COMANDANTE ERNESTO 'CHE' GUEVARA BERET, CABAIGUAN, DECEMBER 1958 A Che Guevara-owned battle beret, Cabaiguán, December 1958. This is the only known beret, belonging to Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, in private hands. An artefact of immense historical importance. The beret is French in origin (Basque, Basse Navarre) and carries Che's dedication and signature to the interior lining. The handwriting has been subjected to two forensic examinations. The first handwriting examination took place in early February 2022 and was conducted by London-based judicial graphologist, Adam Brand, whose methodology and conclusions are attached. Seeking a more extensive forensic examination, the beret was then hand-delivered to Reed Hayes in Honolulu, one of America's top handwriting examiners. His 47 page report follows. In 2025, the beret was featured in Hayes' book, 'Reflections of a Forensic Handwriting Expert' (ISBN 9 780977 841523). The book focuses on the most important case studies he has worked on in more than 40 years in the field. The chapter on the beret traces the full authentication process of the handwriting. The beret bears a U.S. Cavalry crossed sabres badge - worn upside down. Che has inscribed the inner lining (English translation follows): Emilio, te la dejo como regalo, de mi paso por “Cabaiguán”, y espero que cuando me visites la lleves puesta. Te aprecia Che Diciembre 58 *** Emilio, I leave it for you as a present, from my time in “Cabaiguán”, and I hope that when you visit me you will wear it. With affection Che December 58 In his 2019 book, 'Cuba Libre', Tony Perrottet writes that Che started wearing his famous black beret 'after his moth-eaten patrol cap, rescued from a dead comrade, was lost in the Escambray Mountains'. The only photographs that show Che wearing a beret with US Cavalry crossed sabres date from the rebel counter-offensive: from his time in the Sierra Maestra to the capture of Santa Clara, in late December 1958. Those images were taken by Perfecto Romero, the official photographer of Che’s battalion, No. 8 Columna Ciro Redondo, and Amador Vales. We know, from these photographs, that Che travelled with more than one beret. During the counter-offensive, he is shown, at different times, in a crossed sabres beret (he owned at least two) and an unadorned black one. The image included in the photo library shows Che, on December 22, 1958, in Cabaiguán, the day he fractured his left arm. He can be seen, in a sling, wearing a beret with crossed sabres - almost certainly, the beret offered for sale here. After his triumphant march into Havana on January 2, 1959, he switches to a black beret with a small brass star: the iconic version for which he is now universally known. The crossed sabres beret was worn only during the fighting of the 1958 counter-offensive. The Battle of Cabaiguán led to Cabaiguán being liberated on December 22, as part of a series of victories that included the neighboring towns of Fomento, Guayos, and Placetas. It is in reference to this battle that Che gifts the beret to 'Emilio': "Emilio, I leave it for you as a present, from my time in “Cabaiguán” ...". The fact that the beret was gifted to 'Emilio' explains how it has come to be in private hands for the past 67 years. Since 2021, it has been in a private Canadian collection. An artefact of enormous historical rarity, dating from the rebel counter-offensive of late 1958, the beret is tied directly to Comandante Che Guevara - one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century.