Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers
Lot 148
A fine quality, WW2 era private purchase Luftwaffe Officer’s visor cap, by Erel of Berlin. Manufactured by Robert Lubstein, and stamped ‘EREL PATENT STIRNSCHUTZ’ to the leather sweatband. To the underside of the sweatband there is also a date stamp of ‘18 MAI 1944’, and a size of 59 1/2. The cap is of traditional saddle shape, with silver piping, bullion quality Luftwaffe eagle, and winged oak leaves, with a metal cockade to the centre. Grey wool fabric construction, with mustard coloured silk. Celluloid diamond shaped panel stitched to the lining, but no visible makers details. Complete with cap cord, attached at east/west positions. Provence: acquired by the vendor’s father, while he served with the Royal Engineers during WW2. The serviceman was on bridge repair duties, south of Hanover, and discovered the abandoned former Glider School camp, Schafoldendorf while in the area. 2 photographs taken by the soldier (and dated July 1945), and included with the cap, show some wall paintings from the camp, with notes to the reverse side. Schafoldendorf later went on to become an RAF base. Condition: generally sound, with a little service and age wear. Small moth hole to the crown, plus a couple of ‘pin head’ sized moth nips. The cap is slightly out of round, likely from a long period of storage, and looks a little squashed to the north/south sides. The crown also has a little water staining to left hand side when looked at from above, which has given the surface a very slight brown tinge. Insignia is good, as is the cap cord and piping. The lining shows some age related brown staining, and normal staining to the leather sweatband. Slight stitching fault where the peak attaches to the body of the cap.
