Stogieman

Reverse view

Anybody have any clue if this is legit? Nothing I've seen before, quality looks very good, screw-disc doesn't seem to match the era though? Any/all comments appreciated!

I find it highly suspect of a combination and highly suspect that 60 years after the fact we have a lilly-white, pure as the driven snow ribbon bar............. my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

Greetings Robert! very interesting picture of your Fireman! I love seeing the Axe hanging off his belt and do not remember ever seeing a portrait with an axe before! Thanks!

It's interesting to hear this perspective as I've heard many a Soviet collector state that there's no "future" in damaged/repaired pieces. Since with what little I chased I tried very hard to stick with groups, to me anyway, it did not matter if a piece was damaged as long as it belonged to the soldier in question. It was his, he wore, he probably damaged it... so be it! A group is a group!

Interesting comment regarding the Euro... I remember when the DM converted to the Euro... many dealers simply doubled (!! yes, doubled!!) their prices... amongst them were Weitze and Winkler... When the big guys "sneeze" everybody catches "the cold". Within a 90 day period we saw prices zoom upwards........ theres been some back-sliding, but for the most part, pricing seems to have stabilized at a significantly higher level than before. This was one of the things that drove me out of some of the narrowly-focused badges I dealt with 3. Reich. When I sold mine, I was at least 30% below the asking elsewhere and it took exactly 1 week to sell about a dozen top-end numbered GAB's & PAB's. Since then, I have watched prices continue to increase and I am seriously glad I have chosen to stay away from them. When pricing for a GAB-100 exceeds 4K? How many people do you know willing to spend 4K on one badge?

I think that rather wondering how this "soldier" won these awards, we should be wondering who made this bar post-1945. ;>)

I've tried........ he goes so steenkin' fast you simply cannot keep up with him as his brain is usually running three sentances/thoughts/paradigms ahead of whatever is coming out of his mouth. Couple this with the fact that he is related to Fran?ois SAEZ and talks with his hands............... well, it can get dangerous when he's excited..... Did I mention loud? Yes, very loud too, louder even than the TRUE Good Twin....

Well, I can see the helmet device on the center of da Boid, same device on his right collar tab and sure looks like Stahlhelm, but I must admit that arcane Friekorps & Vet organization emblems & awards escapes me.

Friekorps era (??) Looks like a Stahlhelm Badge, but what type? Anybody see one of these before? Colin's Pilot, not mine!

Congrats Doc, a nice start!

Told you was evil... he must have some kind of pact with you know who...

Rick, thanks for the additional scans.

Interesting points and I agree. It's the same with Imperial... we see very little "new collectors" coming into the market simply because prices are so high across the board. You see 3.Reich collectors drawn into Imperial, but not a lot of "new blood". It will be interesting to see if this "glut" actually appears.

Good point Rick, I had not considered that the units were broken up and dispersed when they realized cavalry units were no longer viable... this is exactly what happened to von Richtoffen & Voss BTW.

Great little bar with a real "Spangen=stuch" version of the GMVK... looks like an extremely early one with applied center chiffres! Nice! I don't think you'll be able to ID him based on just this unless there's exactly one in a Garde du Korps Regiment!

Great thread guys & gals........... how about some more photos!?!

PS: The chinstrap is the correct coated oilcloth... not plastic, or some other synthetic material....

Are those the infamous "Bottle Boards"??

Geez, give 'em scans at 600 dpi.......... whine, whine, whine........

Hi Richie, very similar to mine. Major differences: Slightly different background material for the bullion, but the bullion looks like a spot-on match. My bars are pronged-back, but the only set of holes through the tab and collar, so made this way and never changed. I think Rick said the tunic was dated 1939 and was marked for a Minsk manufacturer. My cap was also updated to the war-time star and then never touched again. The chinstrap is almost flawless, but very much hardened into place right over the star. I think any attempt to shift it would end up breaking it into pieces. Amazing to think that the tunic and cap are basicly untouched for 60+ years...... no real mothing that I could find anywhere.

I would agree, while a useful tool, simply blacklighting an enameled piece is no guarantee of authenticity.

And another!

and another. Does not show the reverses at all......... just mint WW2 bars in odd combinations.

another, same dude