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Parade Full Dress SHAKO
with SCARCE \'Rooster FEATHER\' PLUME!!!
Vintage WWII (1940s) West Point U.S.M.A
Corpsof Cadets, The United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.
NEAR PERFECT CONDITION!!
+ Thiswell-preserved SHAKOcomes with it\'s original and extremely SCARCE16-inch tall black \'Rooster Feather\'PLUME,canted forward 15-degrees. Worn ONLY by cadet officers of the First Class.The tall, flowing 16-inch FEATHERS are inPERFECTcondition. It has the steelWIRE LOOP base. By itself, the PLUME, today from theWest PointAssociation of Graduates (WPAOG), costs a small fortune! It is a \"controlled\" uniform item, available for purchase only by USMA graduates.
+ COMPLETE!\'Rooster Feather\' Plume; early Leather-topCrown;Decorative Brass-Link Chinstrap; Large Brass Shako Insigne Plate (\"the fried egg\"); \"Cadet\" Chinstrap Buttons; Calfskin Liner and cotton Adjustment Lace; Lacquered Leathersecondary Chinstrap; Black Cotton Lining.These vintageSHAKObodies, made WITHOUT Vinyl, plastic, or polyester, have become extremely SCARCE!!
+ TheSHAKO, in its entirety, dates from the WWII-era, 1940s... or earlier!
+This is a WWII-era or earlier (1930s -1940s) WestPoint U.S.M.A. SHAKO judging fromthe SMALLER \"CADET STORE\"Lozenge.
This was wornwith the Parade Full Dress Uniform.This is a piece that has remained unchanged for well over a century and a half!
+TheWESTPOINT SHAKOis an often overlooked piece of headgear by WWII collectors! Thisdesign was worn by Pershing, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Patton, Ridgeway, Bradley,Westmoreland, Dawkins, Schwarzkopf, and Pompeo. An earlier version of the dress SHAKO was worn by Robert E. Lee (class of 1829), William T. Sherman (class of 1840) James Longstreet (class of 1842), and Ulysses S. Grant (1843).
+No plastic, no polyester, no vinyl whatsoever!! This SHAKO (\"Tar Bucket\") is made ofWOOL-COVEREDPressedFiber,LEATHER,and BRASS.
+The Decorative CHAIN-LINKCHIN STRAPis stamped brass and not plastic!
+ The original SHAKO\'s black paper-stickerSize Tag (\"6 3/4\") remains!
+RAREin this condition!Well cared for and stored for the past 85+ years!
NOTE!This is made of WOOL-COVERED Pressed FIBER and is NOT a currentmolded PLASTIC SHAKO!!!
Unlikemany SHAKOS,the large-plate U.S.M.A. academy crest INSIGNIA(the \"Fried Egg\") theBRASSVISORTRIM,and the CHINSTRAPBUTTONSare GLEAMING!The brass Insignia shows years of very, very careful polishing with\'Brasso\'! Each of the C/S BUTTONS shows a slight indentation from repeated polishing!
There are ZEROdents or corrosion to Athena\'s Helmet. The Eagle\'s breast plummage has been polished smooth for increased reflectivity by the cadet. Only ONEshallow diagonal scratch on the shield right below Athena\'s helmet. This SHAKO INSIGNIA PLATEwith the correct two knurled brass SPINNERSis in stunningcondition!!
*****
Particularsof construction and condition:
+Theage and authenticating \'patina\' or true antiquity of this particular SHAKOare evident in several features, none of which diminishes either the serviceability or the stunning aesthetic of appeal of this piece: The Lacquered CHINSTRAP and CROWN TOP show only the typical surface \'crazing\' of the lacquer; (2) The patent Leather VISOR is in near perfect condition.
+ EXCELLENTcylindrical shape, and has not suffered any deformation in the past 90 years!
+ZEROcorrosion or bent links to the decorative BRASSCHAIN LINK Chin Strap! Theoriginal \"hooked connectors\" that fasten to the \"CADET/USMA\"CHINSTRAP BUTTONS arepresent!
+ The secondary patent leather CHINSTRAP is still flexible and unbroken.
+ZEROcuts or tears to the interior of the crown\'s fine black cottonLINING.
+The PERFECT-CONDITION \"multi-finger\"LINERisof Black CALFSKIN,not Vinyl! The interior LINERissupple and is in an amazing state of preservation! TheLINERis intact —with ZERO brittleness,‘crazing,\' or tears to any of the \'fingers.\'
+The original black cotton Liner-adjustmentSHOELACEisalso present.
+TheVISOR TRIM issolid brass (not stitched vinyl) andis intact, free of breaks, andshines likea MIRROR!
+Marked inside on the calfskin liner, now faint, is the gold-gilt \"lozenge-shaped\" logos of TheCadet Store:
THE
CADETSTORE
WESTPOINT
N.Y.
+ This SHAKOwas manufactured by the sole contractor andsupplier of the academySHAKOfor well over a century and a half. For this year\'s contract, onlyThe Cadet Store name was printed on the leather liner, but in previous, and succeeding years the Bayly data read:J.W.BAYLY AND SON, INC.
PHILA.,PA.
EST.1865
+In their 20-page photo-illustrated trade catalog of 1900 the companydescribed themselves as,
\"BAYLYHAT MANUFACTURERS OF FINE SILK AND FUR HATS
Costume, Theatrical, Military Uniform and Regalia, and \"Headware
+Both blackened copper VENTILATORSare present.
+ The tiny wire HOOK at the center rear edge of the SHAKOto support the secondary leather Chinstrap is present.
+The ADJUSTMENTTABS/KEEPERS,for the Chinstrap are intact and have not brokenoff. And the KEEPER is secured with a \"hand-stitched\" CROSS, not machine stitched, which is yet another indication of its antiquity!
*****
Thisis a complete First ClassWestPoint U.S.M.A. CADET OFFICER\'s SHAKO Full DressParade Cap!!This is the SHAKOdesign adopted in 1898 (along with the Insigne with the academy’sCoat of Arms).
Theone significant change to the SHAKO over the past century and a halfwas to the brass Insigne Plate: The direction Athena’shelmet facedwas reversed.In deference to the dictates of Heraldry, her helmet was made to faceto the wearer’s RIGHT(facingDEXTER) in 1922, not to the wearer’s LEFT (facing SINISTER)!
Affectionatelyreferred to as the “TarBucket,” thisSHAKOshouts “Tradition!”
*****
* The all-male Corps of Cadets of the 1930s and 1940s still consisted of two Regiments.
* This class still had to take riding \"Horsemanship\" in the Riding Hall, long since converted to an academic building now known as Thayer Hall. The last riding class was taught in 1944.
* The cadets were still issued Stetson \"campaign\" Hats as plebes.
* The cadets of the pre-WWII and WWII years were still assigned to companies based strictly upon HEIGHT, the tallest cadets assigned to one of the \"flanker\" companies, e.g. \'A\' or \'M\'
* The cadets still had mandatory Chapel attendance.
* The cadets still were graduated in General Order or Merit.
****
NOTE:This will ship, securely wrapped in a heavy, “bomb proof” carton. Ifshipping is less than what is listed, the difference will berefunded!!!
