Happiness...

--I am the first to admit that I am a wee-bit stupid, and I know that these are not uncommon-- in the UK. However, despite having found quite a few things during 2012 that were worth quite a bit of money, I found this on the last day of last year, and I think that it pleased me more than any other single find:

Hi D.

Yeah I am relating, I am well into collecting berets so I see how this would be a cool thing to own.

I am puzzled by the era of this one though, but in a good way you understand, as this one has the arrow on it. Which in a way has got me thinking, when was the arrow discontinued from usage in Brit clothing???

My *guess* is that the "A/78" indicates the year-- but that's just based on my understanding of US conventions. I really know nothing about how UK gear is dated.

All I really know for sure is that a genuine Kangol is almost impossible to find in the USA. Actual British-made, forget about it, unless you've got friends, or live in a place where there's weird abundance of strange things (people in New England seem to fare well, in this regard).

BTW, Gary-- I've got a green German beret from 1995 (I think-- it has the de-mil mark, and holes from where the insignia used to be, but is otherwise in great shape) and a green Cypriot beret that you can have for free if you want them. I paid almost nothing for both, and if you've got a real collection going, there's no point in my holding onto them. Of course... you may already have these items, as well. Just let me know if you're interested.

Best,

--D.

Not knocking the beret but am I missing something here?

Regarding the 78/CLO designation,unlike the US DSA/DLA dating system that isnt the date Im afraid.From memory have seen it used on/in 60s and 70s period British items.

Not seen a beret with that kind of label to be honest but given the cloth/nylon edging would guess at late 70s early 80s.

--Hi, Gulf. You're not missing anything. You confirmed what I thought, as far as the dating convention goes.

I'm happy about this because they're very hard to find here, it cost me $9.00, and I have been looking for one for 5 years. This one happened to be in my size, too (your UK 7 1/2 is a US 7 3/4, which is hard enough to find in most things).

The point was about perceived value. I found several thousand dollars worth of stuff last year. The unexpected little gem here was my favorite piece, although it is not worth much at all.

I totally understand where youre coming from and glad the beret made your day.

On the subject of berets,if at any time you fancy adding to the collection please let me know as somewhere I have a bag full of the dammn things