
Tim Tezer
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Everything posted by Tim Tezer
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I've seen this type before. The little projection on the top of the frame is the way they were made, but it looks as though the ring has been re-soldered. Too bad about the rust damage. One of these sold at auction in January this year for $325 plus premium, but it was in excellent condition. It's a lot harder to guess what people would be willing to pay for one in this condition, but I would think $175-$200 US. Depends on the buyer - some people don't mind condition issues, and some people only accept top condition. Tim
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Belgium Leopold II order monogram
Tim Tezer replied to Roeland's topic in Northern European & Baltic States
An excellent point! -
Belgium Leopold II order monogram
Tim Tezer replied to Roeland's topic in Northern European & Baltic States
I have not only been careful about the copies, I have been so careful that I have never ventured to actually purchase a type 1. I would assume that fakers would change the obverse center medallion on a much more common type 2, but other than detecting that this change has been made, is there any other way to identify a fake? Tim -
You didn't specify which period you are interested, but if you are interested in the fascist RSI period, there are two volumes by Fausto Sparacine, "Catalogo dei distintivi e medaglie della Repubblica Sociale Italiana 1943-45", both in softcover, nicely illustrated, and available for about 30 euros each in Italy. Naturally, the text is in Italian. Tim
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This example is made by AWS, which I believe is Alfred Werner & Sohne. Their mark, when it appears, is the letters AWS in a wappen (coat of arms) cartouche. They are best known for making the "pillowback" 1914 EK1s. I would think this is a fairly early example because of the complex 9-rivet construction. A marked AWS that I've seen had simpler construction, but the obverse details were identical. Tim
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Well, it had to happen sooner or later (if it hasn't happened already). I would agree that this piece is highly suspect, and I would stay away. Those Imperial Russian badges from the same seller look as they they might have come out of the same workshop. Tim
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Exactly - for a water rescue the Al Valore di Marina would have been awarded regardless of his service. I believe that there are published rolls for all Italian Navy recipients, but I don't know if they include foreigners. The medal, the engraving and the case all indicate that this is his awarded original. Tim
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EK 1870 2. class 1870, oak leaf &1914 bar
Tim Tezer replied to ksg's topic in Germany: All Eras: The Iron Cross
If you ask five different collectors that question, you'll get five different answers. Since there are so many of them around, it's reasonable to assume that some of them are fakes. But there is no concensus on which ones are correct and which ones are fake. This is one case where the fakers have actually succeeded in clouding the matter so completely that an absolute certainty may be impossible to arrive at. My personal take on it is that there is one type I see more commonly than any other type, and I would avoid it. Tim -
Marshall is right. The supposed "Von Schleich" PLM above is apparently a post-1957 S&L example, and definitely not an awarded piece. The second one posted by jonightflyer is not a Wagner/Friedlander, or a Godet. So I would call it a copy, but it seems very nicely made and may be pre-1945. I don't recognize it as any of the known mass-produced knock-offs. As for Der Rittmeister's "most prized piece" I can only say that I hope he didn't mortgage the house for it. Tim
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Here is a shot of the silver-gilt PLM with connected letters that Les refers to: The detail on this example is pretty stunning. Somewhere I think I have a photo of a similar piece sold by Detlev Niemann, but I have allowed my photo collection to slip into a poor state of organization, and I can't figure out which disk it's on. I'll see if I can locate it. Tim
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Too bad it's not that simple. The gold badge awarded to Oblt. Berthold in WW1, which is pictured in both David Edkins' "The Prussian Orden Pour le Merite" (on the cover), and Neal O'Connor's Vol. II of "Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany" (on the inside front cover) has the U and R connected. It is, as far as we know, Berthold's awarded badge, and evidently the one he was wearing at the time of his death. The S&L copies made in the 1950s and 60s also had this feature, but the eagles were extremely crude and can be easily distinguished from the originals. Tim
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I'm going to take a wild stab at it, and put my money on the Napoleonic era. 1) Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, medal for volunteers of the 5th German Army Corps. (the off-white stripes should be yellow, but maybe they faded?) 2) Saxon Duchies war commemorative for 1814/15 3) Russia, Order (or cross) of St. George 4) Hanover, Guelphic medal for war merit 1815 5) Prussia, golden military merit medal 1797-1815 (or silver if it dates before 1806) 6) I'm kind of at a loss for this one - maybe a Schaumburg Lippe Civil Merit Medal, after 1830. Otherwise another non-German award I haven't figured out, but not a Russian St. Anne, as that would have been placed next to the St. George ribbon. Tim
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As you've probably guessed, one of the reasons I'm asking about the bar is because I thought I might have an ID on it, but I have a lot of doubts. The person I have in mind is qualified for all of the Prussian, Bavarian & 3rd Reich awards on this bar, but I don't think the Austrian/Hungarian awards apply, as to my knowledge he was never on the Austrian front. He served in France on the Western front the entire war. Could he have received the Austrian awards without serving on that front? Tim
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Ed, Strictly speaking, it is entirely possible that a real, awarded PLM could turn up on Ebay. I have yet to see one that could be verified, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Much as I dislike Ebay, and particularly the buffoons who manage it, I use it as a selling venue all the time, and it helps to support my collecting. A lot of other collectors and dealers do the same, and they're not selling sewage. If I had an awarded wartime PLM, I probably wouldn't sell it anyway, but certainly not on Ebay. I did offer a post-1918 example last year on Ebay - accurately described as such - and it failed to sell because it was tainted by all the other sewage on Ebay. What I failed to realize is that I had to compete with people who take one of the Spanish copies like the one referenced in this thread and put fake marks on it, then offer it as "absolutely original." The only PLM I have ever seen on Ebay that MIGHT have been good was back in 2003. It had a tiny blurry picture, but looked right in the photo. I called the seller and spoke to him at length, and he identified the marks "W 938" on it, even though they were not described in his auction listing. I asked him if he could get me detailed close-up photos, and he said he would try, but he was an elderly gent and had to get help from somebody else. That was the last I heard from him. The item was pulled off of Ebay the next day with the explanation "This item is no longer available." So I'll never know if it was real or not, but somebody out there apparently thought it was. Tim
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Unfortunately for the buyer, these miniatures are fake. The simple fact that they are turning up so frequently on Ebay should be a good indicator of that. The style of Godet buttons that appear on them varies, as the fakers appear to be using original buttons that could have come from any type of buttonhole ribbon or miniature. The fact that it says "Godet" on the button does not make the miniature original to the period. Tim
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It appears to be a real one, but not older than the 1970's. Tim