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    bcalkins

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    Everything posted by bcalkins

    1. For your review and comment is a complete 1917 dated hussars uniform. This uniform was commissioned and produced for the Neuadjusteriungs des Heeres Projekt. With this project, the army high command hoped to decide on a universal uniform design to be implemented after the war. In the end, the dissolving of the monarchy and the fragmentation of the empire made the entire project obsolete. The project involved the submission of concept drawings and then the commissioning of uniform sets of various designs and material colors. These items are extremely rare with most known examples in the collection of the Austrian Army Museum in Vienna. This uniform set was acquired after the war by the Hungarian National Theater, where it stayed until the 1950's when it was sold to a Hungarian collector. I just recently purchased this uniform. I am strictly a headgear collector and my hope is to trade this set for some nice Austro-Hungarian caps. Although I may own this set for only a short time, I actually feel privileged to have it in my home. They certainly the coolest and most rare items I have ever owned.
    2. Hi all, In case any of you have seen this cap being offered....beware, it is a fake. Frankly, it's not even a very convincing one.
    3. Yes indeed....a cap for the second brigade of the Legion. The badge is very rare, here is a photo of an officer with the same badge.
    4. This is a real shot in the dark....but does anyone know who owns this cap? It was recently (April 2022) in a Polish auction and sold in a post auction sale. I would very much like to connect with this person to get more information on this cap and maybe interest them in a trade. Thanks!
    5. WOW....those are 1990's prices! These days $25 per badge is a good deal and sadly there are zillions of fakes. I think it's actually the epidemic of fakes that has driven up the prices of originals....which are still very common and easy to find. Anyway....great find!
    6. It is with great sadness that I tell of the passing of one of America's most knowledgable and accomplished Imperial German collectors. Charles (Chip) Minx passed away on August 5, 2021 at age 72 after a three year battle with cancer. He is survived by two sons, several grandchildren and countless collectors to whom he pass on his wisdom and generosity over the years. Chip was an occasional contributor to this forum and many of you may know him from other forums. His passing is a great loss his family and to our collecting community as well.
    7. I found this cap....it sold recently in a Czerny's auction. I wish I had seen it before the auction date!!! Anyway, it is a nice example of the cloth visored style. Enjoy!
    8. Anyone have a clue as to what this cap is? The shape looks Russian or Yugoslav. The skull on the front looks german or maybe white Russian? And the numbers....are they a date? Any thoughts?
    9. Unfortunately, I strongly believe that this cap is a fake. While it certainly seems to look old, there are too many errors in construction that can't be explained away. I can see that maybe the original untrimmed peak may have been replaced some time by this trimmed peak, however, I can see no reason why the sweatband would be replaced. Original sweatbands were machine sewn to both the lining on the top edge and the cap body on the bottom edge. In addition, the stamps make no sense. Where would not be an inspector stamp (SL) without the inspection depot stamp and date showing final approval. The cap looks good on the surface, but I am convinced it is a fake.
    10. The patch is for the 1st feldjager battalion of the common army. While these lagerkappen are often associated with cavalry or artillery troops, they were also popular with infantry troops, especially later in the war. It is dated KR 1917 which means it was made and accepted in Hungary. This seems odd to me since the 1st feldjager battalion was raised in Austria and was a German speaking regiment. I suppose there could be many explanations for this.
    11. In anticipation of photos from MonteSanto, I will start the ball rolling with some more WWI period caps. Enjoy!
    12. MonteSanto, Welcome to the forum!! That is very interesting information about the tunic. Do you have an K.u.K. era caps you can post? Best regards
    13. This is a very nice find Skip! Others can correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like you have a basic tunic for a musician in an infantry regiment. The tunic was made pre 1908. After that, uniforms were made of a lighter blue/gray material called Hechtgrau (pike gray). These dark blue tunics continued to be worn after 1908 since it took many years to implement the change. The blue collar and cuff can help narrow down the regiment number, but several regiments used a shade of blue and because of the fading, it may be impossible to figure out the exact regiment number. This looks like it may be a privately purchased tailor made tunic. This is not uncommon, even for enlisted troops. Check this site for regimental colors: http://www.mlorenz.at/Bewaffnete_Macht/Uniformen.htm#Landwehr/Honvéd I hope this helps.
    14. I don't think a captain had collar braid. I think best bet is the master sergeant. Maybe someone else will have some insight on the sleeves. Could be a Hungarian thing, but with no cockade or buckle, how can we know?
    15. Hmm, I don't know what those sleeve chevrons are for. But those stars look like the enlisted bone/celluloid stars. I don't think they would have reflected so much light if they were the officer style bullion stars. So if they are indeed enlisted stars, his highest rank could be a Cadet Sergeant.
    16. I think he is a Master Sergeant or Cadet Sergeant.
    17. Thank you for the information. Very interesting. Here are three very nice pics. Unfortunately I don't own any of these caps!
    18. I have been following this interesting conversation. So am I to understand that there were Prussian troops that wore a Bergmütze? I knew of course about the Württemberg and Bavarian mountain/ski troops...but Prussian also? Please tell me more!!!
    19. The cap could certainly be Austrian or Bavarian, but is is not military. I agree the edelweiss post WW1 and most likely German. The cap was made with two button holes. Yes, it is hard to see the lower button hole thread, but is must be there. No tailor would have made a cap with a single hole that was off center in that way. It's a very interesting cap, but neither the cockade or the shoulder strap are appropriate to the display.
    20. It was a fantastic auction. I am told that there will be more in later auctions. I bid on two caps but came up way short. It was interesting to note that the tropical helmet was not even Austrian, but French. I pointed this out to Dorotheum, they agreed and posted a note on both the web and auction table. The helmet still wen for an outrageous price. 1600 euros if I remember correctly.
    21. Andi, That looks like a very nice cap. Congratulations on finding it. Here is a cap I got a couple years ago. It also has an added pocket. It is unusual for being a regulation model 1915 cap, but made of a felt fabric. Do you have other KuK caps? I have just finished an English language book on KuK cloth headgear that should be available by the end of October. Best regards, Brian
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