Japanese WWII Army NCO or Junior Officer's Private Purchased Forage Cap in MINT condition

A clean, mint conditioned wool cap that was part of a veteran’s belongings. The chinstrap is made of a cheap ersatz material that has already been hardened. The front army star is a late war original and made of wool thread machined embroidered on a coated paper base. The lining is made of silk but the sweat band appears to be made of sturdy cardboard paper, which was commonly used late in the war. It’s a factory-made piece from unsynthetic wartime materials. This type of caps was sold to a NCO or a junior officer in quantities but most of them did not survive to this day due to its cheap materials. Though the cap looks like cotton-made, the material of the main body of the cap is wool, which is the same type used for officer’s summer tunics, is very susceptible to moth attack. Considering the fact, it is remarkable that the cap remains without moth damage. It is not without signs of age with light age-cracks on the chinstrap and close inspection will reveal light rust on the iron grommets. A scarce surviving example of an NCO or officer candidate hat in rare pristine condition. The cap is also in a large size, approx size 57.

A beautiful unworn example that is near impossible to find. Actually this is the best preserved cap we ever seen!!