VtwinVince

To quote Ted Nugent, 'I don't know where they come from, but they sure do come'.

I went down the arts and sciences rabbit hole some years ago, and found, to my detriment, that good fakes have been floating around for many years, notably the Lippe Roses.

It's a complete fake, core details and reverse do not correspond to this maker.

Meybauer was not a producer of 1870 EK1's.

I'm glad you didn't buy that thing.

Just slightly out of my price range.

Again, condition would have to be pristine to command that sort of money.

That SAO doesn't look half bad for that money.

Good fakes of most of the obscure arts and sciences awards exist now for many years, so extreme caution would be my recommendation.

That's a weird one, never seen it before either.

Agreed Rick, I was seriously tempted, but the condition of the suspension put me off.

Yup, saw that one, Frankenschnalle for sure. If it wasn't for all the enamel damage, it might have been worth it for parts.

The WFO is a fairly good fake, the case on the other hand is another hilarious concoction. 

Nice BZL, what class is it?

Looks good to me, not that I would pay that much for it.....

Looks like it may have been removed from a larger bar, the stitching on the back looks suspiciously modern to me. And the pin is not typical for an Einzelschnalle.

I agree Walter, looks like there is some serious UV damage to that nice piece of TKM ribbon as well. I made what I felt was a reasonable offer.

I'm sure others have noticed this interesting vet organisation Schleife with Bavarian medals, one of which is the rare mini TKM with crown. I made an offer on this grouping, but got turned down.

Glad you didn't throw any money down the proverbial toilet. Lots of experienced collectors are finding out the hard way. I had a guy want to authenticate a Prussian air gunner badge. It was a good fake. I told him, and he didn't want to hear it.

Anyone else in to vintage bikes?

Right, and that one has the 'funky chicken' eagle on the RAO.

Hmm, I wonder how a Bavarian could have qualified for that award.

That's a Schraegstich Faker special Rick.

Pretty spectacular group. Interesting that the EK1 is a posthumous award. I think the bar was produced much later, perhaps 20 years after his death. I would like to see detailed photos of the Schwerter-Kreuze.

As soon as you swap or replace medals on a bar, it's altered. That massively affects value.