mchapman

Gents, is this a wartime private purchase troddel? At present I dont have any book reference to work from, just what I can find searching forums, although I haven't found anything that would match the one I am showing here. In the photos it appeared to be more grey... in hand its more grey/green. Im a bit stumped, your feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!!

A bit difficult for me to tell, but Wehrwolf had a few variants of totenkopf on their buckles.

I agree with Bolewts58's assessment of dealers and increase in the amount of fakes coming to market. Some pieces will spark controversy among some FK collectors, but at the end of the day you must lean on what is already known. When one of the better known FK collectors gives your item a thumbs down it tends to close the book on the matter.... its a relatively small collecting group with more people joining the ranks regularly.

While I appreciate your humility Brian, this doesnt harm your credibility in the slightest. It takes guts to roll the dice on a hunch, then share with the collecting community for better or worse, so we can hold a conversation and benefit.

Was there a sleeve insignia on his sleeve? I cant think of a specific Freikorps that wore collar piping as you've described it... if you can get a copy of the photo that would be helpful.

I dont like the bar, based on photos. -Eiserne Division medal is cast (pointed out already) -the commemorative WW1 medal to the left of it looks like a modern copy as well What is the second medal even supposed to be?

So far, the references I've seen to it are WW2 sources, it did cross my mind that maybe the label was Reichswehr. Just making an assumption the label was WW1 era. Nice catch Chip! Once in hand I'll post pics. Chris - was your einheitsmutze missing the the cockades? Seems to be a common attribute with these things. Thanks for all the input everyone, I appreciate it greatly!

Greetings Gentleman, I picked up something (will post once its in hand) and the clothing label has me a bit stumped...I see evidence of a P.B.9 as well, but cant be certain until I can inspect up close. Disclaimer, I ve got a lot of learning to do regarding ranks and structure of Germany's wartime army, forgive my ignorance in advance! Br. Kol. 2. (Pr.) Pion. Batt. If Im not mistaken, this is: Brucken Kolonie 2, Prussian, Pionier Battalion... bridge engineer? Also, what is an Oberpionier? I came across a WW2 abbreviations document which says this is a sapper, but I haven't seen anything from WW1 with this rank. Any clarity on this is greatly appreciated.

Very nice addition Don. My g-grandpa brought his own brass knuckles when he deployed to Europe, 2nd Infantry Division. They are on display at my aunts house along with a couple of my uncles ww2 Japanese trinkets.

Figured I'd resurrect this thread with a question about a unit marked "dmag crank bayonet" Im looking to buy. It looks fine to me, but I would like to get your opinions before putting money down, since its not "cheap". Thanks in advance for any feedback.

FK Rossbach sleeve abzeichen doesnt have a crown above it

Many folks agree the skull in photo 6 is an original from the so called Berlin Hoard. I have a couple since they are cheap enough to get, but I'm not sure of authenticity since no documentation on the find itself has surfaced. My Bug Stern to compare with:

Hi Chip, I believe you are right. The epaulet device on the man sitting down appear to be a winged propeller?

This a good thread to resurrect. A picture with "X" abzeichen denotes Befehlsstelle, or Command Post in English?

I can see a Grenzshutz arm patch in the group photo, it all looks good to me.

Ive paid to keep a group together, and Iam lucky the collector who bought the other pieces was of like mind and in a selling mood, (he is a member here actually). The group is still scattered, however the really relevant pieces are with me. Its a paper and photo group and a bit of a different beast compared to uniforms. Some sound advice given already, so I'll refrain from repeating whats been said. Just sharing a fairly recent story

Provisional Reichswehr had Polish cuffs, which seems to have been phased out and replaced by the normal upturned cuffs within the first few years of the 1920's. The tunic has issues, material seems ok but - collar is wrong for the tunic type, button count down the front is less than *usually* encountered on Weimar military/paramilitary tunics, cuff buttons are bizarre, interior lining is not typical even for a private purchase tunic, no scalloped pockets, no breast pockets, no rear buttons at the waist. Its pretty confused.. Are we sure the collar tabs and shoulder boards arent 1930's 3rd Reich?

I have one that was handwritten to a member of the Iron Division. I'm in the process of digitizing a bunch of my collection, I'll post it up for posterity when I get to it.

I'd like to sell these two medals but on closer inspection I am just not sure either of them are authentic. The ribbon of one medal has a non-combatants ribbon which I'm pretty sure is bogus to begin with, although the combatant medal... Im not 100% sure. It would be nice to get more feedback from more knowledgeable folks, since this is not my typical area of collecting. Thanks! Medal 1 (combatant ribbon), I am unsure of: http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-60380800-1422727784.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-86315900-1422727791.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-86315900-1422727791.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-17698800-1422727800.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-95805300-1422727806.jpg Medal 2 (non combatant ribbon), looks like a repro: http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-88810900-1422731011.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-02281700-1422731021.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_01_2015/post-16199-0-85413600-1422731023.jpg

Thanks Hoss.. I'll get some photos and measurements of my drill trousers. They are pretty small and most reenactors are VERY huge (haha)... so, perhaps we can use that as one way to tell authenticity? (I kid, I kid...).

Were these white drill trousers ever reproduced? Compared to other uniform components, these things seem to pop up quite often? I have two of them and sort of curious about authenticity. One has a depot stamp and size, the other just has a size stamp. I dont have photos on hand at the moment, but I can try to grab some this evening.

Yeah, I'd like to hold out for something thats intact but shows a bit of wear, like the one Don posted. I figured the demag stamp had something to do with its value. For kicks I checked US ebay and noticed a couple unmarked knives that look good, sure enough pricing in the States is lower. Thats good for us collectors in the N. America.

Thanks for the information Chip. It would be nice to get something like Don posted.. on ebay there is something similar with its leather hold down strap missing, and from what I can tell the leather loop that goes around the belt is splitting, or has already done so. At the moment its sitting at roughly $115.00.

Im on the hunt for a WW1 knife like Don posted, but uncertain of value. If someone could please shed some light on what I can expect to pay for something marked and complete? Id appreciate it greatly!

I agree with bolewts58's observations of the SA II class. With the funny eye it looks a bit worried. Nice little collection by the way!