Sunday, November 22, 2009

Scientific Facts on the Beret?




Through an auction I got hold of a number of very old "new" berets; once the stock of a New York hatter, stored for decades on an attic and finally sold to this collector by the hatter's grandchild after a cleaning spree of the old house...
Some of these I sell on to other collectors or donate to museums, but this one here, I am very happy to keep in my collection.






It's a French made Basque beret, only 21.5 cm diameter (8.5") in it's original box. The box proudly displays the US flag and advertises the beret as "American Basque Beret" with a registered US patent. But, more interesting is the back cover, stating all sort of facts about the berets that really make me wonder. I quote the most interesting (or fantastic...) ones:
  • When the ancient Roman male wished to become engaged to a girl, he merely snatched off her beret. This symbolized that she was accepted.
  • The aboriginal inhabitants of England during battle wore only close-fitting berets and no other apparel whatsoever.
  • The Lhardi tribes of Northern Tibet always wear berets made from the hair of departed relatives as a sign of respect.
  • Korean gentlemen always wear two berets, one above the other. They take off only the outer one when indoors.
And how do you like this one: Superstitious maidens of Afghanistan sleep with their native beret on so they will not be annoyed by evil spirits that prevent them finding a husband.

3 comments:

  1. I came back from France back in 1981 with the best beret I ever owned. Medium thick wool and nice soft leather sweatband--it was a marvel. But, what was best about it was that it was TINY. When I pulled it down to just above my ears it was stretched fully--no over hang at all. It seems to me that these tiny "beenie" berets are almost impossible to find these days. But would sure would love to find another that small!

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  2. You are right, they are not as easy to find (I don't sell the very small diameter ones...), but you can find them. Have a look at the online shop of the Beret Museum site: www.museeduberet.com If you can't find what you are looking for, let me know and I can see if I can help you further.

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  3. Wygląda to super. Pozdrawiam.

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