Hilborn-Hamburger H-H IMPERIAL Officer's Cap EGA and Cover

[dc9]

Hello All,

 

I found this USMC Cover at an antiques store and was interested, but felt the asking price of $300 is too high. USMC items are not my forte and I'd like any opinions on what I am looking at, and if it is a wise purchase.

 

• What is the cover? Is it a 1930's dress blue style?
• The EGA is marked "IMPERIAL H-H" - from my research on this forum, am I correct to assume it is a 1942-1943 era EGA?
• Why is the back of the Globe "filled in"? Every screwback example I have seen reference are hollow back.
• Is this likely a Sterling (unmarked) EGA?

Thanks,

 

Eric

 

 

[dc9]

EGA Pics:

 

[Hessian]

Hi Eric

 

Hmmm. At first glance it looks like a WW2 era field grade officers dress blue cover.

 

BUT, the chin strap is solid gold in color -not the correct scarlet/gold as used by USMC officers. I think the chin strap on it currently is US Navy so that's not correct.

 

The EGA is a repro IMO. The crude soldering around the anchor flukes (reverse) where the rope fixes in looks terrible and unlike any real one I've had. As you point out there is some kind of filing in the back of the globe itself, again which I have not seen before. And just the general lack of crisp details and lines are a big red flag for me.

 

Do you have pics of the side buttons? I've seen more than a few US Navy officer caps "converted" into USMC by placing the correct cover on and adding an EGA but sometimes they forget to replace the side buttons as well... if your side buttons are Navy vs. USMC then this could be a 'put together'.

 

But to answer your original question, if it had the correct chin strap and the EGA was real, I think 300 would be a very fair price.

 

Good luck

D

[Brig]

First thing I noticed was the lack of fretwork, which is not unheard of, I have an unmarked collar variant with no fret work on the globe

 

However...it looks sloppy and crude. Excess metal flanges and solder of the wings, rope, and rear. It looks like the gold wash is running onto the globe. What troubles me is the scary accurate H&H mark on the wing. There is a seller on eBay selling repros of WWII emblems...Meyers and such...this might be one of his examples. Can we get better images without the flash washout, perhaps in natural sunlight?

[normaninvasion]

I have a hard time believing H&H would let anything so crude off to market.

[normaninvasion]

Forgot to add, the cover is a nice field grade Marine officers, note quartrefoil. Chinstrap I agree doesnt look USMC, as stated check chinstrap button screws for USMC

[dc9]

Thanks, everyone for the comments.

 

The pictures were obviously hurried, but in the interest of the hobby, and possibly outing a source of "scary fakes," I will try and go back this weekend to get some better photos posted.

 

Eric

[SgtMaddoxUSMC]

Thanks to the new book, I know exactly what Brig means when he says "fretting!"