Farkas

Hi Gordon

It seems there was one design awarded to men and a different design for women.....

cheers

tony

Hi Gents

I was going to post elsewhere but I think it belongs here.

it is in the spirit of the “what were they thinking...” theme yet not a trench.

August 1915.....

Of them, taking just one man in particular who catches my eye...

He does not want to be there now.

Shoulders down and Slumped’ - not happy I reckon!

As he is positioned at the end, at the front, likely.he was either on of the first there, and has been waiting so long, he’s had enough 

or

he was one of the last there because he didn’t want be there.....

maybe no one to post a picture  to,  better things to do or a bad day.

then I ask why etc etc

Hope you like gents

excuse my ramble!

tony

Hi Gents

tony

———/———-///—

Nice one GreyC

I wouldn’t have known....

always appreciated,

On 19/10/2018 at 17:15, GreyC said:

Nice!

As the Matrosen wear cap tallies with Werft Division on them, the photo should have been taken either in Kiel (1st) or in Wilhelmshaven (2nd).

GreyC

tony

Hi Gents

tony

———/—/———

Thanks Bayern

always appreciated....

On 20/10/2018 at 02:46, Bayern said:

nHello tony , Hello tony , the current peak of Austro hungarian caps was black ,made usually of leather. with the war shortages of raw materials the peaks were made of cloth in the same colour of the cap .sometimes ,of black coloured waxed cloth.

Hi Gents

fingers crossed for these two...

Only one lug left out of four 

I picked these two collar.(thanx Terry) tabs up together... 

Apparently they were found at a closed scrap metal yard ——

Such a difference to this one :

.

So I hope these be genuine and escaped the melting pot!

hope you like Gents

tony

On 16/11/2017 at 20:52, Jerry B said:

Sorry to have been the bearer of bad news.

By the way, I am also a Cardiff lad, well not a lad any more and no longer living in the Diff.

My Cardiff Pals medal.

Another photo of a Cardiff pals man, note he wears the Welsh cap badge

Hi 1812 Overture 

Great photos of it in wear....

Your example is a lovely thing!

And the box is a beauty even without the clasp.  Surely a scarce example??

tony

Hi Gents

a fun one 

tony

Hi Bayern,

Sadly impossible to make out the date stamp and unusually its not handwritten either.

18 hours ago, Bayern said:

Hello tony, Interesting . Is  any date on the reverse ?  They look as Home depot recruits later in the war . field grey caps , pre war waffenrock with the colour of the collar concealed , field grey breeches and putees and ersatz belts . The second photo shows what appears to been recruits also but tthese with hungarian pike grey trousers .

and with blue blusen and not waffenrock

However, with an eyepiece, I can make out ‘ Fji ‘ on the cockade...

and also just noticed an edelweiss, only one, on the cap of the man in the centre of the back row.

——-/://——

hi Gents

Annotated.

Names him as Herbert Von Bitter

and I think it’s 

301D  or 30ID

‘X marks the spot’

man in the left - ‘Lans Kotsoki’ (I think...)

and

tony

—-//——

Hi again Bayern, 

Just a thought- is there anything relevant about the finish of the peak of their caps? Does it help date it?

the last pic above on this post has a black peak as do all 3 in the pic on previous post #63 

the first picture on #63 (below) with 4 in it, just 1 ‘dark’  and rest pale....

cheers tony

Hi Gents

a couple with older tunics....

And

tony

edit : waffenrock..,

Hi Gents,

i was thinking maybe this was worth a couple of grand or so and buybackable....

Then i thought 42k was a typo?

whats it worth please Gents?

tony

2 hours ago, Brian Wolfe said:

Never go to a pawn shop unless you want to give it away. Better a dealer than a pawn shop...I cannot believe I said that!  If you must sell these two items (keep them together for the sake of Pete!) see if you can find a reputable auction house.  Another thing about the way the world works as far as pawning items.  Once pawned because you absolutely need the cash it is not likely you will come up with the money to purchase it back in the allotted time before the item becomes property of the pawn shop; that's just not being rational.  Look to other ways to raise the cash you need  and keep the dagger. Cars come and cars go, that dagger, once gone will be gone forever.

Regards, and good luck.

Brian

 

 

Agree!

Hi gents

1910

1911

tony

Hi Gents

looks like 3 of the same cemetery 

tony

Hi Gents,

nice one Mike,

30 minutes ago, QSAMIKE said:

It is a fairly common picture of a Fantasy Battle.....   It has also been made into a glass slide.....

Mike

 

tony 

Hello Alan

it may be of no help however I believe it is possible to request information about service of family members following a certain period after death. 

If you are still in contact with his family perhaps you offer to help them do so.

The service number issue might not be such an issue in that case

best wishes

tony

Hi Gents,

Congratulations Stefan - what a great find, a really cool ‘thing’!

