Daniel Murphy

Bob, I acquired the gun and holster at the Allentown PA show. Unfortunately, they showed up at two different times. I never expected a holster to show up on its lonesome, so I jumped on it thinking I would never find another. It was completely empty though, no tool, no rod. I have a early civvy tool with it and am always on the lookout for an original rod and tool, when I go to a show. I also have a 1916 dated naval double magazine pouch and one spare non matching navy mag. Kind of like that old Johnny Cash song "I got it one piece at a time...", but what he got was free. Dan Murphy

How true. I held in my hands a beautiful JGuS 938 marked 1914 GC one at one of Max shows some years ago. Super high quality and the price while not cheap, was fair. I just didn't have the cash at the time. Story of my life. I figured the case was more rare (though not as valuable) than the actual decoration and hopefully someday, I will see a nice period jeweler copy when I can afford it. The quality is going to have to be there though. There is no way I am going to put a piece of crap in it. Joe, The overall construction of the case, the right materials (genuine silk and real velvet) and the catch made me believe it was of the period. I would like to get a 1914 for it since I already have a nice period hindenburgstern copy. If an 1870 comes along though and I had the cash, I would not pass it up. I know I will never find an issue one, so a high quality period copy will have to do. Huesken has a 1914 for about $5K. Hmmm, wonder what I can sell? Dan Murphy

Jens, Are those the feet or are those fold outs supporting what gets cooked? What exactly is that in the opening with the screw off lid? Any dimensions? Dan Murphy

Kevin, The bar with two honor crosses looks like it may be real. This combination could be possible. A mid to late 30's reservist or landwehrmann serves but does nothing spectacular. Late in the war his 17-18 year old son is called up (they were calling the 1920 class in 1918) and killed in action. It seems to be well made and the medal loops are pulling on the ribbons which means it has been together for some time. For the female bar, never seen one and the way it is made looks odd, but it could be old odd. I will wait for Rick V's opinion on that one as it could go either way. BTW, I never noticed the HK has laurels , but the survivors HK has oaks. Dan Murphy

.....but it is not for an EK2. Nope not an EK1 either. You see this case is for a Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. Measurements are 175mm long, 113mm wide, 27mm tall. Inside the ribbon space will fit up to a 70mm wide ribbon. Width of the cut out for the cross is 60mm. This is in a different format and larger than the case for the issue GC, so this may have been for a period museum copy or a duplicate piece for one of the recipients. Dan Murphy

Kind of big for an EK2...

Photo of hinge.

I purchased this over 20 years ago when I was collecting TR. I believed it was Imperial, but it was too good to pass up. I have been looking for just the right cross to fill it ever since. Dan Murphy

Now that you mention it, the numbers in 1870 and 1813 look very odd, especially that big 3. Dan Murphy

Kaiser Wilhelm I, Koenigen Olga, Frederick the Great. I have NEVER seen more than one cipher on the grip of a weapon and this looks very odd. Why the mystery? Can you post the rest of the item? Dan Murphy

I was afraid you were going to say that. Now I no longer have anything to post. Dan Murphy

#1, The ribbons are too new and show no wear or age. They look too modern like it was put together last week. #2, The punched out hooks for the medals are something I could accept for WW1-20's ......If they were not so sloppily done and uneven. They are up, down and all around. They should be separate hook soldered on the back. #3 That pin is weird. The medals themselves look like they are real. Dan Murphy

Andreas, I know it is not an issue piece. There is NO WAY this is a Wagner, Friedlander or Godet. Do you have an idea on the possible period of manufacture from the way it is made. Could it be post WW1 from the 20's-30's Or is it just a fairly good post WW2 fake? I know that some feel that if a piece is not issue from pre 1919, it is just not real. However things are not always black and white, there are shades of gray. I do not own the piece and I am not defending it, the owner would just like to know as much as possible as to the age of the piece. You have probably seen more orders in the last year than I will see in my lifetime and are in an excellent position to give an opinion of it's age based on the way it is made. If you have seen a bunch of these pop up in the last year or so and were never seen before, that pretty much says it is a fake. If it is actually a modern fake then we need to out it, so that collectors will be aware of it. Thanks, Dan Murphy

