Germany, Third Reich. A Bahnschutz Officer’s Visor Cap, by Leonhard Paulig

(Bahnschutz Schirmmütze für Offiziere). A Bahnschutz Officer’s visor cap, constructed of blue-grey wool. It features reinforced side walls which are fully lined on the exterior with a black doeskin band. Both the top and bottom edges of the band are trimmed with silver aluminum wire piping, while an additional length of identical piping surrounds the outer edge of the crown. Pinned onto the peak is an aluminum insignia consisting of a Bahnschutz-style German national eagle clutching a wreathed mobile swastika, measuring 60 mm (w) x 25 mm (h). Directly below the eagle, the centre of the cap band has an additional insignia in the form of a black wool backer bearing an aluminum tri-colour cockade situated within a Bahnschutz-style wreath, measuring 70 mm (w) x 45 mm (h). The lower edge of the cap band is flanked by pebbled aluminum buttons which accommodate a chinstrap constructed of multiple rows of twisted and rolled silver aluminum wire. A protruding vulcanfibre visor completes the exterior features, and is finished in black on the obverse and in brown on the reverse. The interior is encompassed by a multi-piece blue-grey rayon liner, while a wide blue-grey leather sweatband surrounds the walls and is perforated across the forehead with ventilation holes. The crown retains an intact transparent plastic rhomboid moisture guard covering a gilt maker’s mark of “LEONHARD PAULIG, ROTHENBURG ODER”, topped by the firm’s “LEPARO” trade name. A hollow slot set into the guard retains a paper label bearing a size mark of “59”. An additional size mark is stamped onto the crown in black ink, with a Reichsbahndirektion Wuppertal mark. The cap measures approximately 25.5 cm (w) x 28 cm (l) x 16.5 cm (h). Issues consistent with age and refurbishment are evident, and include sporadic material fatigue to the exterior material which compromises the nap, fatigue to the wire of the wreath, possible replacement of the chinstrap, soiling of the interior liner, some deterioration of the sweatband, and possible reattachment of the wreath with stitching penetrating the liner. This scarce example remains in a very fine condition.