Black Beret Mfg: Principal Hat & Cap?

[WJ Miller]

Does anyone here have a SWW Armoured Corps beret made by Principal Hat and Cap of Montreal?

I received one yesterday with a grouping I bought and well, it's not a very good beret. Very thin wool and the two vent hole eyelets are are on the wrong side of the beret (wearer's left)!? It's C^ marked and dated 1943. It's also stamped 7 3/4 but is far smaller - more like a 6 3/4, as it's not even close to fitting my 7 and 3/8 head?

The beret looks to be a little mothy but unissued (the sweatband tie was not tied or trimmed) and was likely only used these past years for display. Anyway, it looks genuinely period, but the odd construction made me quite suspicious? Any thoughts?

[servicepub]

I have heard of linings taken out of khaki berets and then sewn into maroon berets to make them 'wartime'. Wouldn't think it worthwhile to do the same to a black beret though?

[WJ Miller]

Well, black berets are fetching bigger prices now. However, this beret was in the previous owners hands for at least 15 years, so unlikely there was any reason it was altered back then. Like I said, it appears legit, just a complete reject. I was wondering if anyone else had seen a beret (black or otherwise) with the vent eyelets on the "wrong" side.