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Rare Philippine Scout CA uniform on ebay


cbuehler
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-WWII-US-Army-Philippine-Scout-Badge-91st-Coastal-Inf-Named-Tunic-W-Pants/313193432375?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I have been following this sellers offerings for awhile now and there is a mix of good and bad coming out from the collection that is being sold. This uniform is one that purports to be a 91st CA uniform.

While the insignia and uniform alone are all genuine, their assembly together leaves quite a few questions.

The 91st was a Philippine Scout CA regiment headquartered at Ft. Mills, Corregidor, with elements at Ft. Frank, Ft. Hughes and Ft. Wint. The officers all being American, all NCOs and enlisted men Filipino.

I have studied and collected uniforms relative to the Philippines for years and as yet am unaware of any photo evidence that the olive drab shade summer uniform was ever worn by the Scouts enlisted/NCOs. The standard Khaki shade was the norm and most actually made in the Philippines itself. If this OD shade was worn at all, it must have been of very limited use for a VERY short time indeed. This is even more strange in that the open roll collar coat was introduced in 1927, by which time the OD shade was no longer in use. 

The collar discs are interesting in that the 91 has been has been applied to the US disc. Possible, but unusual, as appropriate insignia was always available from local and US makers and suppliers.

The rank stripes appear to me of much later manufacture than the late 1920s, which this uniform represents. There was a unique Philippine made pattern of chevron that was normally worn, totally different from these standard US embroidered type. I believe the stripes are incorrect and added.

Lastly, the very interesting and non regulation SSI. It has an added CA shell sewn onto the Carabao which I have never seen and to my knowledge was never worn. Removeable SSI like this were very common as they could be saved from the wash, which wore them out quickly. It certainly appears to be period made however. Another mystery is the the name scratched on the back, which is of course is not Filipino and would only be seen on an officers effects. Additionally, all CA regiments along with the 26th Cavalry were assigned to the Philippine Department around 1929 or so, and did not wear the Philippine Division SSI. I believe this SSI is an original period oddity, but incorrect for this uniform and added.

The DUIs are original and correctly worn.

As this seller appears to be liquidating a large collection, I suppose there they can't know everything about what they are selling, so buyer beware as there have been many erroneously described uniforms coming out and some outright fakes.

 

CB

 

 

 

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vintageproductions

The seller is selling Sam Nesmith's collection.

 

Sam was a great guy but unfortunately liked to believe everything he was told, and a lot of questionable uniforms were sold to him.

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Actually, I think I may have sold Sam a uniform some years ago. His name is vaguely familiar.  Anyway, I collect British uniforms as well and much of what I have been seeing are put together uniforms to varying degrees, such as added ribbon bars and other insignia, but some complete fakes as well, which he may or may not have been aware of.

Unfortunately most of it has been going for very high prices, including the bad! A fool and his money are soon parted....

 

CB

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Well, someone with more money than knowledge spent a lot of money on this....there are some interesting aspects of this uniform and insignia, but more questions and problems than can be answered regarding it unfortunately.

 

CB

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huntssurplus

I asked about the Sam Nesmith Collection and this seller a while back when they first started selling things. I got a similar response of a lot of put together/humped up uniforms were among some good as well. Similar to the Jack Angola collection I believe but to a greater degree and with more variety in terms of what was being collected. 

 

I would also agree with other members here that it seems like a lot of put togethers/humped up uniforms are being sold as predicted earlier. I haven't bought anything for that reason, but have kept an eye on it. Pretty much everything has been selling for a lot of money as well. so I guess some bidders like it. 

 

 

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Yes, the Nesmith offerings have been fetching very high prices; far higher than I would expect. This is especially strange as the amount of humped up uniforms going there can't always be escaping the eye of collectors....or can they?

 

CB

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huntssurplus
5 hours ago, cbuehler said:

Yes, the Nesmith offerings have been fetching very high prices; far higher than I would expect. This is especially strange as the amount of humped up uniforms going there can't always be escaping the eye of collectors....or can they?

 

CB

 

I think a lot of forum members here have been staying away as I haven't really seen any being posted and they have been selling for months now. I'm guessing these are more inexperienced collectors, or those who do not invest in forum resources or reference books buying these up. It can be enticing with a name attached to a collection as a sign of authenticity, plus the seller is a very reputable dealer in the German WW1/WW2 world. Hence why there aren't as many german uniforms up for sale as they probably have identified some to be put togethers. Sometimes it's surprising how big the collecting world is outside of this forum. Hard to believe people collect without it. 

