Hello Luc,
Thanks for posting this beret. Judging from the pictures and information posted, I do believe this beret to be legit. The hand stitching you see is not due to the liner being changed, it’s the binding that has been changed. Normally you see leather binding, however it appears someone has changed it to cloth ribbon. I have seen this alteration on other berets several times. I suspect this to be an officer’s beret due to this alteration AND if you look closely at the holes, they appear larger and round, which leads me to believe there might have been an officer’s badge with screw posts. Couple other things I like is the colour, it appears correct for Canadian production, rather than that cherry red colour often seen with British production para berets. Lastly, the grommets are magnetic (steel) which is another tick in the box towards originality.
This all being said, an in hand inspection would be the final decision maker for me.
Cheers
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I’m always interested in purchasing 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion memorabilia.
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