Farkas

Hello Gents, I don’t know anything about the finer details of the things i admire, I’m in awe of those that are, like yourselves... so to hear disagreements is strangely comforting 😊 but i do know words seldom convey quite what was meant, and how it was meant, when they are written not spoken, read not heard... tony 🍻💕 🤷‍♂️ Because... Everyone loves a good belt ‘thing’!

I was thinking French at first but i agree it must be the Spanish Legion. 👍 In Gordons information it says the badge is to be worn on the right side but the man pictured has it on his left... I can’t find anything like those unusual looking inverted chevrons, they were the reason i thought French, now i’m assuming wound stripes not rank or service stripes... However to me, recognition of wounds and service seems to be covered in the regulations by the addition of the bars under the badge. The badge worn is rough looking, maybe an unofficial version and lastly the Swastika badge wasn’t regulation. So I wonder if this is a foreign volunteer serving outside of the official Spanish legion? and/or the picture taken in a period before the above regulations? An interesting picture no doubt. tony 🍻🍻

🍻🍻

Hi Gents, The V&S is… Vaughton & Sons Birmingham. I agree, certainly Merchant Navy related. I didn’t know before but it’s a ‘Shipping Line’ badge. There are a few examples of cap badges about, I haven’t seen a pin badge though so a nice thing to have. The W I have a feeling stands for ‘Wilson’ but there are a few other lines starting W so a little research on which were in the British MN required.. cheers tony 🍻

Hi Gents, Cheers tony 🍻

II thought that, because it should have a number? t

Well Gents, these are finally in the post. I worked out a deal for the family tree (and a signed Pulp Fiction poster 🤷‍♂️) to help keep him sweet 🤞. I’ve gotta be honest though after waiting a week for them to be posted I’m a little worried that if anything was originally overlooked/unchecked, there has been plenty of time to replace it. I hope I’m being unfair, but these things happen… so the wait has been killing me. All will be answered in a day or two. cheers tony 🍻

It’s a lovely thing Carlo. I wonder if the KTK is a replacement item or a later addition. cheers tony 🍻

I like it Greg… I’ve no experience with them to spot fakes, I’m useless at that anyway, but having said that, I do like it. Design looks good, the wear on it and it’s overall appearance seems in keeping with others I’ve seen. This is an informative thread 👍 cheers tony 🍻

Hello Gents, I’ve been struggling for some time with another of the makers mark found on Karl Truppen Kreuz. One of mine has the MKT stamp. MKT is a known KTKreuz maker mark but is unidentified as far as I know. Also unidentified is another known maker KMT though I don’t have that one myself. I thought it possible that they both belong to the same manufacturer or at least two sources with a link. So far that is still my leaning. But… I can’t get past the language barrier so I’m hoping you kind Gents can help me please. Probably to rule out the first, probably to rule out the second of these too, but what you make of the 3rd? I think this is a ‘phrase’ and not the answer but I couldn’t ignore it. Metall Kunststoff Technik Kunststoff Metall Technik This firm does not seem to have history in the relevant period… Metall Koks Trade Koks Metall Trade This is the one I have hope might be a possibility. I am sure I saw at some point a reference to a business with this name and the date 1906. I can’t find it again. Metall Konrad Technk Konrad Metall Technik Can anyone help me with the information about this firm and its history, or possibly of an original earlier separate (family?) business with the same name? I can’t read German 🥺 and Google knows it, I’m getting almost no results. Any thoughts or comments appreciated as always Cheers tony 🍻

Whatever it is it’s a beautiful looking thing to have… tony 🍻

i’ve just spotted this 👇 it’s described as likely coming off a train, an old steam engine I presume from the date… Nowhere near as sharp looking as yours but the similarities make it worth a mention. cheers tony 🍻

It’s such a shame that when we find something & are happy to pay the price, we still can’t be confident in our purchase. Now that even the experienced collectors have different opinions, what hope is there. As Graf says, the fakers keep improving. It seems the tells that people used to rely on are close to gone. Some when copied were an incorrect weight but now that’s no longer reliable. Some had a particular detail or design that was once beyond copying well but now easily done. There is currently a UK firm hand making old British uniforms, supposedly for tv/theatre but there are a good dozen of their copies for sale as original on eBay. For now at least, luckily, there is still one sometimes two ways i spot them, which I won’t mention here. & Personally, I sadly no longer buy postcards, I found a couple of fakes in my collection and that ended it for me, there and then. Printers now are just too good. 👆 In most scenarios the best action is to walk away and find another example that hopefully receives universal approval but… as in this case where there is little availability it is easier said than done. cheers tony 🍻

