Avitas

Hi there,

I will try to answer the questions you asked Pkeating,

First of all, I am not quite sure on the material, it could be brass, tombak or some other mix of copper and zinc, and it is very solid and quality metal. Next, I bought this off of Walter, my good collector/dealer here in Kelowna, everything I have posted from him has been original so I believe this is too. I paid $50 for it 3 years ago, but he gives me great deals on most items (close to half of internet prices!) as he is a fellow collector and wants to spread the hobby.

I have a guess about the SS-Heimwehr tag, it could be an early tag from before it was absorbed into the SS-Totenkopf. On the reverse there are horizontal scratches where the division ID usually is. Perhaps this was an unissued tag, but it does have the blood type and Stammroll number, so I am not quite sure. I will try to get more info from Walter about it. Any more help is really welcome on this interesting piece.

Thanks,

Pat

As a new collector and relatively young (28) I sure hope the prices go down a little, as I all I can afford are KVK's and tinnies, besides a couple exceptions. I think prices have dropped a bit as you can easily find IAB's out there for around 100-140 US price range, but some sites still have WAY too high prices. I made the mistake early on of buying a bunch of repro badges for about 10-90 bucks apiece without knowing what they were really going for or really anything about fakes etc, and I was shocked at how high the prices were when I first heard, and the doubt of originality gradually crept in and they were confirmed recently on this site. This alone would be enough to scare off most young collectors just starting out, but I intend to keep with it by only buying accepted pieces at a non outrageous price in the TR area (along with my Canadian stuff), so I guess there are a few of us "new blood" around!

Cheers,

Pat

Hello again,

After much study, I still haven't seen another example of this SS Heimwehr (Danzig) dog tag. As of 1939 when it was formed it had 1550 members, so the number 766 certainly fits in there, maybe in company A as it is marked "A 766". It is 71mm by 51mm for dimensions, and non-magnetic, solid and stamped. The details are extremely crisp and the edges are stamped perfectly. This came from a very knowledgeable collector of SS items and he guaranteed its authenticity, I would just like to see another example if anyone has one, or maybe another expert opinion on it. I would greatly appreciate any help on this rare item.

Thanks,

Pat

After further research, all I could find besides whats already mentioned on this medal is that is was awarded in 1886 and a civilian award, my guess is to supporters of the crown. As for rarity, it does not come up often in searches on the web and the only estimate of value was a guess of 50 British pounds for the bronze and "more" for the silver. I couldn't find it specifically in the Niemann catalog either, but I did see some medals with the same reverse with the profile of King Ludwig II and the same inscription, but these were going for some serious money. The white threads on the ribbon do not glow under blacklight as well, so it is likely an original piece from the late 1800's. A tricky one indeed!

Cheers,

Pat

And here is the back of the buckle with RS&S mm. Any ideas on the maker are welcome, as well as any comments on all of the items so far posted on this thread, a few (HU cloth, wreaths and eagles, etc) have had no comments so far Again, thanks for looking and leaving your comments!

Cheers,

Pat

Hello again,

I've been doing some research elsewhere and I have found out that 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). Of course,any info or help on the previous questions about the other items is great also!

Cheers,

Pat

The "dark" cross is indeed magnetic, so it is probably a steel version. I do like the finish on it though, when put in my case beside the non-comnatants it is a nice contrast. So I guess that solves that, any more thoughts on the document?

Cheers and thanks for the help,

Pat

And the reverse of the poppy with the emblems on it. My grandpa is the head of the Canadian Legion up in Ft.St. John, BC and I always like to pick up anything related to the Legion, especially the early years. A nice little piece!

Cheers,

Pat

Here is a neat little item which I believe is from about the same period as the above mentioned Legion Pins, an original Poppy made by Vetcraft (organization for vets work) and with the same "British Empire Service League, Canadian Legion" stamping on the reverse as well as the Vetcraft logo. I had never seen one of these before and the gentlemen I bought the Ridley Dodds 39-45 War Medal and the King Ludwig 2 Memorial Medal threw it in as a freebie, nice chap! It really has a stark feel to it, as this is the symbol of rememberance, and this was worn by people who had just finished living with the first war, and it is no wonder it has survived this long, despite its cardboard manufacture and amazingly, still with original pin. If anyone has any information on the date of this item (my guess somewhere in the 1920's) and perhaps how easy they are to come by please let me know, as well as if anyone can answer some of the previous questions in this thread that would be awesome.

Cheers,

Pat

Lastly, the reverse of the envelope with some postal markings from Vancouver etc... Please feel free to leave any comments

Pat

Now for the fun part, the addressed envelope with all the markings for Ridley Dodds, and the postage stamp (18 cents! Too bad shipping wasn't so cheap now!). He got his award in 1949, I wonder how common this is. It seems a little late to be getting one, but maybe there is some explanation. Also, any info on the soldier mentioned is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

Pat

A shot of the original box, with a less than flashy stamp on it and the aforementioned ribbon bar hardware with no ribbon...

