2 Soviet GPW caps

[Auke]

I've got a question regarding this NKVD cap; is the chin strap original? I've never seen one like these.

[Auke]

This leather cap is another recent arrival. Who wore these kind of caps?

[Al-muell]

Ar You sure those caps are original? I like none of them. Proportions, visor, chinstrap, sweatband, 50's badge on the second cap...
But I am no expert at anything earlier than 1943, than maybe...

[Lapa]

Auke,

The chin strap is definitely not original. These NKVD caps had black ones.
I have never seen such a visor on these caps. It should be a carton/fiber one.

I am not sure about the leather one, but generally speaking I do not like its mottled look.

Both types are widely faked, so I'd thread very carefully here.

Marc

[DougD]

Auke,

Interesting photos...I am not sure I'd dismiss them so quickly, though there should be some alarm bells...the brown leather one there is simply not much to go on...the NKVD one is more interesting. While it should have the black leather chin strap, this brown leather one is interesting..there are a lot of fakes of NKVD visors about, so I am not sure why the fakers would go to such trouble to make the cap look so odd...the bill is also very unusual, looks like leather...again, if it were a typical fake it would have less quality than an original, perhps not more.

If you are looking for a textbook NKVD visor, this is NOT it. Is it a fake? I am not sure, and I doubt anyone here could say 100% without giving it a feel...its a risky cap to buy, and I am not sure I would myself (depends on price; whats the risk?), but I can't find myself outright condemning it.

DougD

[Auke]

Thanks for your opinions guys. These caps are part of a collection I bought under proviso recently and have 'on inspection' now. What concerns me is that all higher items from this collection have turned out to be fakes - the Nevsky, 20 years RKKA and Nakhimov I posted earlier, but also 100% of the award documents and 95% of the orders, medals and badges. Most of them are obvious fakes, but some of them are more difficult to judge, including these caps, although the fact that so much from this collection is fake makes me really suspicious.

[DougD]

Auke,

Smart thinking! Track record is so important.

DougD

[desantnik]

Thanks for your opinions guys. These caps are part of a collection I bought under proviso recently and have 'on inspection' now. What concerns me is that all higher items from this collection have turned out to be fakes - the Nevsky, 20 years RKKA and Nakhimov I posted earlier, but also 100% of the award documents and 95% of the orders, medals and badges. Most of them are obvious fakes, but some of them are more difficult to judge, including these caps, although the fact that so much from this collection is fake makes me really suspicious.

Seems like either ignorance or deception of the seller's behalf, neither of which are confidence inspiring traits...:rolleyes: Good thing you at least have a return proviso.