Found a cap at a garage sale. It appears to be beaver fur, maybe seal. It has some interesting markings in stencil including the size and date. It is made in Quebec. Was this used by the military? I vaguely remember seeing something like this in old photos. The hat came from a vet's estate.

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A variety of fur hats are "on the books" from before the war and stayed in the dress regulations. Do the markings look "official" to you, though? The crown of the hat seems a little small, but I've not actually seen photos or examples of all the types mentioned in the regulations so I couldn't guess if this is one of them or not.

The markings are stenciled, much like some offical DND markings of the time. The date marking is the key marking. Why would a civilian garment be dated, especially as an additional mark, along with the makers label?

Why on earth are military items dated?

So the government can count how many widgets they received out of the number of widgets they ordered each year.

Goods are dated in order to satisfy the warranty. Government contracts usually have an implicit or implied warranty and such warranty usually takes the form of xx number of months/years. By dating the goods both parties are protected against false claims.

"The edible survival buttons on the winter parka are guaranteed to provide adequate nutrition for 99 years after the date indicated on the tag. Warranty void if tag removed."

When you've frozen to death because you ate the buttons off your parka...

I never understood why CF combat clothing had both a zipper and buttons until just this very minute.

Thank you.