Quite often I see reproduction kepi's and forage caps being offered for sale as originals from the Civil War. Here's a quick way to tell if a cap is real or a copy:

Sweatbands were stitched by hand inside all kepi's and forage caps. If you see a machine sewn line across the bottom of the cap holding on the inside sweatband...it's probably a reproduction. Ask for a picture of the inside of the cap before you bid. You should see hand stitching with about six to eight stitches per inch. And there should definately not be a machine sewn stitch line across the visor next to the sweatband.