Unknown Imperial Tunic

[SARGE]

Gents,

 

This is an unknown Imperial German tunic made in the form of a double breasted frock coat. It is heavy blue wool with black cuffs and shoulder straps that are piped in blue. The plain polished (Glatt) gold colored buttons are placed in pairs down the front as well as at the cuffs and back as belt supports. The metal insignia is missing from the stand up collar.

 

My suspicion is that this coat is either a Police uniform as this blue piping was used by various small municipal police departments known as Kommunalpolizei. It could also be Railway related as the Eisenbahn also used this style of blue coat,

 

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated?

 

 

[pvon]

Condition looks super!

 

 

PVON

[Ailcol]

Hi,

  I would agree that it is either police, railway or even postal. 

[SARGE]

On 5/9/2020 at 12:19 PM, Ailcol said:

Hi,

  I would agree that it is either police, railway or even postal. 

 

Thanks for looking.  I know that various State Customs and Border Control units (Zollschutz)  used this double breasted style of tunic but I have not been able to find one that separates the plain (Glatt) button spacing into twos like this.  Very subtle but very distinctive as well.  Bavarians used metal leaf sprays in one or two styles on their Police and Customs uniform collars but it is now only possible to say they were metal collar devices there during time in use but are now missing.  

 

The search continues.

 

[Alexa]

I do know i am not the best at Prussian uniforms, But could this be a personal driver's uniform by any chance ?

[SARGE]

Thanks for looking Alexa.  I am really at a loss for what this uniform is.  It could be a driver's tunic I suppose as they wore metal auto collar insignia as well.  If it had come with an oilskin peaked cap or leather jacket we could be certain.

 

 

[Jack the Collector]

Sarge,I went to my Eisenbahn uniform books and looked back to 1873.I agree it has that appearance,but the books do not show or tell of their uniform buttons being grouped in set of 2 like this one.

 

If you happen to know John Casino I would ask him.

[SARGE]

Yep, the button grouping is what throws me as well.  Seemingly this may indicate some sort of rank structure but I cannot imagine what on an enlisted tunic according to the shoulder boards.  Oh well... something to search for.