Robin Lumsden

And the dedication. This was craftsman done.

A better picture of the engraved skull.

The one shown in Post #14 in the thread below is an official issue one. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=3287&hl=

Sal. Just search under 'totenkopf' - there are a few threads already.

It means 'To Each His Own' - the motto of the Order of the Black Eagle.

Here's another one, but much more cheaply made in thinly plated brass. A commemorative for enlisted men??

Stogieman. I hope this shows the detailing a bit better. As I say, it looks and feels like solid silver to me. Perhaps this was a commemorative for officers?? Even although the rosette is black, they have taken the trouble to insert a black velvet patch behind the skull's eyes. A nice little touch, I thought.

Joe. Here's the badge in its uncleaned state. You can see the back in this shot. The whole badge is about 2 inches across.

Sorry - the crudity is due to my poor photography. The detail is actually extremely good - with magnification you can even see the stippling behing the lettering on the bandeau and the 'feathering' on the eagle. It looks to be made of solid silver, but the back has a sewn on cloth covering to which the pin is attached, so I can't see if the metalwork is hallmarked. I have seen one of these before in silver-plated brass, but this one is of much finer quality.

It's the shape of the skull. The Brunswick skulls were IR17 and the Prussian type Kav.Rgt.5 during the Third Reich.

Sal. That one is from Infantry Regiment 17.

A nice little thing, courtesy of eBay.de.

Wow! http://www.militariacollecting.com/index.p...t=0#entry188638

Sal. Not as far as I know. The skull relates to Kav.Rgt.5, which was the 'Traditionsregiment' of the old Leibhusaren. The dish arrived in the mail the other day and is actually in '835' silver. The quality of the engraving is fantastic - just like something out of the 'regimental silverwear'. It's one of the nicest things I've managed to get from eBay so far. Luckily, it was hidden away in an obscure section of their site.

Here are the marks. The cup is engraved with a 1934 date. Similar cups were used before the end of WW1 by HR17, and these IR17 ones may be old stock being used during the Third Reich.

A nicely made little thing. From Inf. Rgt. 17.

Glenn. What can I say. Thanks again. There's something in the post for you. And please pass on my very sincere thanks to Andy Baus.

A-C. The badge would sell for around ?200 in the UK, so I suppose that's around $350. Yours is a nice example.

Glenn. It's in the post.

Glenn. Your PM box is either full or disabled. I want to send you a signed copy of my latest book as a 'thank you' for the work you did on this. Can you email me with a postal address?

I think it's always very difficult to tell anything concrete from photos - especially old wartime ones which have been magnified and/or doctored by the press people at the time. I've often taken photos of the same badge from slightly different angles, or with slightly different lighting, and the shape, detailing etc. can be changed so much as to almost make it look like 2 different badges. I took one photo of a badge which (inadvertently) made it look like rusted steel when it was actually silvered brass! Photos can be tricky.

And talking of anatomy lessons......

Thanks Rick. That additional info is appreciated.

And the icing on the cake......having done a Google search on this guy, he won his RK at Stalingrad!

Glenn. That's fantastic news! It was really a shot in the dark on eBay! I OWE YOU ONE !!!!