BACKGROUND: Originally members of the fledgling SS had no official headgear and most wore a grey ski type cap as worn by personnel of the SA. In April 1925 the SS had adopted, what was to become known as, the "Tradition Uniform" and personnel were outfitted with the same brown shirt uniform and Kepi as the SA. In November 1925 personnel of the newly formed SS adopted a black Kepi to distinguish them from their SA counterparts. In 1932, the first SS black service visor caps were introduced for wear to replace the kepi as the standard issue cap for all ranks. Originally all the service caps were piped with the white waffenfarbe until regulations of June 1934 introduced the silver/aluminum piping for the ranks of SS-Oberführer and above. In 1938 the first earth-grey versions of the service visor cap were introduced for wear with the newly introduced field-grey uniform.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Nice quality, black wool construction visor cap with a whip cord weave. The centerband is also constructed in the same black wool whip cord weave with the weave ribbing running in a different direction. The cap has white wool waffenfarbe to the top crown edge and both the top and bottom edges of the centerband. Eagle is now missing. The front center of the centerband has a second pattern, stamped alloy Totenkopf, as introduced in October 1934. The cap has a blackened patent leather chinstrap with two, rectangular, sliding, sheet metal, length adjustment buckles and a central sheet metal retaining clip all intact. The chinstrap is secured to the cap by two small, smooth, black painted, sheet metal buttons. The cap has a black vulcanfibre visor with a raised lip near the forward edge. The interior of the cap is fully lined with orangish/tan oil cloth to the crown and tan cheesecloth to the body. The crown lining still has its original clear celluloid sweat diamond intact with the small rectangular "pocket" portion. The crown lining beneath the sweat diamond is well marked with the gilt printed, circular bordered, outline of the SS runes encompassed by a second circular border. Size marked 54. The interior of the cap also has a leather sweatband fully intact. The cap has a black oilcloth RZM/SS tag with white printed script and inkstamped manufacturers numerical code, machine stitched beneath the sweatband. Cap was produced by Heinrich Wille of Hannover. Shows the expected period use and wear but overall nice condition.