Crested china peaked cap : First World War

China peaked cap. The edge of the crown of the hat is gilded and in the centre is the coat of arms for the village of Rowlands Castle, in Hampshire, England.

Crested china collecting became a craze in the Victorian period when tourists bought small ivory coloured porcelain ornaments decorated with the coats of arms of the towns they had visited to take home as a souvenir. Before the First World War companies (the most famous and the original being Goss crested china) made collectibles such as vases, plates and other crockery, houses, public buildings, cars and replicas of visitor attractions. During the war the range of souvenirs was expanded to include military caps, equipment and vehicles.