cylekostello Posted July 24, 2020 Share #1 Posted July 24, 2020 Hi all, Been offered this cap by a longtime collector. I'm new to CW collecting but to my eye it looks like a good one. However the tilted up brim is throwing me for a loop. I welcome any and all opinions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted July 24, 2020 Share #2 Posted July 24, 2020 I am no expert on CW headgear but it looks to me to be legit as well from what I have seen in books. I would think the misshapen brim could be due to drying of the leather over the last century and a half. Might be the lighting, but it looks to me like there is a shadow of a corps badge on top? Maybe a clover leaf (was that fifth corps)? Anyway I would inspect that very close, again might just be the lighting and my old eyes. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypilot6670 Posted July 25, 2020 Share #3 Posted July 25, 2020 Hello cylekostello, The cap is absolutely correct civil war in my opinion, a google search of L.J.& I. Phillips brings up at least 3 other examples. The brim is not a problem in my opinion. That could be from poor storage over the last 150 years or possibly the soldier wore it like that .Any how check the ones that come up on google search , and make your deal but I should warn you civil war collecting is habit forming. Welcome on board. Fraternally Yours Mike PS It does look like a badge shadow. Can you see any puncture or sewing remains ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwigh1980 Posted July 25, 2020 Share #4 Posted July 25, 2020 A couple things that causes me to pause. The liners were typically brown in color as well as the sweat band. The stiffener material will be raw burlap and in this case it looks like some sort of white material? Why is the sweatband in such bad condition and the label is in great condition. These paper labels are easy to reproduce and can be found in the more accurate re-inactor caps. Better pictures would help. Of note the caps were made with a combination of hand sewing and machine stitching. The machine stitching of the period is significantly different than today’s. Stitch lines were not as strait with un- even spacing with stitches much larger in length. Material used for the lining and shell will have variances in thread thickness giving it a variance in smoothness often course look. Just things to examine and better pictures would help in the evaluation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cylekostello Posted July 25, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted July 25, 2020 3 hours ago, skypilot6670 said: Hello cylekostello, The cap is absolutely correct civil war in my opinion, a google search of L.J.& I. Phillips brings up at least 3 other examples. The brim is not a problem in my opinion. That could be from poor storage over the last 150 years or possibly the soldier wore it like that .Any how check the ones that come up on google search , and make your deal but I should warn you civil war collecting is habit forming. Welcome on board. Fraternally Yours Mike PS It does look like a badge shadow. Can you see any puncture or sewing remains ? Thanks for the good news. Luckily the seller was open to a trade for of my Third Reich badges so the cap only set me back 300$. So far as the possible presence of a corps badge: I'll take clearer pics when the cap is in hand and post on the forum. 2 hours ago, ludwigh1980 said: A couple things that causes me to pause. The liners were typically brown in color as well as the sweat band. The stiffener material will be raw burlap and in this case it looks like some sort of white material? Why is the sweatband in such bad condition and the label is in great condition. These paper labels are easy to reproduce and can be found in the more accurate re-inactor caps. Better pictures would help. Of note the caps were made with a combination of hand sewing and machine stitching. The machine stitching of the period is significantly different than today’s. Stitch lines were not as strait with un- even spacing with stitches much larger in length. Material used for the lining and shell will have variances in thread thickness giving it a variance in smoothness often course look. Just things to examine and better pictures would help in the evaluation. Thanks for raising these points. The seller offered a month long inspection period so when it arrives I'll post clearer photos and examine the stitching further. Fwiw Andrew Lipps over at WartimeCollectables thought it was a good one and he's moved a few of these caps. 3 hours ago, warguy said: I am no expert on CW headgear but it looks to me to be legit as well from what I have seen in books. I would think the misshapen brim could be due to drying of the leather over the last century and a half. Might be the lighting, but it looks to me like there is a shadow of a corps badge on top? Maybe a clover leaf (was that fifth corps)? Anyway I would inspect that very close, again might just be the lighting and my old eyes. Good luck. Thanks, I thought I saw a shadow of a badge as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M24 Chaffee Posted July 25, 2020 Share #6 Posted July 25, 2020 Hello cylekostello, A very knowledgeable member of another website, civilwartalk.com, posted a very helpful primer on what to look for in original ACW forage caps. I’ll provide the link. I think it’s worth checking out. $300 would be a screaming deal for an original. The one you show has possibilities but the photos are probably not good enough for the more knowledgeable members to help you with. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/what-to-look-for-in-original-acw-union-forage-caps.146012/#post-1815953 I hope this cap is original. I own one in much worse condition but I was able to afford it and I love having it in my collection. Here’s a link if your interested. Regards, Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwigh1980 Posted July 25, 2020 Share #7 Posted July 25, 2020 Originals bring $2500 in good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cylekostello Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted July 30, 2020 Hello cylekostello, A very knowledgeable member of another website, civilwartalk.com, posted a very helpful primer on what to look for in original ACW forage caps. I’ll provide the link. I think it’s worth checking out. $300 would be a screaming deal for an original. The one you show has possibilities but the photos are probably not good enough for the more knowledgeable members to help you with. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/what-to-look-for-in-original-acw-union-forage-caps.146012/#post-1815953 I hope this cap is original. I own one in much worse condition but I was able to afford it and I love having it in my collection. Here’s a link if your interested. Regards, Frank Thanks Frank! The link was a big help! The cap seems to check the important boxes so I feel pretty okay about the purchase Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cylekostello Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted July 30, 2020 Originals bring $2500 in good condition.Ah sorry, I was unclear. I got the cap in a partial trade for some of my third reich items. 300$ was the balance left on the trade, not the total value of the transaction Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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