Avitas

Thanks Darrell, This cross came from a U-boat Kriegsmarine vet and the gentleman I purchased it from has sold his U-boat Clasp and U-boat badge to another collector in Vancouver. I will try to get his name from him and maybe some more info as soon as I can remember to ask him! As for maker, it is indeed very hard to identify it, so kudos to anyone who can. One more note, the ribbon is in exceptionally good shape and the cross was stored very well (I assume the veining came from time at sea). Cheers, Pat

Thanks guys for your expertise, I do like this cross as it is my first EK1 of any type. Glad to know the maker and that it's a good one, I was pretty sure but it's nice to hear it from another collector. Thanks again for your comments, Pat

Thanks Rob That is one sweet Coastal Artillery buckle you have there, and mine definitely doesn't have that stamp so a Heer buckle it is! It is nice to see the different variations of this maker, with your rare example in gilt being exceptionally nice, Cheers, Pat

Here is the back of the EM eagle, to illustrate how clean the reverse is compared to the front. A wee bit soiled from active duty time I would say. Cheers, Pat

Here is my Luftwaffe EM chest eagle, with some wear to add to its saltiness. I am not sure what pattern it is but it is a regular enlisted mans eagle I believe. Nice bullion eagle as well Laurence! Cheers, Pat

That is a nice early Postschutz, definitely not the easiest one to find! I think Don (Scowen) has one of these as well. I have actually never seen one in person. Do you see many of these become available? Cheers, Pat

It seems one man's "dirt" is another man's "patina" I definitely fall into the category of just leaving it be, besides the odd light rubbing with a cotton cloth or light dusting. To me the patina adds to the charm of items, and really gives it the feeling of being "antique", and I would never think of using any modern chemical on these very aged items. The main reason for this is just for the sake if keeping it 100% pure original. But, like I said beauty is in the eye of the beholder , and some people like their medals shiny and their cloth clean, and others like me enjoy a little silver tarnish and 100 year old dust! Cheers and thanks for this useful thread, Pat

Myself, I just like to keep it "under control" by using warm water and a toothbrush, followed by rubbing with a dry cotton cloth. This doesn't remove all of it but it does stop it from spreading and if done periodically it won't get any worse. I did this to a couple of my medals (the Italy-Germany Afrika medal for one) and it is working good. I don't really see verdigris as a major problem though, I think it adds character to the piece and it doesn't demean the piece in my view. Just my experiences, Later, Pat

I forgot to add, if anyone else has a zinc (or any type, for that matter) Rudolf Souval IAB please post them as well. It would be great to see the different types all in one thread. Any comments on my IAB are welcome as I am confident it's a good one, but it is always nice to have more opinions. Cheers, and can't wait to see your R.S. Infantry Assault badges! Pat

Here's a shot of the reverse, with nice patina overall as well and proper construction. Cheers, Pat

Hello all, Here is another buckle I had bunched in with one of my "various uniforms and insignia" threads, but once again it really belongs here in the new belt buckle forum. This is a nice early SA belt buckle in high quality metal, great finish and in really good shape. For all of you who recognize this one as Dan's (Hauptman) old beauty you would be correct, and thanks again for transfering it on over to me . I was wondering if anyone knew the makers of SA buckles and if by chance knew the maker of this specific buckle. Also, I think it is from the 30's, but if someone can narrow it down timeline wise and maybe knows which rank(s) of the SA would wear this type that would be cool. Any comments on this buckle are welcome and lets see some more buckles! Cheers and thanks for looking, Pat

That's too bad, this one had me fooled So is there no chance whatsoever of it being original, or does it just not resemble other known ones? I assume it is definitely bad, but if anyone can post a good one or another copy for reference it would really help out. CHeers and thanks for the advice, Pat

and a pic of the reverse, with nice patina and mm. Cheers, Pat

Hello all, I have this in a generic uniform and insignia post, but it belongs here now. This is a nice 1940 model year R.S. &S made Heer (or maybe Kriegs) belt buckle with leather stabilizer and nice markings on the back of the buckle (R.S. & S.) and on the leather strap (Richard Siepert & Sohne Ludenscheid 1940). The maker of the RS&S belt buckle is Richard Siepert & Sohne of Ludenscheid. Apparently, this maker was one of the few makers of Kriegsmarine belt buckles and this buckle might actually be a Kriegs buckle. If anyone else can correct me on this or let me know if it is in fact a buckle made for the Kriegsmarine (a similar belt by this maker, just different year, is on sale at TRD online that is Kriegs). Overall, a nice early war buckle in my view. Thanks for looking and if anyone knows more about the possibility of this actually being a Kriegs buckle, or just to confirm it is a regualar Heer buckle is welcome. Cheers, Pat

