Possible Spanish-American War Hat - need opinions

I was working on getting answers to this in another thread and it's kind of gone astray.

I need to make a decision on a purchase for this hat. The best I can tell from googling and a few responses in another thread, is that the cord is infantry, 1878 to shortly after the SpanAm War, and that the pin is infantry from the same period (it is brass, not dark).

Here is a photo of the hat itself, along with the size tag. Can anyone give me ideas as to a date range, based on these photos? Thanks in advance. If this thread fails I promise not to post another about this particular hat. I would have given up already, but it's a hat I'll be seeing a lot in the future, as it belongs to a friend, and I'd really like to know if it's authentic.

If you would, let's focus on this particular hat for a little while, until there are some sort-of-definitive answers, then we can move on to other related items (thanks)

I think is authentic, at least the insignia and the braid seem authentic to me and I would feel comfortable with it.

Your best bet would be to approach the VFW, DAV, or the American Legion in your town. They are pretty good with historical information. I tried to find information online, but came empty other than the information I gave you in the other thread.

Also, I believe this regiment is currently attached to the 10th Mountain Division out of Ft. Drum.

Based on the grommets that I can see on 3 sides (I assume there is a 4th on the back) and the one on the brim I would say this is actually an M1911 Campaign Hat that has been re-bashed. The M1911 was issued, oddly enough, in 1911 just prior to WWI. It's a little late for the SpanAm war. The cord and pin could very well be original.

Thanks - responses very much appreciated.

Cattus - I explained to my friend that the SpanAm War hats were different from the WWI ones, in that the WWI soldiers actually had helmets that got more field use. As a result, his hat pin and cords could very likely be pre-1900, and the hat replaced later because it was worn out. I'm glad we're thinking alike - I needed some back-up on this one, as I didn't want to go with my 'need' for an old hat, and have it override my good sense.

Hector - thanks for the pin/cord thoughts. This was an area that I had no idea about and googling did not shed much light on it.

For a former military guy like me, this is super cool stuff Scott.

Thank you for sharing it.

All the ones I've seen have a triple row of stitching on the outer edge of the brim, not double.