Lightfoot

On 29/07/2008 at 18:35, Elmar Lang said:

Hello,

 

a friend of mine has this badge, but I cannot understand when was it distributed. The motto on the Red Banner means "Liberty or Death" and the text below means something related to merits etc. towards the Makedonian Motherland. The other words, "...КЪМЪ ПОРОБЕНАТА..." sound not Russian to me (Bulgarian? Serbian?); the abbreviation "ВМРО" sounds also unknown to me.

 

The fastening is the typical screwback with circular nut.

 

Any idea about date and a possible identification?

Is the badge for sale?

The blue and red cap has a Peter I monogram on the cockade not a Peter II monogram because it's a pre-WWI model.

A Ravna Gora badge, "Sloboda ili Smrt" = "Freedom or Death". On the back it´s written "Fabrika Resava". Does anybody have a knowledge about that manufacturer?

Two thin pamphlets with Ravna Gora songs and some drawings of chetnik symbols

Can somebody tell me the value of these norvegian medals?

Do you have a story behind this custom made dagger? I have a doubt in the originality of being used as a chetnik dagger. Because this dagger couldn´t been captured from the enemy like bayonets for example. This nazi dagger was a parade item that the germans didn´t use in battle. Hope to hear an explanation because I would love to hear it.

I believe that all those are fakes but very well made fakes.

I think that these two Ljotic breast badges are probably both fake.

For now the best about chetnik badges is the "Ознаке Југословенске војске у отаџбини - Бранко Јевтић" then you got the pretty new book by Dusan Babac "Vojne oznake u Srbiji 1845-1945" but Dusans book is more about regular Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Yugoslavia badges. The chetnik badges are more irregular if you compare .

Do somebody knows from which units these badges are ?

The right is SDS "Srpska Drzavna Straza" Serbian State Guard the left is SGS "Srpska Granicna Straza" Serbian border guard. In the middle it´s a chetnik higher officer breastbadge.

Nice cetnik dagger from a commando unit who infiltrated Former communist Yugoslavia in 1949 !!

Nice piece indeed

Looks like there are even fakes of that skull and crossed bones badge from the scabbard...

17349816_IMG_4443.JPG17349816_IMG_4447.JPG17349816_IMG_4449.JPG

Yes this scabbard insignia is a fake one

Here´s my chetnik kindjal bayonet M24 CK, one of the most rarest bayonets.

Yes you are right, there have been made some replicas of serbian order boxes too lately. Also with the manufacturers name inside the box. So beware when buying boxes too.

Yes you are right the main dagger fakes are from Leskovac in Serbia. One more thing about the St. George Ljotic breast badges. Yes there are popping up fakes also and hard recognizing them from the originals. The main thing is that many fakes got the same number on the back. Because they have probably made the mould from an original. Don't have the exact numbers that is fake.

Greetings Guys,

All of the above pieces (except of course the ones that you post from Belgrade Museum) are fantasy pieces, copies.

What I found out that especially the ones that Paja post at the previous page, they are "Made in Leskovac" from a well known guy that can make these copies and he supplied some Ebay sellers, some people been tricked ( I know one from Slovenia) that even when he receive them he couldnt recognize the copies untill he post them in a forum and they told him about.

So, I urge you to beware when it comes to purchases on Ebay, as also I have concerns about the item at post #125 but until the dagger comes in your hands, you never know these days.....and maybe then it's too late.So BEWARE!!!

Last but no least, in a recent fair, I saw some copies of very rare Serbian badges, like the St.George Lijotic Breast badge and the Serbian Kingdom academy badge.

Two pieces of each, it was really two much I guess and had to take them in my hands, very very good copies with nice patina,unfortunatelly , I didn't had my camera to take some pictures, so watch out about these two, soon we might see them around on the net popping up

Paja, I do not have file of copies, my mistake,as I know to recognize them so there was no need, but I will bring a couple of pieces from recent sales on Ebay, in order to refresh the subject.

What I wish to advice you and focus in, is to have good literature, books knowdays do miracles and learn a lot from them, reference books are not so expensive, ONE expensive badge to buy and found out that is a copy, is enough spending,instead to have the reference material to study.

If you ain't sure, bring the photos here, there are some good collectors and guys that "bother" with the subject for years and won't hesitate to share with you some knowledge for your eventual purchase....

My best wishes and Merry Christmas to all

That is one lovely photo and a very good photo of the dagger as you say. I can see that it is a typical crossguard of a navy parade dagger. But the scabbard doesn´t fit to that dagger. So the scabbard and dagger has probably customized to fit. The scabbard looks like a bayonet scabbard.

That is true, they custommade and shortened their sabres and even the army and pilots parade daggers were made into combat daggers. They reused what they had in lack of equipment.

Unusual blade and very interesting engraving.

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That dagger I´m not sure about if it´s ok or not, very difficult.

The red shield on the scabbard is taken from a scout´s badge I think, and then they have attached the skull on it. The eagle on the dagger seems to have been taken from a St. Sava order.