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Frankly, I find it difficult to understand how someone could spend that much money on something they have little or no knowledge about.  As I touched on before, it is not just US uniforms that this is happening with, but the foreign ones as well.  There have been few of the uniforms being offered that I would be comfortable with on the whole. 

Sam Nesmith unfortunately seems to have had little discerning judgment with the uniforms in his collection.

Someone or some people are going to have a rude awakening one of these days.

PS, here is another totally trumped up coat just listed, replete with fake SSI and patch (yes, those patches are FAKE) Note the stitching is the style throughout and the chevrons are much later than that worn during the period of stand collar coats. This is getting rediculous. Someone with a good basic knowledge of these uniforms has created these, but with errors that could have been avoided if really done right.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WW1-WWI-US-Army-Philippine-Scout-26th-Cav-Expert-Machine-Gun-Sharpshooter-Tunic/313201428292?hash=item48ec428744:g:tl8AAOSwYVZfS~Dx

 

CB

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I concur with the 91st and the recent 26th being trumped-up.  

 

On the 91st I'm completely in camp with the observation of Tan Khaki vs. Olive Khaki worn in the P.I. during the interwar years. Different story for the Territory of Hawaii and the tunic itself looks typical of what a locally Hawaiian manufactured tunic should look like.

 

This however is not to say that a former Hawaiian Division/Department soldier couldn't had farried an Olive Khaki uniform over to the P.I.  Probably wouldn't have lasted for very either for not being uniformed with the other troops, sticking out of the crowd so to speak!

 

What is interesting though is that the hybrid "No-So" metal-backing system used.  Originally established on Oahu in 1921 and patent on February 6 1923, the use of brass plates was used on the pre-patent "No-So" devices.  Further more,  the screw caps used to keep the hybrid composite system together is period correct and what dual screwpost officers branch devices had.

 

So I think the P.I. Div/metalbacking system might be the real prize here.  Although with the addition of the projectile over the caribou head this is a hard shell to swallow!

 

Comparing this to the 26th Cav. Coat with sort of run into the same issues.   This time it's the embellishments to the P.I. SSI and the screaming suspect Expert M.G. Speciality Chevron.  As much as one might like to believe this could have been reality I'd sure  rather see a multi constructed Speciality Chevron of complete O.D. or the actual PQMD issued type opposed to the fantastical specimen currently on the cuff.  

 

Just as a side note, there is also an 6th Div., 11th Inf Regt., tunic currently  being auctioned from the same collection.  It too is has its issues and doesn't flow with what was done during the transitional uniform stage of 1923-1926.  It too was a put together.  It would have been more believable if the buttons were all gilt.

 

Bob's response above clearly holds some valve when evaluating the wares of this collection.

 

Whew and Aloha,  

 

John

 

 

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Over on the Shoulder Insignia thread Bill Scott  starts, "Need help with ID" that shows another on of these multi-colored MG Specialist Chevrons.  Check out what it's on.

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Above I dug out  my metal backing systems display that was designed by Capt. C.R. Welsh of the 9th Sig. Co. during the earlier half of 1920's.  Somewhere I have a prototype brass plate system with no incised markings on it that I was comparing it to the 91st metal backing material.  

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Yes, that patch in the SSI section is the same phoney one on the same trumped up uniform in the auction....! What is going on here?

Anyway, I also think the backing of the 12th Phil. Div. is ok, but as mentioned, the addition of the shell is wrong. Close examination of the patches on both uniforms shows them to be identical in manufacture and not the same as the originals which I have. Both are surely fake. The applied wool on wool type 12th Div patches were a fine wool felt like material with fine machine sewing, unlike those on these uniforms. Additionally, they were US made and I believe were made much closer to ww2, certainly not in the late 20s. I have never seen a  pre war Philippine worn uniform with these patches. They were all locally made a look like the one on the uniform as shown.  I also show an original wool on wool patch to illustrate the difference between the fakes on the uniforms in question. This also applies to the Philippine Department patches, sorry SSI, as well. The wool felt patches would disintegrate fairly rapidly in washing and starching, thus they were either washable twill or other cotton with a sewn edge to prevent fraying, or if wool felt, attached with poppers or any other removable system such as those backing plates.

 

CB

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Hi all, I've been asked to put my two cents in on this uniform and here's my analysis broken down by:
1) The uniform's color
2) The uniform's style
3) The stripes
4) The collar brass and distinctive insignia
5) The patch

01-Original-Listing.jpg.b62ba20320678c14d04e15a03b952b92.jpg

 

Figure 1: The original listing of the alleged 91st Coast Artillery (PS) uniform

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1. The Uniform's Color

 

As cbuehler mentioned, it is an odd-colored coat. The OD-shaded khaki Class A are practically non-existent in all photos of uniforms I've seen from the Philippines from 1927-1938 (when this Class A would have been worn). And I've literally seen all of the available interwar photos from the P.I. in the National Archives digital collection. This goes for officers and enlisted men.

