The Smallest Detail on a Cap

A bright green duck with a cigar arrived in the mail recently.

I cannot give you a sensible reason for buying it. It does not mark a trip, belong to a club, or remind me of some important moment.

I liked the color.

Sometimes that is enough.

I collect enamel pins, but I do not put them on every cap. Some caps look better without anything added. When I do wear a pin, I usually want it to fit the cap, reflect something I enjoy, or feel right.

A lot of mine have a nautical theme. Ships, pirates, sea creatures, and skull-and-crossbones designs keep turning up in my cases. I also have biker pins for a Sterkowski biker cap, a Boston Tea Party pin, and pins for special occasions such as Father’s Day.

Some Pins Carry Much More Weight Than Their Size Suggests

For many veterans, a pin may represent a branch of service, a unit, a ship, a campaign, or a veterans’ organization. One small emblem can quietly say, “I served here.” Another veteran may understand it at once. Someone else may ask about it and hear a story that otherwise might never have been told.

That is only one reason people wear pins, but it is an important one.

Then there is Billy Bad Bass.

Billy is a mean-looking fish wearing a flat cap. He lives on my green Sterkowski Wild Fish Stories cap. The subject fits, the colors work, and the whole thing makes me smile.

That is the difference between collecting a pin and deciding to wear it.

My pin cases are not carefully organized. There are mixed themes, forgotten purchases, and a few duplicates. Sometimes I bought the same pin twice because I liked it. Other times I forgot I already owned it.

But choosing which pin goes on which cap is usually more deliberate.

Some cap companies make that first choice for us. FunkyBrims has released caps with pins, and Sterkowski has included themed pins with certain models, including boxing pins with some Japanese denim caps.

Sometimes the pairing works. Sometimes it does not.

I do not follow boxing, so I do not wear those pins simply because they came with the caps. The maker may suggest the pin, but the wearer decides whether it stays.

Pins also come from people within the cap community itself. Scally Cap Gal, made by a woman active in the groups, has produced an excellent pin of her own. It is a good example of how these modest objects can represent a person, a style, and a place within the wider cap community.

The Pin Has to Suit the Cap

The design is only part of the decision.

Size and weight matter. A large or heavy pin can pull on linen or other lightweight fabric. It may make the cloth sag, widen the hole around the post, or eventually damage the weave.

Heavier wool, denim, and canvas usually handle more weight, but even then a pin can look too large for the cap.

A seam can sometimes provide a stronger place to attach one because more than one layer of fabric meets there. I would still avoid forcing the pin directly through the stitching. Placing it carefully beside the seam is usually the better choice.

Felt hats, including Akubras, need a little more thought. A pin pushed through the crown can leave a permanent hole or distort the felt. The hatband may be a better place, as long as the post does not damage the ribbon or scrape the felt underneath.

The Back Matters Too

Standard butterfly clasps can work loose as a cap is handled, carried, or bumped around. I bought locking pin backs for extra security, especially for pins I would hate to lose.

Magnetic backs are another pin type to consider. They let you wear a pin without making a hole, which can be useful on fine felt or lightweight fabric. The trade-off is that they may not hold as well through thick material, and they can shift or come loose if the hat is bumped. Not all magnetic pins have strong magnets; find a trusted supplier and use their pins.

A Pin May Be the Smallest Detail on a Cap

But it can change its whole character.

It can mark service, history, a special occasion, a favorite subject, or nothing more serious than a bright color that caught your eye.

Some hats collect stories.

Others look better left alone.