Thank you for the grammar correction. " Dan, with regards Verdun..."?? tsk, tsk tsk. The point which you missed is that 9 "areas in which people lived with their homes closely together in a community" were wiped out. The inhabitants don't care what I call it, because all but a few died there. Dan Murphy

Yes, but only after he gives his spiel about how he thinks it might also be real. The only reason he said it might be a copy is so he covers his butt in case, someone wants to return it. "Sorry but I said it might be a copy, no refunds". Typical ebay mumbo jumbo to fool people into buying something. In my mind this is no better than someone who just comes and declares it 100% real, knowing it is 100% crap. Dan Murphy

The only thing that makes me think this might be pre '45 is the frosting and the hand filing on the edges. The frosting is real, not painted on. This would have required a very heavy silver plating and then the use of acid to make the frosted finish. The plating had to be heavy so that the acid did not expose the brass. The badge was finished on the edges by true hand filing. It is a lot of trouble for someone to go to, to make a poor quality fake. All of this does not mean it was not made a couple years ago (how long my friend has had it). If the general concensus is that it is fake then so be it, I will pass on the badge. Dan Murphy

It is me or is that motto in Cyrillic??? Sweet!! . The copying of one countries decorations by another countries jewelers is nothing new. Look at the Iron Crosses made by Rothe in Vienna, or the Turkish War Medals and pilots badges made by German jewelers such as Meybauer or Godet. Some may be one of a kind like the PLM above or cranked out in the hundreds. Another example is the English made copies of the Turkish medal for service in the Crimea in the 1850's. The reasons may be to have a better than issue quality piece or as a replacement for a damaged issue piece. Whatever the reasons were, it was done quite often. Let's say you are in St. Petersburg in 1850 and at some point you were awarded , say, an English order. Some time later it fell off your uniform while you were on horseback and landed on a cobblestone street and was badly damaged. You then to mail a letter to England enclosing the damaged medal and requesting a replacement. If the letter or the medal (on the return trip) does not get lost, it will be weeks or months before you receive it. If the mail ship gets caught in a storm in the English Channel and goes down, you are just out of luck. It is much cheaper and quicker to take your damaged medal/order to a local jeweler and have him fabricate a copy for you. Dan Murphy

Slightly angled shot.

Reverse.

The piece was purchased at a New York auction house and was sold as a post WW1 PLM. It is posted seeking information with the authorization of the owner Frank O. It is silver gilt and unmarked, weighs 22 grams and measures 53mm across when measured diagonally. There was no provenance on the item when it sold. There was no loop and only a fragment ribbon of WW1 period weave.Please post your constructive comments on this piece. Obverse. Dan Murphy

I don't like it, it is just the not the quality I would expect for a decoration like this. Most of the Diamonds winners were generals or field marshalls, men that could afford the best. Since all of these men were in uniform, in positions of responsibility during war time. There was not a lot of time for attending balls and such in mufti. Any such miniatures would most likely be made post war when they were out of uniform. Of course the swastika could not be worn at that time. Sorry. Dan Murphy

But there are signs of hand finishing on the edges.

An angled view. Not exactly the highest quality, I know.

Reverse. I am not crazy about the fact the eagles head is not cut out.

This belongs to a friend of mine and he has offered it to me for a very reasonable price. It could be a fake but I am leaning towards it being made in the 30's-40's. There is NO way it was made pre 1919. It is massive construction of brass that was heavily silver plated and then frosted. Some of this frosting remains. The pin looks OK for that period but the catch looks '57. I am asking for your learned opinions. If you believe it is pre '45, I will buy it and use it as a filler on a uniform. Dan Murphy