Leclerc

Good morning gents,

I have come across this IMHO rather unusual Imperial Russian belt buckle. There is some kind of marking (maker?) above a double-headed eagle on the reverse but sadly unreadable, at least for me.

Does anyone know which unit it belongs to? Could it be related to the White Movement?

Many thanks.

Thank you very much for your answers. 168 € indeed, and I bet it will be sold for well over 200 €...

Thank you very much for your valuable help, Igor.

Here would be an other one, allegedly awarded to a French soldier during WWI. May I ask you what you think about it?

This one is also a fake, insn't it?

Dear fellow collectors,

On the picture below you can see a Russian silver hallmark and (I guess) a maker's mark. I followed the link to Russian hallmarks in the upper post and I am not sure whether the hallmarks on the picture below are faked or not. According to the seller, the ring with these hallmarks is from WWI era.

Please tell me your opinion. Thank you.

Dear John, thank you very, very much for your offer! I send you a private message.

I have just received an answer from the seller. According to him, he obtained the badge directly from the pilot himself who also told him the story I posted yesterday. As one had to expect, there is unfortunately no written proof of that.

However, the seller gave me the name and rank of the pilot. I made some research and found that his 'Soldbuch' was sold by a famous German auction house less than a month ago.

I have never seen a Luftwaffe pilot badge in a similar shape for less money. The damage and repair are almost not visible on the obverse. The only thing you see is the crack in the upper part of the swastika, just below the eagle's claw (see 1st and 3rd images in the opening post). If you know someone who is selling such badges for 200 dollars, let me know, I would be interested.

Thank you very much for all your helpful answers. The seller wants something like 400 dollars for it. According to him the badge belonged to a pilot from Jagdgeschwader 300 who was wearing it during his last mission (a ramming attack) in March 1945. The pilot allegedly survived the ramming with serious back injuries. This is a good story but completely worthless without proof. Now that I know (thanks to you) that the badge is original, I am going to ask the seller if there are any proofs for his story. I will post an update here later. Thanks again to all of you.

Great, thank you very much for your fast answer.

Thank you very much, dear Igor, for your valuable answer.

May I ask you what do you think about this medal for bravery?

Dear fellow collectors,

May I ask you what do you think about these crosses?

There are two 3rd class crosses (s/n 38214 and 61229) and an exile type example without s/n. Personally, I think that (at least) the exile type is a fake.

Thank you very much.

Dear fellow collectors,

I am considering buying the Luftwaffe pilot badge type 1935 pictured below. It seems to be made from zinc. The manufacturer is "BSW" (Brüder Schneider Wien). As you can see, it has been repaired.

May I ask you what do you think about it? Could it be an original? If so, how much would it be worth, considering that it has been repaired?

Thank you very much for your help.

Thank you for your reply!

Ok... can you tell me why you think it is a repro?

Do you have a photo of a known original to compare?

Dear friends,

Could you please tell me what do you think about this medal? It is one of those from Colonel Prince Bermondt-Avalov, German-Russian West Army around 1920... do you think it is an original or rather a fake?

The black enamel on the obverse is a bit damaged (the two brown marks are not just lighting effects). The reverse is blank metal, no number or mark.

Thank you!

Thank you very much!

Dear friends,

Could you please have a look at the Bronze Star pictured below? Do you think it is a genuine WWII issue or rather a later model?

If it is a WWII issue, how much would it be worth (approx.)?

Thanks a lot for you help.

Dear friends,

Could anyone please tell me if my information about the following Soviet shoulder boards are correct? In addition, are the no. 2 and 3 (with the textile strap at the back) older types than no. 1 with a plastic strap?

Thanks!

[1] Air Force / Pilot? / Colonel

[2] Artillery? / Cannoneer? / Senior Lieutenant

[3] Navy / Medic? / Captain Lieutenant

On the way to your mailbox!

Happy new year to you, too!

Dear friends,

Happy new year to all of you! May 2013 be a good year for us collectors.

To begin this year well, I need your opinion about this Ice March medal (1st Kuban campaign). I think it is an original. What do you think?

Please, I need help fast! Thanks.

Thank you Igor. Most of this seller's items are obvious fakes but I thought this one might be worth asking...

Let's make an other try (not from the same seller):

Thank you for your interest. Here you are. I think the similarities are quite impressive. Both could be from the same maker.

Dear friends,

What do you think about this George cross?

Click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Unfortunately, there is no manufacturer's sign or s/n. But the medal pictured in my post from December 25th is certainly an original. It was sold by a famous auction house that is specialized in such items and they always carefully check their items before they come to an auction. So if their experts think it is an original, I think we can trust them. The only open question is: Is the medal pictured in my first post also an original?

The open ring is a bad point, I agree. However, here is a certified original that was sold some time ago by one of the leading auction houses for orders and medals. Its connecting ring is open. These medals use to look very crude.