Dyed USN Dixie Cup?

[Azeeze312]

I recently acquired Blue/Indigo Dixie Cup, I know these were frequently dyed, this is honestly my first Dixie cup I own period, so I don't have much background knowledge on these. Is there a way to tell how old these things really are? How long were dyed Dixie cups used? I used the black-light and I tested a thread, nothing synthetic found. Seems too clean! So whats everyone's thoughts on this?

 

Thanks for looking!

-Nick

[RustyCanteen]

That is a nice looking cap. One thing to keep in mind is that (at least at one time) they were commercially made in different colors for fashion.

 

Can you get a closeup of the cloth loop, and a measurement of it too? The single long loop became standard in the caps of the 1980s, that is where they moved the DLA contract information. It may be from that era and was dyed at some point.

 

RC

[Azeeze312]

Sorry if the photo is weird first time uploading from my tablet, it measures roughly 1.5 inch

[SEABEEBRIAN]

It looks different from the one that I had that was from the 1930's but I think yours looks fine

[RustyCanteen]

I do think this is a 1980s hat, it appears to be spot on. I would have to dig out some to get the exact measurements, but 1.5" sounds right on.

 

As a general rule of thumb (and not including private purchase or civilian hats) two opposing loops is WWII era, single loop (about a half inch long) was used from Korean War era through Vietnam, and the 1980s saw the extra long single loop. The reason for the longer loop was due to the contract information and size having been moved from the headband to the loop.

 

RC

[Garandomatic]

That's a pretty neat piece of previously unknown information.

[Azeeze312]

Thanks for the info RC, I can't tell the difference on some of these hats! Classic case of it ain't broke so dont fix it!

[BEAST]

I do think this is a 1980s hat, it appears to be spot on. I would have to dig out some to get the exact measurements, but 1.5" sounds right on.

 

As a general rule of thumb (and not including private purchase or civilian hats) two opposing loops is WWII era, single loop (about a half inch long) was used from Korean War era through Vietnam, and the 1980s saw the extra long single loop. The reason for the longer loop was due to the contract information and size having been moved from the headband to the loop.

 

RC

 

RC,

 

Nice bit of information, I hadn't heard that before. Thanks for posting this!

 

[Dutch]

I had a couple original "black dixie cups" when I was a kid growing up in Miami after WW2. My father had served the entire war in the Pacific as a MM (mostly on a destroyer) but didn't recall seeing them but my grandfather, who was a CDR in the Merchant Marine and my uncle who was a LT on Atlantic convoys told me otherwise. Both had ships blown out from under them, one off the coast of Jacksonville, FL. I recall my grandfather telling me that it was common practice to wear "darkened" caps on deck and on the bridge when forming up the convoys close to shore because of the way the ambient city lights from shore would back-light and silhouette a ships image from the seaside where Nazi submarines would lay in wait to sink as much tonage as possible. Especially the high prize tankers coming from Texas. (I also served in the Navy and verified these explanations later.) As far as what dye was used, I have no idea but I can say the caps were DARK and not blue. They were more like black. So I would opt for Rit black dye, not Navy blue. Also because I know that WW2 submariners dyed their gear black if they were on deck in a war area.