Written by:admin25/09/2009 09:10

Watch any Major League Baseball game and you will see the players wearing New Era caps, but the popularity of these caps, particularly the 59FIFTY style, has spread far beyond the baseball field and far beyond just the United States.  As is the case with most widely popular name brand products though, there follows the problem of knockoffs, so when you are handing over your pounds for a New Era cap you naturally want to be sure you are purchasing the genuine article.

So, how can you distinguish between an authentic New Era hat and a fake?  There are a number of ways, but most obvious is to shop through an authorised seller such as Dr Cap.  If you buy your cap from a source that has not been officially authorised to sell New Era products you run the risk of receiving a fake, whereas an authorised seller will be stocked with the real deal.

Another telling factor is quality.  Care and precision goes into the manufacture of all New Era caps, and that is reflected in the quality of the merchandise, while imitations will look inferior.  Take a close look at the stitching, it should be smooth and tight, from the straight eight rows of stitches on the visor, the consistent seams dividing the crown’s six panels, the tidy stitches that should trim each of the six eyelets, the solid embroidery of the logo at the front, through to even the precise stitching of the tags on the inside of the cap.  If any of the stitching contains untidy gaps or looks uneven, bunched up or loose, the cap’s legitimacy is suspect.

New Era hats are intended to be durable, hence the crown is fused to hold its shape and the visor is specially designed not to break when it is bent.  Imitations are unlikely to have the same feel of long-lasting sturdiness, and also may not possess the same high, rounded shape to the crown that you will see on authentic caps.

Even a detail as seemingly minor as the button at the top of the cap can help you differentiate between real and fake.  The button should be precisely centered at the top of the panels’ seams, and the colour should exactly match the colour of the cap’s fabric.  On the inside of the cap, the button’s underside is made of galvanized steel, used to prevent rusting.

The presence of the iconic gold 59FIFTY sticker on the visor is not necessarily an indication of authenticity since stickers can be removed from legitimate caps and placed onto fakes, but in doing so the stickiness could be compromised so it is worth examining the sticker.  Also, check the underside of the brim to make sure there is a New Era hologram.  If the hologram is missing, you are looking at a fake.

In short, if you are vigilant, there are enough telltale signs that you should be able to spot whether the cap you are about to spend your money on is a genuine New Era product or a cheap, substandard replica.

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