Here is all I could read, it is very faint in person as well. This cap I believe is from the 40's or 50's which is still Franco era, but definitely post 1939. 1st Box of info: Some sort of Crown, followed by"E.C.I.VESTUART? Unden 1??? (a date, but barely legible, looks like 1939 or 1930) Taller 11 M 5 E ? TALLA 1" The 2nd box I can't make out anything except for "22 1 55" which could be a date, but just a guess. There is also a stamp of a "J" with a box around it. Now hopefully someone with good detective skills can decipher this cryptic writing. I hope that helps a bit and thanks for the input, Cheers, Pat

I should also point out that the cuff title is in slightly worn condition, with minor wear on the item, making some worn parts shiny. The silver thread is pitch black under black light (not sure if it matters on this type of thread) and the loose unraveled thread I burn tested burned like a fuse with little to no residue, and no harsh smell and no ball of plastic at the end of the burnt thread. I think it is ok as modern copies are usually either minty or totally abused looking and the tests (for what they are worth) both check out ok. I know this is a pretty obscure item so any help is really helpful. Cheers, Pat

Hi gentlemen, I re-posted this cap in the proper Spanish Civil War/Franco era forum so now it won't be wrongly identified and in the wrong forum. Thanks for your help on this one, I was a way off! Cheers, Pat

Here are the markings on this wool Spanish field cap for further study, the consensus so far is it is probably either Spanish Civil war era or immediately following it, so any confirmation or other examples are great. Pat

Hello gents, I posted this item as a Danish field cap but it turns out it is a Spanish field cap, in the Spanish Civil War era/ww2 era. I thought it would be a good idea to correctly post this item as you don't see too many. This cap is in excellent shape and is marked with similar markings as one posted on another forum (crown and sizing info that appears to be in 2 languages). Noone has commented on the words "Taller" and "Unden" as I thought they sounded German, but the large "Talla" is very evident and it means "size" in Spanish. The red tassel is a giveaway as well apparently for being Spanish civil war/Franco era. I am wondering if perhaps it was made in another country or something because why else would there be two languages (I assume, please correct me if I am wrong on the words being Spanish and German). Hopefully some more info can come out of posting this in the correct forum! Thanks for any help on this interesting piece, Pat

For good measure, one with the card as well. Notice the eagles heads and the butt of the rifle on each badge, an identical match! Also, it is amazing how the material and patina on these zinkers match up. Hope you enjoy them! Cheers yet again, Pat

Here they are, brothers united after many a year! Cheers Pat

It appears when I posted this the layout of the markings got changed in the word processor, but the "CAPAC" is in the shape of an even sided cross made up of the letters (CAPAC) spelled horizontally and vertically, forming the cross. Here is another pic of the close-up of the name and texture of inner liner. Cheers, Pat

Next up we have my Korean War issue US combat helmet. It was owned by a soldier by the name of "Mills". THis has its original light wood lining and is in great shape. My only question is if the insignia on the front of the helmet is original or if it was addded later. It seems kind of sloppy, but I may be wrong. If anyone has info on this particular helmet or comments on any of the other items on this thread please feel free to leave them. The markings on the inside of the helmet liner look like this: 6 1 D C 1 A CAPAC A 5 C 4 CMC and the name is marked "177 Mills". Any deciphering of these codes and abbreviations is greatly welcomed. I think it is from 1954 based on the numbers. Cheers and thanks again, Pat

Lastly for now, here is the stictching on the reverse. From what I understand, these were worn my senior Hitler Youth leaders and other teachers in the party. Like I said, from what I have seen it looks good, but please leave your opinions and show yours as well! Also, any more historical notes or interesting facts I may have left out on the Ordensburgen are very welcome. Thanks again, Pat

Here is a close up of the stitching on the front for further reference. Cheers, Pat