OKAY FIRST OF ALL YOU WILL GET SEVERAL ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTION. AS IVE NOTED IN MY RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT, IVE FOUND MANY MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. ALSO, AS THE WAR PROGRESSED, OR DIDNT, THE QUALITY OF HATS ALONG WITH COATS, BADGES, ETC. WERE OF LESSER QUALITY. IN THE CASE OF COATS, SUCH AS LEATHER DECK COATS, WHICH WERE COW HIDE, THEY MADE THEM CHEAPER. SO WERE THERE MANY MAKERS OF HATS. MOST DID CONFORM TO THE STANDARD THAT WAS SET EARLY ON IN THE CONFLICT. HATS WERE AN INDIVIDUAL PURCHASE AND MADE FOR THE PERSON PURCHASING. MAKER MARKS IS ANOTHER ISSUE. SOME HAVE NONE, SOME HAD SOME, MOST WORN HATS HAD THE MAKER MARK DISTROYED IN THE WEARING. IVE SEEN MANY COPY HATS THAT ARE MADE TO LOOK LIKE WORN. VERY GOOD LOOKING AND BELIEVABLE. HAVENT HEARD OF A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SEND A HAT AFTER PURCHASE TO FIND OUT IF IT IS REAL OR NOT. PROBLEM BEING, IF YOU PAY BIG MONEY FOR THE HAT AND IT IS NOT REAL. VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION. I WISH SOMEONE WOULD STEP UP AND RESOLVE IT WITH OUT CONFUSION. TERRY