Chris Boonzaier

Some more examples.....

I saw this little baby on vacation......

I am at some stage going to do a "feldpost" page on the website.... here are a few neat examples of how to mail goodies to the front.....

mUCHOS gRAZIAS1

Hi Bernhard, thanks! I assume that was a job related to making the plates used to print maps? Best Chris

This is for a guy who served at the Map/Geo ministery.... can anyone read the first word describing his occupation? Thanks Chris

I found this to be pretty interesting..... soldiers did not have Photo ID.... this Leave paper uses the Bayonet as an ID.... "Seitengewehr 106. R. ......" means that the weapon number was usually filled in.... so the soldier could be controlled.... Leave paper, corresponding Bayonet... Good to go.....

Sorry, been away for a few days, It was about 1995 if I remember right. A family had leant some of their relatives bringbacks to a canadian local Museum and had no idea what they had and how much it was worth... what they did know was that one of the clasps was missing when they got their stuff back. This clasp was later sold to a US dealer by a Museum worker as far as I know. The family contacted a militaria shop in Toronto to enquire about the value of the missing item, and when they realised what the stuff was worth, they came in with a suitcase full of navy related items. Toronto was a militaria Backwater in the 90s, and the items sold relatively cheaply, all snapped up in the blink of an eye. I was unfortunately late on the scene but managed to track down a number of clasp buyers and get a total of 4. I also remember a collector coming to visit me at home, he was in desperate need of EXACTLY CDN$ 200... he had a box of stuff he was willing to sell, all goodies from the navy hoarde. If I remember correctly there were a number of mint EK2 clasps in baggies, Many Oct 38 medals... But what grapped my attention was a 110% mint, absolute classic Aux Cruiser badge which I bought for $200. more he was not willing to sell as he needed.... exactly 200! I did not realise there was any mystery about the Canadian Clasp hoarde? I think it has been long accepted that a tiny amount were awarded, but that Canadian Soldiers souveniered probably most of the factory production at the end of the war. They were simply in the right place at the right time.... The major German Naval Bases. Suffice to say, these were considered super rare, I think in the early 90s German dealers had them for DM5 000! comparable to EUR5000 easily (Panzer wrappers were about DM2500 at the time. The Canadian clasps more or less scythed the prices on these. I think quite a few Canadian collectors will remember the "Navy wave" of the mis 90s...

The sharpened pins are fine like that. Shank! Thats thwe word....in the bottom right sector there should be a feint die flaw, a thin raised line running from the South West to North East. If it has that I think the piece looks good to go.... (Their are fakes with the Die fault, but this one looks better than them) As I said above, they are not really rare, there were far more made than were ever awarded.... I assume the Germans thought they would be awarding more, but time ran out....

Hi, there are lots of these clasps around, the canadian Hoard was maybe the biggest Kreigsmarine find out there, lots of great and different stuff, the Vet must have had a suitcase full, EKS, EK Clasps, Oct 38 medals, Superb mint Auxillary Cruisers (I managed to pull one of those), Cased Honor clasps... all kosher, all legit.... These clasps are not difficult to find, few were awarded but they are not jewller made, they were stamped on an industrial production run. They were not made as needed. Of course, Hoards should be subjected to healthy questioning, but there always have been and probably still will be hoards out there.

There are quite a few around, I had 4 pieces from a stash "souveniered" by a Canadian soldier, at first glance this looks OK, but I would like to see the die fault in the lower right hand corner where the arms of the anchor meet the shaft.... or whatever the sailor boys call the anchor parts...

Can you post a closer shot of the bottom? There the two arms meet the shaft....

Very interesting, must have been an expat thing for the French community in Lima in 1917?

I beg to differ bigtime.... he marks them in white paint as copies.... "Marked as a copy... nudge nudge... wink wink......small jar of paint remover included free..." I would be happier to see the "Copy" engraved or deeply scratched on the inside.... he must know there are guys who remove the white paint within minutes of recieving it..

Same old fake turning up again and again.... http://www.ebay.de/itm/Urkunde-Eisernes-Kreuz-1914-/272336980596?hash=item3f688c8a74:g:Eh4AAOSwMtxXq1ec

Hi, There are some more odds and sods papers not pictured here. The 3rd Marche Battalion 1. RE was formed with many Russian Expats, mainly artisans etc. living in France at the outbreak of the war. Apparently it was a difficult birth... a battalion of relatively cultured men whose Cadre was the real grizzeled old soaks of the "old Legion" i.e. not the lively youth of the regular legion Battalions, but those crusty old bastards who had been left over The dude in question stayed in France after the war. Unfortunately the group was split up at some stage, There were more docs and medals but they are long gone... still, this is a rare little pile of paper...

Haha... I know what you think I got, but I did not. I was really, really, really close, but - The service number was something I wanted - I have to take the family on vacation this month so had to watch the EUROS I ceeded to the next in line. But I will really, really regret that soon.... ;-)

Nice growth shown there !! :-)

Hi, It is possible that this photo was never his.... as a group photo it could have come from the albums of any of the men in the photo, making it an ever longer shot.....

Hi Bob I indeed Had them for a number of years, but moved them on a few months ago, after Uwe had helped with the writing and I had the translation done, they gathered dust for a number of years and I was able to find someone who would treasure them more than I was doing. Best Chris

Hi, Indeed. I once had a stroke of luck in the same way Naxos did and had an EK1 and EK2 document reunited by chance, but the photos were even a longer shot, simply because the tunic and docs have been a collection for quite some time, and the other photo came from totally elsewhere.... one of tens of thousands on Ebay.... if he did not have such a distinctive face there would have been no chance....

Hi Bob, Try as I could, it was not possible to pinppoint a name. They were just 4 pocket diaries that had probably been tossed out of a group, sold online as "4 war diaries". Maybe with the Regt History it would have been possible to narrow them down, Best Chris

Hi, this seems to have it all... Back Row, A Waffenrock, A Litewka with top pocket without a flap, a Litewka with pocket with a flap, a greatcoat, A waffenrock, a Litewka without collar badges and top pocket? Middle row, Litewka with top pocket, Waffenrock, Litewka without a top pocket Front, A litewka without a top pocket? Does that sound right? What is the guy on the right back row wearing? Thanks Chris

Hi Glenn, Thanks! He has a very distinctive face, a bit like Crownprince Wilhelm, almost made for cartoonists...! Best Chrs

Hi Jason, It may be best to post pics, Best Chris