I do like the back

its not just the writing I like 

It looks to me like it is in its second or maybe third frame already and the current frame is quality and aged....

This has, I would say, been special to more than one generation.

——//——-

I do like the front too!

Your first post said ‘picture’, can you tell if it is painted? Or a print?

As Its old and yet in colour

and someone has framed it

and it’s been preserved...,

Do you think it is a unique bit of work?

Nice one 

tony

Hi Gents

First is posted home and dated 9th sept 1917

i’ve the colour up a little on the image....

I think this card was is titled soldiers in cover or similar,  and the image seems somewhat older than when the card was written....

A  1917 Rppc annotated by ‘Oscar’ I think. 3 Iron Cross holders to the left, one of whom, I believe has musician shoulder insignia.

And a picture in the snow, sadly nothing on the back.

tony

Hi Gents

More than a few with silver bravery, bronze bravery and Karl cross combinations...

On the back row, right side, to me it looks like he has a large silver too....

and

this Hungarian liked badges!

I think 3 or 4 of them on his cap

something on his right pocket flap 

And one on his left breast pocket - even with eye piece not sure if it’s an 8 or 9 on it. 

tony

Hi Gents

tony

Hi Gents

First one:

Feldwebel Karl Klein

3komp RIR 81

Died in hospital 11/8/1916

and

tony

Hi Gents

This one from 1904

1905

and 1906

tony

Hi Gents

///

tony

Hi Gents

tony

Thanks Brian,

Encouraging words - much appreciated....

(I never thought I’d be googling ‘antique furniture studs’.... )

And I’ve started cleaning the paint off.....

Again, thanks for your reply....

tony

9 hours ago, Brian Wolfe said:

People get the strangest ideas about how to "improve" an antique arm and probably the only thing worse than spraying the scabbard with silver or aluminium paint would have been to have used gold paint.  Either way this can be removed and the original look restored with a little work.  I think the club has upholstery nails which is not to say this is not original. At the time soldiers used what was at hand to make such items.  I would not hesitate to purchase such an item that looks like this, if I were looking to add one to the collection, as it has the "look" of authenticity.  I could more than likely turn out such an item in my shop but to get the look of the ages would be just about impossible. And why one anyone want to fake such an item in the first place.  My opinion is that this is an original.  Also remember that any specimen one might find on "Images" on the internet may not match this one as they were, at times, ad hoc, that is to say made individually or in small runs as needed.

Nice find.

Regards

Brian

 

Hi Fritz 

i also think that’s a special thing to have.

The certificate, as Martin2 says, is special in its own right, having the two together gives your knife provenance and added value......

You say you’re in a pickle..... hang in there, pickles do pass!

For now though, perhaps you don’t need as much dollar as the knife would sell for?

So perhaps you could pawn your knife? Choose a reputable shop...!

Perhaps, pawn the knife but just show them the certificate and keep it for now. That is if their loan offer on the knife would sort you out.

Hopefully, maybe, you’ll be in a position to buy it back but if not, and it does become theirs, then I’m sure they would want that certificate before they sold it on.

If it has to be sold, perhaps it would buy you time to find the right home for it at the price it deserves. you could continue trying to sell it even when pawned.....

Good luck Fritz

Best wishes

tony

Hi Gents

First.... a big thank you Tony 

15 hours ago, Tony said:

Has someone sprayed the sheath silver? The knife itself is very similar to the WWII boot knife that my wife's grandfather had but the blade is unmarked. Have a look here, the third post shows your sheath http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/imperial-germany-austro-hungary/wwi-german-occasional-austrian-trench-knife-370751/ 

I suppose the next question is if you can tell the club is original or not. 

Excellent link.  Most informative.

—-///—-

So....

It has helped me in a number of ways.

Most important being I am now happy that it is Ww1 Austrian and has the correct sheath.

My style sheath matches one of the examples as Tony said.

Regarding the knife stamp... The ‘S’ is in fact a known, but unidentified, stamp. Although it is most probably a makers own marking,  some suggest it may just simply be a stamp for ‘Steel’.  I would have thought a makers mark.

I hadn’t noticed any other stamp but the forum said there would be an acceptance stamp on the knife for either Austria or Hungary. After a quick check I see mine has the eagle mark meaning it was Austrian issue. 

My one is stamped on top not underneath....

Its a big relief that at least one of these is the real deal....

——-////—/—-  

the sheath has indeed been painted silver

Finish seems like spray paint to me....

Apparently spray paint not invented until 1948!!

However it has seen some use or at least handling since it was done

I doubt I’ll clean it up though as it probably has a story I will never know...

——//::/—

Lastly for now....

Tony : “”I suppose the next question is if you can tell the club is original or not.””

Good question!

the jury is out......

I will need to have a proper look at the club , fingers crossed please

i will report in soon......

tony