archbury918 Posted April 19, 2011 Share #26 Posted April 19, 2011 my Korea era Flighter w/ Meyer (wish it wasn't washed out looking!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 20, 2011 Share #27 Posted April 20, 2011 WOW! Very cool Flighters! :w00t: The eagle on your Korean War blue Flighter has got to be double the size of the one on mine, which upon closer inspection, may have been gold earlier in its life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archbury918 Posted April 20, 2011 Share #28 Posted April 20, 2011 WOW! Very cool Flighters! :w00t: The eagle on your Korean War blue Flighter has got to be double the size of the one on mine, which upon closer inspection, may have been gold earlier in its life. Thanks Matt, I've become quite the devotee over the years. The eagle on the AF is a true pewter looking bird. My phone doesn't have a flash, so was too close to the light. Thats why I mentioned the pic looking washed out. I need to take these in good daylight outside. Today its snowing again. In fact we're getting thunder w/ flashes thru it as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted April 20, 2011 Share #29 Posted April 20, 2011 Ah yes, the never-ending winter. I passed up some really nice Bancrofts over the years that I wish I had picked up. Sounds like you have a great collection, hope you can post detailed pics soon! Here's one that sold online a few years ago that I should have bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted October 26, 2015 Share #30 Posted October 26, 2015 Reviving an old thread from the dead with new information. According to Bloomberg Business, Bancroft was founded in 1901 (in Framingham, Mass). That helps to date caps that say "over 50 years" or "over 90 years". As far as Flighters, I believe it's been established that ones with "Pat. Pend" under the logo are wartime caps. http://www.bloomberg.com/Research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=7664953 "Bancroft Cap Company manufactures embroidered items for military and civilian customers in the United States. It offers army caps, navy dress caps, army work caps, CAMO caps, baseball caps, berets, school logos, corporate messages, and event themes. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Cabot, Arkansas. It has a plant in Cabot, Arkansas. On January 16, 2007, Bancroft Cap Company filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Little Rock." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted October 27, 2015 Share #31 Posted October 27, 2015 Interesting thread, here is a Bancroft Flighter that just came from the family, as you can see, it has his Aviation Cadet Insignia on it. Veteran passed away in 1964. At the moment, I don’t know when he was an Aviation Cadet, but on July 24, 1944, as a co-pilot on a B-17, he was shot down over Italy. The hat was part of a two footlocker grouping donated to the Museum of the Soldier a couple of weeks ago. There were no other officer hats or cap insignia in the grouping. As you can see, it has the Patent Number on it. I posted a couple of his wings here: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/252458-ww-ii-carded-pilot-wings/ BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted October 27, 2015 Share #32 Posted October 27, 2015 Add to the above, Kelly was discharged as an Aviation Cadet on Jan. 6, 1944 and commissioned on Jan. 7, 1944. BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted October 27, 2015 Share #33 Posted October 27, 2015 Interesting as that patent number wasn't granted until February 13th, 1945. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted October 27, 2015 Share #34 Posted October 27, 2015 I'd say that was a cap he acquired after his return and somewhere along the way his cadet insignia was affixed to it, but it is not a cadet cap as it doesn't have the blue cap band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted October 27, 2015 Share #35 Posted October 27, 2015 Add to the above, Kelly was discharged as an Aviation Cadet on Jan. 6, 1944 and commissioned on Jan. 7, 1944. BKW He entered training in the Air Corps on February 23, 1943 at Keesler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted October 27, 2015 Share #36 Posted October 27, 2015 Aviation Cadet Laurel W. Kelly. As Matt noted, the band is darker in the photo, so it is not the same cap I posted. I'm sure Matt is also correct about the badge being put on at a later time. It is too bad there is no Officer cap badge in this group. Thanks Matt! BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted October 27, 2015 Share #37 Posted October 27, 2015 Very cool photo, probably the same cadet device though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltee120 Posted May 29, 2016 Share #38 Posted May 29, 2016 Curious if anyone is still looking at this thread. I just bought a couple of Bancroft Caps. I'm sure one is WW2 because it doesn't have the 50 yrs logo. The other doesn't either but I can't match it to anything I've seen on the internet. I have a personal interest in Bancroft as my great grandfather founded the company. If anyone is still looking at the thread I'd like to post some pix and maybe get some help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted May 30, 2016 Share #39 Posted May 30, 2016 Curious if anyone is still looking at this thread. I just bought a couple of Bancroft Caps. I'm sure one is WW2 because it doesn't have the 50 yrs logo. The other doesn't either but I can't match it to anything I've seen on the internet. I have a personal interest in Bancroft as my great grandfather founded the company. If anyone is still looking at the thread I'd like to post some pix and maybe get some help. I am a Bancroft cap fan and have been trying to create a timeline of the different logos and labels Bancroft used over the years. Feel free to post the photos and I'll try to help you with them. Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltee120 Posted June 4, 2016 Share #40 Posted June 4, 2016 Thanks. I'm thinking they are both pre 1955 and likely WW2?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted June 4, 2016 Share #41 Posted June 4, 2016 The navy chief's cap probably is WW2, the army EM cap is the 1947 version with ribbed cap band, removable top, and shiny leather(ette). I did a thread on these caps here: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F229711-1947-pattern-army-em-service-cap-frames-new-in-box%2F%3Fhl=%2B1947+%2Bcap In 1956, army uniforms became AG-44 and these caps were phased out over the next few years. I'll look to see if I have a matching Bancroft marked like the navy cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted June 4, 2016 Share #42 Posted June 4, 2016 I do have a match, in a WW2 navy officer's visor cap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltee120 Posted June 4, 2016 Share #43 Posted June 4, 2016 Thanks Matt. Great info! Is it worth trying to clean them? Especially the Navy.It's really sad looking. And the band on the Army hat broke during shipping. Worth looking for a replacement? These will be displays only. Not looking to ever sell them. I'm going to show them to my dad today now that I know they were made before Hyman died. He remembers the factory and his grandfather well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted June 4, 2016 Share #44 Posted June 4, 2016 On most navy caps, the side buttons unscrew allowing for removal of the strap and the top. It can then be laundered. A washcloth dampened with warm water should wipe up the visor. I have numerous Bancroft caps. This is my latest, a 1958 army field grade (major and above) dress cap. I believe this was a cap contracted by the government to be sold in PXs to officers, hence the lack of Bancroft label on the lining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted June 4, 2016 Share #45 Posted June 4, 2016 I just noticed your navy cap was probably worn into the 1950s as the chief's insignia is on a black stretch band. In WW2, it would have been pinned directly to the front of the cap and not mounted on the band. When you unscrew the side buttons, remove the front strap, then the black band, then the top. It's pretty easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltee120 Posted June 5, 2016 Share #46 Posted June 5, 2016 Thanks Matt.I'll let you know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocietyBrandHatCo Posted June 14, 2016 Share #47 Posted June 14, 2016 Eltee120, like Matt, I am also a cap collector (as well as reproducing them) and any information you can share concerning Bancroft Cap Co. would be greatly appreciated. Also, concerning the USN cap you have, it may very well be a WWII produced cap frame (it has the wartime era logo) but the insignia is definitely postwar. It could be the chief was a career man, and simply updated his wartime cap with the prescribed insignia when the change occurred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltee120 Posted June 15, 2016 Share #48 Posted June 15, 2016 Hi Peter, Thanks for the info. I spoke to my dad over the weekend. He remembers the Bancroft Factory in Framingham, Ma well. If any one is interested the brief history of the company near the beginning of this topic is not accurate. If anyone is interested I'll post the more accurate story as my dad knows it. I am going to call my cousin Richard who was the last Goldman to run the company while it was still in Mass. He still owns the Bancroft building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted June 15, 2016 Share #49 Posted June 15, 2016 Pete and I have searched high and low for more information on Bancroft, so anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocietyBrandHatCo Posted June 15, 2016 Share #50 Posted June 15, 2016 I echo Matt's sentiments. Any and all information you are willing to share would be wonderful, not just the facts and figures (which would be great!) but personal recollections as well. As Matt said, there simply is not a huge amount of information concerning Bancroft Cap Co. available out there. What little we cap collectors have gleaned is from piecing together clues from caps, period advertisements, and trademark info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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