 

While I have not seen a green khaki jacket in any photos, I have seen a pea green one in the flesh. I've attached an image of one such jacket with a felt-on-melton wool Philippine Department patch. 

 

02-Pea-Green-and-Khaki-Uniforms.jpg.81f944b6333eaa4491575b4d9b3b34a5.jpg
Figure 2. A Philippine Department patched pea green uniform. It's been placed on top of a typical Philippine-made khaki jacket for color contrast.

 

This Phil. Dept. jacket shows the typical tailoring of U.S.-made khaki uniforms of the 1930s. The only difference is the color. It has been modified into a shooting jacket as evidenced by the padding added to it. I assume it was converted to one because nobody wore a pea green Class A.

 

I join kiaiokalwa's opinion that those pea green/OD green jackets were seen mostly in Hawaii. I have a theory that my pea green jacket was brought from Hawaii by the sergeant to the Philippines or Tientsin, China where the 15th Infantry was stationed (they wore the Phil. Dept patch from 1929-1938).

 

The alleged 91st CA (PS) uniform, however, is even darker than that. The color is fairly reminiscent of this 26th Cavalry (PS) 1st Lieutenant's uniform. This I know was brought from Hawaii and modified in the Philippines to accommodate the insignia. How? The orders in the pocket came from the Hawaiian Department.

 

03-26th-Cav-Uniform-HI.jpg.9be81991dcf54de05441b9ab31a421c0.jpg
Figure 3. A 26th Cavalry (PS) 1st Lieutenant's uniform ca. 1922, imported from Hawaii to the Philippines. 

 

It's understandable that an officer coming from Hawaii or the continental U.S. would bring his own uniform to the P.I. But why would a Philippine Scout enlisted man serving the Philippines need to do that? It would most definitely be more cost-effective purchasing one in the Philippines than importing one from Hawaii.

 

Therefore, it's highly doubtful that the uniform in question would be worn during reviews in the Philippines. Plus, this soldier would stick out like a sore thumb in a sea of khaki.

 

Verdict based on color: Not impossible, but very highly improbable that the uniform in question was worn in the P.I.
 

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2. The Uniform's Style

 

For the most part, Philippine-made Class A uniforms conformed to the cut and tailoring of U.S.-made ones. However, there is one minor difference: the cloth belt loops.

 

04-Cloth-Belt-Loops.jpg.e040a056d45acb303e90a2179f9b2d85.jpg
Figure 4. Different belt loops (or lack thereof) on Philippine-made khaki Class As.

 

Notice that a majority of the above Philippine-made Class As have belt loops with a button at the top, allowing for the easy release of the belt. This feature is for both enlisted and officers.

 

The uniform in question indeed has belt loops, but ones that are sewn at the bottom AND the top... very atypical of Philippine-made uniforms. 

 

Verdict based on style: Doubtful that this was Philippine-made. More likely made in Hawaii.

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3. The Stripes

 

05-Khaki-OD-Stripes.jpg.6861fef04376991eb0be4f25485700d1.jpg
Figure 5. In studying photos and physical Philippine-made interwar uniforms, there seem to be several kinds of stripes, two of which are seen in the side-by-side photo of my Philippine-made uniform and my pea green uniform, both melton wool on khaki. Stripes made of green/brown wool on a black background appear on the Philippine Scout 1st sergeant's uniform in the June 1938 photo. 

 

06-Stripes.jpg.75e2aefbbe7b235ff1d389c46ca3f45f.jpg
Figure 6: The patch and stripes on the alleged 91st Coast Artillery (PS) uniform

 

The uniform in question sports embroidered green stripes on a khaki base. In comparison to stripes seen on Philippine Scout uniforms, this seems atypical.

 

Verdict based on the stripes: Not original to the jacket

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4. The Collar Brass and DIs

 

07-DIs.jpg.6b5ecf919a3b35987f25e13958fe9c23.jpg
Figure 7: The lapels of the the alleged 91st Coast Artillery (PS) uniform

 

What I like to see in uniform's insignia is consistency. What struck me right away is the inconsistency of the patina of the two collar brass. The "US 91" brass is much shinier than the coast artillery one. The soldered "91" seems over the top to prove that this was a 91st Coast Artillery (PS) jacket. (The soldered "26" on the alleged 26th Cav. (PS) jacket for sale is also cause for concern).

