BAVARIAN BELT BUCKLE ID.

[Guest simon500]

Does anyone recognise this model of ww1 Bavarian belt buckle. Please note it is NOT the most common example (with the smaller crown) but has a larger crown which fills the entire central circle around which is the motto. The crown's outer branches do not blend in behind the others as on steel ww1 Bavarian belt buckles but branch out and around meeting under the cross - which is unusual as most german buckles do not have this. I have seen a few examples of this buckle but think it is a rarer example of the regular brass/nickle buckle.

See picture,

Welcome any help on this,

SC

Edited January 26, 2006 by simon500

[Chip]

Simon,

I checked my buckle collection and I have the same crown on my Bavarian "telegraphers" buckle.

Chip

[Daniel Murphy]

I would say it probably just a certain manufacturers variant design. There were many companies that produced these buckles under contract and for retail sale to One Year Volunteers, Fahnrichs and NCOs who just wanted something better than was issued. Just like for an Iron Cross, they had to look enough alike but no two manufacturers made exactly the same one.

Dan Murphy

[Guest simon500]

Cheers Guys I really appreciate your replies.

You see I found this French website of ww1 militaria and on it they had a page of apparant fakes. I was horrified to find this example in there. From what I could make out (not speaking any French, ONLY German) they were making a point of what a poor reproduction this was in that the outer branches of the crown should not loop behind the fore branches like on this example.

I have the buckle on a 1915 dated blackened leather belt marked 'Karl Sarth, Waldbrot' and with size '100'. The buckle has its leather tab maker marked and dated 'Offerman & Sohne, Bensburg, 1915'. If you saw the tab it would take a bloody magician to have managed to fake a tab with cracking, wear, discolouration of the thread and the makers stamp.

So you think it is a Bavarian Model 1896 belt buckle made by a particular maker who had a slightly different style of crown?

Many thanks, I'd welcome anymore info on the model or anything else.

Yours

Simon Cooper, GB.

P.S - Chip, I think you once helped me before on the wehrmacht awards forum with Identifying a pair of m1915 shoulder boards?

[Chip]

Simon,

The name of the maker of your belt is Karl Barth of Waldbr?l. His firm made other leather items during the war, including leather Sanit?ter-and Krankentr?gertaschen. They also made the same pouches from papercloth with leather straps.

I think I did help you with an identification. German insignia is my specialty. I have over 700 shoulder straps.

Chip