logo F. Bambus & Co. Of Berlin. There is also a KA stamp but it is too faint to make out the year.
The outer white band is a bit strange. It is made from cotton and mismatches the silk officers hat band in the center. One can only guess why it was replaced.
The majority of these slouch hats on the market today are post war for home wear. They lack the center cockade and tear drop rivet vents. This is the only one I have seen for sale that I can confidently say has seen some action. In addition the white for German East Africa is considerably more rare than the blue seen in DWSA.
Cheers!
Jay
This guy is super salty and as close to falling apart as I care to go with collecting. The felt body is a bit of moth eaten. The inner leather sweat band has been sewed in three times. The cockade is well worn, and the outer white band has been replaced at some point.
The vents and rivets are all original with their trademark tear drop holes and star stamp markings. The vent can be buttoned into place or let to drop freely to protect from the sun. The liner is pressed with the maker logo F. Bambus & Co. Of Berlin. There is also a KA stamp but it is too faint to make out the year.
The outer white band is a bit strange. It is made from cotton and mismatches the silk officers hat band in the center. One can only guess why it was replaced.
The majority of these slouch hats on the market today are post war for home wear. They lack the center cockade and tear drop rivet vents. This is the only one I have seen for sale that I can confidently say has seen some action. In addition the white for German East Africa is considerably more rare than the blue seen in DWSA.
Cheers!
Jay