Just a note, I got those fingerprints off of it after I saw them! It's too freakin hot here in Kelowna, been close to 40 Celsius for like 3 weeks so everything gets a little greasier Anyways, here is the other side of the medal with the full ribbon

Pat

Hello Gentlemen,

Just thought I would share this nice 39-45 War Medal awarded to Ridley Dodds, Esquire of Prince George, BC, Canada. This is a great piece if British Columbian military history, as Prince George was a pretty small town back in 1945. I'm originally from the north as well (Ft St John) and I just love the local medals I can find, especially with some sort of docmentation and a name. The almost mint medal comes complete with the original box and paper inside of the box, as well as the envelope with postage stamps dated 1949 from Veterans Affairs Canada. The silver is beautiful and shows almost no tarnish (a little at the connector)The only problem with the set is the ribbon bar is missing the ribbon (or maybe the extra little bit of ribbon on the end of the medal is to be cut and mounted still, the size of extra ribbon is perfect for this.) If anyone (Michael Johnson is always a wealth of Canadian knowledge, must know the right sources ) can find out any information on this fine soldier to go with the medal, please feel free to leave it or leave a good reference spot for researching Canadian records.

Cheers and enjoy the pics,

Pat

Thanks guys

So it would appear my new HIndenburg cross is a bronze version, but not sure if it is solid bronze or not. It is quite a bit darker than the standard iron and steel versions, but it may simply just have a darker finish. Any ideas on this cross are welcome.

On the document, it seems all four of the documents Master3477 posted and mine have the same fold marks and similar markings and stamps. If you notice on the back of my Widow's document it has almost a mirror of the front, but slightly lower and off centre. If you hold it up to light the real front printing shows through and the faint mirror printing on the reverse is not visible. I'm not sure if this is some sort of anti-counterfeiting measure like on currency, or what the deal is. I made the mistake of thinking it was just stamped on the reverse, but it is actually reversed, like it was being seen through the paper from the front. THis is very strange as I don't know how someone would print it that way, but maybe that is the point. Any thoughts on this feature of the document?

Cheers,

Pat

After further study, I believe it is a Model 1918 Schmidt Rubin as the measurements match exactly to one I found on a search I did for "elsener schwyz bayonet". THe diameter of the fixing hole is 14mm. It also has the double edged blade which is characteristic as well. Apparently these are a rarer Swiss bayonet. Any more thoughts on this great bayo?

Thanks,

Pat

Thanks Mike,

So it is probably some type of memorial medal for King Ludwig 2 then. I have also found out after much digging that it was awarded in bronze and silver grades, and mine is definitely a silver as the bronze also comes with a purple ribbon, whereas the silver has the red and white. It has the feel of a well-minted silver dollar. Hope that helps for some more info on the ID and details of the badge, and please share any more info if you have it!

Cheers,

Pat

and the other side of the medal. It appears to be an old one!

Cheers,

Pat

Hello all,

I picked up this neat little medal at a trinket store today for next to nothing, and I was wondering if anyone recognizes it. Imperial is not my forte, but I couldn't pass it up, so any help is great. It is a Bavarian award, with the dates "25.8.1846 - 13.6.1886" with a coat of arms with an N in the center, and King Ludwig 2's signature. On the back is a profile of Ludwig II Koenig V. Bayern with his title around the edges. It may not be a military medal, but I don't know. I really like this award and would really appreciate an ID and any relevent information on it as well. I hope some of you Imperial fanatics ( a growing number!) can figure this out!

Cheers,

Pat

Here is a close up of the handle and markings for identification purposes, and a shot of the scabbard. ANy help on the id and any other comments on this bayonet are welcome!

Cheers

Pat

Hello all,

Stumbled upon this beauty Elsener Schwyz (inventor of Swiss Army knife and Victorinox company) Swiss army bayonet. It has serial number 205743 marked on it as well as "Elsener Schwyz". The blade is still sharp and untainted. I have done some searching on it and I can't quite pin the model. It could be a M1911 or M1931, or maybe a 1918 Schmidt Rubin bayonet. The blade is 300 mm long (11 3/4 inches) and the handle is about 130 mm including the hilt (5 1/4 inches) for a total length of 430 mm or 17 inches. The scabbard has an engraved script "P" on the top and the small cross of Switzerland on the round tip. The swiss cross also appears on the top of the hilt midsection. Any help on the model and year of this bayonet is greatly apreciated.

Thanks a lot,

Pat

Finally, a shot of the back of the doc, with part of another stamp (the kommando der schusspolizei) on the back which is not visible on the front. This to me makes it look like a good document, as it is stamped on front and back. Any thoughts?

cheers,

Pat

Here is the document that came with it, obviously for a widow. ANy ideas on the validity of this document and medal set?

Cheers,

Pat

and the back of the cross, maker 0.13.

Hello Again,

I just picked up this set? for a good price, and was wondering on its viability as a set. The Hindenburg cross with swords is very dark and it looks like it was finished black before it was faded a bit. It came with some documentation as well and I was wondering if it was for next of kin as well, or if someone just added the documentation to it to make it look like a next of kin. It definitely has the wrong ribbon if it is next of kin, but when I put it beside my other Hindenburgs it looks black. Any help or ideas on this set is very welcome, as it seems to me to be a bit of a mystery. Here is the cross..

Thanks,

Pat

Thanks for the detailed info Michael, the enlistment papers are a great addition to the story of this man. Means so much more to know a little about the winner of the medal. I also edited the posts so I fixed my mistake about the ID of the badge, but I dont know how to change the title of the thread.

Later,

Pat