Germany, SS. A Rare Waffen-SS Officer’s Visor Cap with Collar Tab Totenkopf, by Heinrich Muermann

(Waffen-SS Schirmmütze). A rare and unusual Waffen-SS Officer’s visor cap, constructed of field-grey wool. It features reinforced side walls, fully lined on the exterior with a black wool cap band. Both the top and bottom edges of the cap band are trimmed with bands of white wool piping, while an additional band of identical piping trims the outer edge of the crown. The internal wire reinforced has been removed to give the cap a popular, albeit non-regulation, “saddle” appearance.Stitched onto the centre of the cap band is a unique insignia consisting of a machine-embroidered silver aluminum wire Totenkopf cut off from a collar tab, measuring 35 mm (w) x 32 mm (h) overall (according to page 133 of “Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen-SS”, Mark D. Beaver, 2012, an uncommon but documented practice among Waffen-SS Officers). The cap band is flanked on each pebbled and silvered buttons with magnetic metal cores, securing in place a chinstrap constructed of multiple rows of twisted and rolled silver aluminum wire. It is adjusted with dual functional sliding knots of identical construction. The chinstrap rests upon a protruding pressed leather visor, finished in black on the obverse. A light brown leather sweatband measuring 50 mm in width surrounds the interior of the side walls. The interior is also fully encompassed by a multi-piece beige rayon liner. The crown retains a fully-legible maker’ mark of “HCH. MUERMANN, MINDEN” for the firm of Heinrich Muermann. It measures approximately 245 mm (w) x 275 mm (l) x 162 mm (h). MInor issues consistent with age and wear are evident, and include the loss of the peak eagle, minor scratching of the visor, and the loss of the crown’s interior moisture guard (although with no consequent material damage to the liner. This unusual cap is in an overall near extremely fine condition.