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Hello guys, Here is a nice Hobacher Infantry Assault Badge that I bought at a gun show this past weekend. The finish is still real nice on this zincer. Hope you like it! Best regards, Tom

Here is another example. This bar is not mine, but it sold a few years ago. Carsten Baldes also has a bar with this same combination on his site. Best regards, Tom

Hi Rick, I am pretty certain that the bar is completely original. I have attached pictures of both the front and reverse below. I assumed a member of the Wehrmacht on active duty, that served on border security duty for four years (pre-war) then fought during WW2. I remember Helmut Weize having a nice Customs combatant grouping a number of years ago. It came with his pre-war medal bar (Wehrmacht 12-Year, Wehrmacht 4-Year, Customs Service Decoration, and Czech Annexation Medal), his WW2 combat awards (EK2, Infantry Assault Badge, Wound Badge), and all of his award documents. It was a really neat grouping, but I can't recall the unit he served with during the war. I do remember that no one bought it as a whole, so Weitze split it up. Best regards, Tom

My one and only Waldeck medal bar. Best regards, Tom

Hi Rick, That makes complete sense to me. I was thinking there was some artistic license going on here, but it seems, after all, there was a method to the madness. I could not understand why a King Ludwig Cross betwween a Saxon Order and a Saxe-Altenburg Order. But Bavaria was a Kingdom and Saxe-Altenburg was only a Duchy. Thank you & best regards, Tom

Oh my gosh! Yahoooooo! Dear Rick, Thank you so much for bringing the name back to this medal bar. As unusual as the combination of awards is, I never thought that this bar would be identifiable because of the civil service career. I can't even imagine how much effort it took on your part to make this ID. THANK YOU is such a small thing to say, but I do mean it with the utmost sincerity and gratitude. And thank you, too, to anyone else that may have played a part in helping to solve this puzzle. What do you make of the placement of Imperial Orders & Decorations on this bar? After the Iron Cross, do you think the rest were placed by date of award? Or do you think they were placed simply to make the bar look more aesthetically pleasing? Thank you & best regards, Tom

Very nice badges, John. Thanks for posting them. Best regards, Tom

Very nice example, Jody. I like the stickpin miniature too. Best regards, Tom

Hey guys, Here is an Assmann Paratrooper Badge from my collection. I think it is in great condition for a late-war zinc badge. Finish appears to be completely original to me. Thanks for looking! Best regards, Tom

Hi Dean, It's a really great medal bar and I bet you were the only one in attendance at the show that would appreciate a bar like this. I'm glad it found a good home. Best regards, Tom

Paul Küst logo:

More pictures: The Hindenburg Cross is neat, too, as it was made by Paul Küst of Berlin. It's actually the first one of these I've seen. Best regards, Tom

Hi Dean, Very nice four-placer. Here is one that I have but, again, it is too common of a grouping to make an ID. I was really happy to get this bar, though, especially since it came with the deluxe fitted case by Godet. Best regards, Tom

Hi Dean, It's a really great piece and I love the construction. It is definitely Hessen. The badge on the right (for 25 years of voluntary Feuerwehr service) I have seen before, but I have never seen that 15 year service badge for Kreis Giessen. Very nice and thanks for posting this little gem! Best regards, Tom

Hello to all, I was wondering if anyone else has a maker-marked Fritz Zimmermann Panzer Badge? I've never seen another example, although I did run into another collector at one of the big shows that said he used to have one just like it. The badge must be rare, but there has to be more of these somewhere. Thank you & best regards, Tom

Hello to all, Here are three zinc ball-hinge Flak Badges from my collection. Many collectors say that the zinc ball-hinge Flaks are hard to come by, but I have found many of them over the years. From my own experience I feel that they are more common than the nickel-silver ball-hinge Flaks. What do you think? Thank you & best regards, Tom

Hello guys, Here is a pair of zinc Assmann Flak Badges that I've owned for a long time. I just had them out yesterday and figured I would take some new pictures. Both are zinc and double-marked with the Assmann logo in relief on the center reverse and on the reverse of the eagle. Hope you like them. I think the Assmann Flak Badges are a real nice design. Best regards, Tom

Thanks, John. Best regards, Tom

Hi John, Thanks for responding and posting your fine example. That one is about as nice as they come. Here is another one that I have in my collection. I've had this one for about twenty years or more. Best regards, Tom

JFS Destroyer Badge:

Hello guys, Here are two Kriegsmarine badges that I picked up this past weekend at the OVMS Show: a tombak High Seas Fleet by Schwerin and a zinc Destroyer by Josef Feix Söhne. The HSF Badge has lots of wear, but I think it still looks pretty nice. The Destroyer Badge is very minty, although the gold finish has faded a bit. Hope you like them. Best regards, Tom

The second badge is a nickel-silver, ball-hinge type. I think it is a really nice design. I have owned a dozen or so ball-hinge Flaks in zinc, but this is the first one for me in nickel-silver so it is a welcome addition to the collection. Best regards, Tom

Hello guys, Here are two nickel-silver Flak Badges that I bought at the OVMS Show this past weekend. The first is a Gustav Brehmer and it is my favorite maker of the early Flak Badges. They are nicer than the Juncker Flak Badges, in my opinion. Best regards, Tom

Hi guys, Here is a Ground Assault Badge that I picked up this past weekend at the OVMS Show. This is what I consider to be the "Cadillac" of Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badges: the Metall und Kunststoff 5. I really like the way these are constructed. I was fortunate to find this badge at the show. At the table right before where I found this one, another dealer had a cast fake of this type of badge. It was actually well-detailed and fairly-convincing when looking at the front, but it was clearly a cast fake when looking at the reverse. Hope you like it! Best regards, Tom

Hello Gregg, You are absolutely correct for being concerned about that KVK1 without Swords: That is an Austrian-made fake and no doubt the work of Johannes Floch. It is a very well-known fake that has plagued our hobby for decades. Best regards, Tom