Hello Gents, this is a bit of an unusual buy for me. I’ve picked up this job lot from a house clearance. I assume the seller would have at least googled what he had, based on that I’m not expecting the third reich items to be original but hopeful they may have a little age to them. This is how it looks… There were a couple of reasons I was interested. - The party medals and badges seem like they could complement each other, worn together rather than just randoms. - The cockade with the iron cross centre is, I believe, a veteran association piece. An unlikely choice for re-enactments. - I really want to know what is underneath the Brit ww2 defence medal ribbon! Also for sale was this 1936 ‘family tree’ for this man 👇 From the parents names I think it is ‘Josef Paula’. Could there be a connection? and a couple of other post war German items. As I said , all items from a house clearance dealer not a militaria dealer. So Gents, I’m hoping 🤞 the awards turn out to be interesting copies with a bit of age that were maybe worn by a veteran post war at association meetings. The runes, deaths head and eagle sleeve(?) patch are also, I have to presume, copies. Where they would fit into my imagined narrative, I don’t know… 😊 As soon as I receive them I will post pictures of the various bits and bobs As always, all thoughts or opinions welcome Gents… & as the whole lot cost me just £40 there’s no need to spare my feelings! Cheers tony 🍻

thank you both for your help 👍 I just checked what price it went for… someone got it for £10. Wsh I’d had a little punt at that price. Cheers tony 🍻

Thanks Eric 👍👍

The ones i’ve seen described as dating to ww2 had that same Regent Street B’ham makers mark. Fattorini relocated to the Regent Street factory in 1927, I think that is leading to the assumption of ww2 for those particular badges. As you say though there are clear references to much earlier items both generally and by Fattorini in particular. This different organisation dates from WW1... This link unfortunately leads nowhere but it states 1850 so lots of history still to uncover... tony 🍻

Hello Enzo, as a man who still can’t tell an original ribbon from a modern one i find myself continuously in awe of your knowledge... tony 🍻

This may be him Chris... Heinrich Rosenberg, Luftwaffe JG27 https://www.directart.co.uk/mall/aces.php?PilotID=1670 tony 🍻

I’ve got a dozen Guards tunics, i’m only missing a Coldstream one...but i do have 2 Battledress to compensate, this is one of them... It belonged to Brigadier Robert Charles Windsor-Clive, served with 2CG in ww2 and later C.O. of 3CG circa 1960, he is probably a bit before your time but may be familiar. By the way, i’ve just seen that https://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk is yours... it’s a great piece of work, thanks for making it 👍👍 Best wishes, tony 🍻 PS. You may have noticed i don’t need much of an excuse to post pics of my stuff... 😊

Hi Gents, I found this described as ‘unknown medal’, i’m pretty sure at the time i found another example but right now I don’t know what it is... any ideas Gents? I believe it commemorates the unveiling of a statue to Feldmarschall Radetzky v. Radetz, in 1892, in Vienna, on the reverse. He lived from 1766 to 1858 which is remembered on the front along with his image. I have found other commemorative medallions for him in bronze with different designs. But I cannot find this design or the ribbon. The medal has an ‘A’ stamped on the collar, it’s hard to see and even harder to get in a photo but it doesn’t seem to be set in a circle which i’m used to seeing for Vienna assay office and it doesn’t feel like silver, i think it’s more like lead. I bought it together with a Karl Kreuz for just 26 quid so it only cost me a fiver or so. If it wasn’t for the ribbon I wouldn’t have looked too close but it seems somebody wore this, the medal is sown to the fitting. Does anybody have any knowledge of this? Any comments welcome 👍 cheers tony 🍻

Hi Bill, just a little more... This is the Officer pattern in 1900 tony 🍻

Ain’t there always 😊

Yes interesting isn’t it, they wrote a good article. I knew people did it but I didn’t know it was ever an organised effort. I was totally unaware of the scheme. Some other interesting badges including one of these (warning Gordon : still for sale 😃) if you really want to tease yourself 👇 https://www.sallybosleysbadgeshop.com/shop.php?c=506 tony 🍻

Lovely to see.. 🍻