 

Kiaiokalwa wisely pointed out to me that the "9" and the "1" are a mismatch... the "9" a sans serif seen mostly post-WWII, the "1" a serif.

 

With that said, "US 91" and "US 92" collar discs, while extremely hard to find, do exist. See the example below. The Philippine insignia firm Crispulo Zamora could have also made custom collar brass as they have for the 31st, 45th, and 57th Infantries. So the need to solder on a "91" on collar brass doesn't make complete sense.

 

08-92nd.jpg.c9f431834627043f708139473f30ac0e.jpg
Figure 8. A 92nd Coast Artillery (PS) uniform with an original "US 92" collar disc 

 

I also noticed that the nuts on the screwback collar brass are different. The nuts on the backs of the DIs are very similar, but are slightly different. In the original jackets I've seen and inspected, the screwbacks matched for the most part. (Let's think logically, why would a soldier buy two DIs from different makers or two collar brass that don't match in style?)

 

Verdict based on the collar brass: Not original to the jacket. The "US 91" disc was most likely created by a collector.

 

Verdict based on the DIs: Original pieces, just not original to the jacket.

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5. The Patch

 

So the analysis of the patch needs to be broken down into a few sections: it's authorization, the "no-so" construction, the engraving, the patch material, and the addition of the coast artillery shell


09-Patch.jpg.c152257f6ed4ee7e8a5a41ba6b4165ff.jpg
Figure 9: The Philippine Division patch as appears in the listing of the alleged 91st Coast Artillery (PS) uniform

 

The Unauthorized Patch
cbuehler and kiaiokalwa both pointed out that all non-Philippine Division troops wore the blue and white Philippine Department patch. Therefore, any unit falling under the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays, including the 91st Coast Artillery (PS), wore the Philippine Department SSI (the Sea Lion patch) NOT the red and gold Philippine Division carabao.

 

Having the wrong patch already raises questions.

 

It is important to note however that there are examples that break this rule.  I saw that Col. George Elms' Philippine khaki uniform had the Philippine Division carabao instead of the Philippine Department sea lion while serving with the 26th Cavalry (PS). 

 

****

 

The Brass "No-so" Construction
kiaiokalwa pointed out that no-so patches were in use in Hawaii, ensuring the easy detachment of the patches from their uniforms when the latter needed to be washed. I've seen several Philippine Department patches with buttons affixed to the patch for easy removal. 

 

So it isn't out of the realm of possibility that the patch in question could exist. 

 

However, I'd like to note that we don't see how the brass plates attach to each other, we don't see the screws or the way it attaches, nor do we see the holes in the uniform where the assumed screws would go through. 

 

The one thing I would like to burn test is the red thread that holds the SSI to the brass plate with the engraved name. In my observation, it looks thicker / fuller than threads I've seen used in the 1930s. 

 

I noticed the same kind of thicker threads on my shrunk and bleeding Phil. Div. SSI (reverse in Figure 10. Obverse in Figure 13.) Upon burning the red thread that holds the carabao to the shield, it was surprisingly synthetic. Based on this test, it raises the question, are the red threads on the alleged 91st CA (PS) patch synthetic?

 

10-Red-Threads.jpg.64fa827f6aa80a6d647d8b9a30dc2508.jpg
Figure 10: The post-WWII Philippine Division patch. The thick, red threads burn-tested synthetic.

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The Engraving on the Brass
The patch in question has "Ft. Mills, P.I. J.H. Wright" written on the back. Being that this is supposedly a Philippine Scout uniform, one would expect a Filipino or Spanish last name. In fact, if we look at the 91st Coast Artillery (PS) roster of April 1942, the NCOs all had Filipino/Spanish last names. 

 

11-Roster.jpg.450498d94d7945d42b36df5e329e6287.jpg

Figure 11. The senior NCOs of HQ Battery, 91st CA (PS) on April 30, 1942. Note the only American name is Major Bosworth's.

 

There is the possibility that "J.H. Wright" had a Filipina mother and an American father, like Marvin Hill of the 26th Cavalry (PS) and Robert Frankin of the 12th Medical Regt. (PS). While not impossible, I believe it to be improbable.

 

So let's pretend this patch was added on to this uniform and J.H. Wright was an American coast artilleryman (non-Philippine Scout) serving in the Philippines, officer or enlisted man. He would still be wearing a patch unauthorized for use, especially with the addition of a coast artillery shell on the carabao. More on that later.

 

****

 

The Patch's Material
The PQMD did indeed construct melton wool-on-melton wool patches (Figure 11. Thanks, kiaiokalwa). There are a few other examples of Philippine-made melton wool-on-melton wool patches. So the material in which the 91st Coast Artillery (PS) patch was made from isn't an issue.

