US Hat Cords

The first hat cord shown is a type first issued the year the famous Hardy Hat came out in 1858, and it continued to be worn through the late 19th century. The yellow color denotes cavalry, and pulling on the tassels will shorten the cord to fit around the crown of the hat. I came very close to listing this as a “is it real or is it Memorex” piece. What raises an eyebrow is there isn’t any fading or soiling. The reason I believe this is an original (though probably late) 19th century piece, rather than an item made for CW reenactments is because the dealer I got it from was nationally known and had a reputation to guard. It was described as old unissued Bannerman stock. We’ve heard that story before and more recently, but that was back in the early 1980s, when it was more plausible that quantities of Bannerman stock were still out there. The material is wool, and when I lit one of the interior tassel strings it burnt rather than melted, so natural fiber. If someone disagrees with my assessment, please feel free – I’m not thin skinned about these things.

Acorns, rather than tassels were prescribed by the Army in 1899. Enlisted men’s cords matched the branch of service, but this particular cord was originally black interwoven with metallic gold thread, indicating a commissioned officer. The years have turned most of the gold thread black, but if you look at the left side of the last picture, you can see some of the gold thread exposed. This part of the cord was under the slide in the center and avoided some of the oxidation. This second hat cord is circa WWI, and came to me as part of a group of veteran’s keepsakes from the Great War.