 

12-PQMD-PhilDiv.jpg.925e1a7925ceb3a974c7f8ac47d9f6fa.jpg

Figure 12. A Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot-made melton wool-on-melton wool Philippine Division patch. The PQMD also made Philippine Dept. versions with this material as well.

 

I agree with cbuehler in that cotton patches were mostly used in the Philippines, not wool ones due to shrinkage, bleeding of dyes, and how wool just doesn't do well in tropical weather. 

 

13-Shrinkage.jpg.415d8c666a3bba777286b414299247cb.jpg
Figure 13. Left to right: A PQMD-made Philippine Division patch that shrunk after washing. A normal-sized PQMD-made Phil. Div. patch for size comparison. A post-WWII Phil. Div. patch that shrunk and has bleeding dye.

 

In all the photos I've seen of the Philippine Division carabao SSI, almost all soldiers wore the cotton, earless carabao patch... except for a member of C Company, 45th Infantry Regiment (PS). The 1932-33 photo is the lone example of someone using a wool Philippine Division patch in the P.I. As for the Philippine Department SSI, wool patches are prevalent in photos the 15th Infantry in Tientsin, China. In the Philippines, the cotton ones ruled the day.

 

14-Wool-and-Earless.jpg.fbc80daf96be6028738d64c00f4e1b15.jpg
Figure 14. 45th Infantrymen (PS) at attention during a 1932-33 review. Note the patches in use: one PQMD-made wool, two Philippine-made cotton.

 

****
 

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The Coast Artillery Shell
In addition to the carabao patch being the wrong one to wear for coast artillerymen serving in the Philippines, the creator of this patch added a felt coast artillery shell to it.

 

Right there are two reasons why this would not have been worn on the field for ANY coast artillery unit in the Philippines. Officers most likely would have disallowed the use of non-regulation insignia, especially for a Technical Sergeant.

 

****

 

Verdict based on the SSI overall: Patch opens up so many questions causing reasonable doubt that this is an interwar piece. A few guesses can be made:

  • This piece could have been made up by a collector.
  • If this is an authentic, interwar, theater-made piece, this was probably a souvenir and not worn in the field.

(It also begs the question, was this made in Hawaii as a souvenir piece?)

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Comparing the Seller's 91st CA (PS) and 26th Cavalry (PS) Patches

 

By now, cbuehler, kiaiokalwa, and I agree... the alleged 91st CA (PS) jacket was put together by a collector. 

But what about the patches? Could they have been made up, too?

 

15-26th-Listing.jpg.42c8585a49f127f8aa8e31102a74b277.jpg

Figure 15. The alleged 26th Cavalry (PS) jacket listing.

 

1) Note how pristine each patch is. You would assume that 80+ year old patches would show some wear, fade, etc., especially since they were supposedly worn. (Thanks kiaiokalwa for pointing this out)

 

2) Starting with the alleged 26th Cavalry (PS) patch, I think this one is very much put together. Other than the fact that the 26th Cavalrymen (PS) were not authorized to wear the Phil. Div. patch, here's dead giveaway that the patch may have been made up: the yellow thread.

 

16-Threads.jpg.23b7a36125f089b442bbed8537cd0c62.jpg
Figure 16. Note the similarities of the thread used to bind the carabao with the red shield. Compare that to the thread used to sew the patch onto the uniform. They are the same. I would conclude that the same person who made the patch sewed it onto this alleged cavalry uniform.

 

3) Both the alleged 91st CA (PS) and the 26th Cav. (PS) SSI are made from the same materials (melton wool carabao sewn on a melton wool red shield) AND the shape of the carabao seem eerily similar. (I think cbuehler points this out, too)

 

You would think that two very distinct patches such as these would have slight variations in shape and maybe even material. Could both have been cut from the same set of dies?

 

The stitch widths on the border of the carabaos are different though. There's a narrower stitch width on the left (more reminiscent of the 1930s stitching) and a wider one on the right.

 

17-PatchComparison.jpg.7010443f32d8d19f97d04f04dfb8a8eb.jpg
Figure 17. Comparison of the alleged 91st CA (PS) and the 26th Cav. (PS) SSI


I'd love to hear other thoughts.

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FriscoHare, very nice job on the thorough analysis of this uniform. 

I think many people look at collecting uniforms differently. I have my own niche of focusing on Pacific Northwest Coast Artillery items, and if I go for a uniform, I almost always make sure it is named, and if it is named, then see if I can verify the name by research. That works for me. 

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