cartoonman

As an artist who who in years past did commercial jobs involving type faces, I can offer this comment: the type faces in the "1.Klasse" and the "1939" are two different size, which could account for the discrepancy you note. The 1939 is a larger point size, and is bold-faced. I can't say for sure whether the "1.Klasse" is standard or bold, but it is clearly smaller point size... I didn't say the envelop is real , but I wouldn't judge it fake based on this printing question... Perhaps you could track down some of those others, for comparison...? cheers, Gene

Photos sent, 9:27... Gene ;)

Well, all those nice EKII examples started me wondering, actually. I tried to contribute to GMIC, a while back, to be able to send larger samples, and my best efforts went KAFLOOIE , so I resigned myself to sending small files... Quick answer: if you email me, I'll send you larger files... which you might then post with your comments.. I would LOVE that! Truly! email: matertoons@gmail.com ---Gene (Cartoonman)

And the back.... as good as I gots!

Uh... and I haven't even started drinking.... Duh, whoops, it's about that file size... :blush:

OOPS! Let's try that again... Front of ring:

Hi Paul No mm at all... in fact the ring looks sloppier than any legit ones that I've seen--- ever seen one with a "solder blob" on it, like on the front of this one? I'll send the back of the ring, as well... Cartoonman

Reverse of said fake 1939 EKII...

It was a pleasure for the eyes, viewing mint/near-mint 1939 EKIIs on the recent thread... Years ago, I picked up this EKII, assuming it was fake, but it was prettier than any of the "used" ones available, and a heckuva lot cheaper... But as I compare it with these genuine pieces, I scratch my head and say, "Not so different..." So, what is it that gives it away on this one? Would the slightly raised Hakenkreuz be the tip-off? The flaking rim coating? Looking forward to something definitive! thanks, guys! ---Cartoonman

Thanks, Harrier, for the quick reply--- with interesting info! Esp. that it may have value as a no-longer-produced fake!!!! Who woulda think it?!?! And maybe there's someone out there looking for a good forgery... Any thoughts on the follow-up EKII? Purchased from the same "Here come the Americans; pull out the fakes!" store I only visited once, in Munich, in 1965...?? ---Cartoonman

...and a close-up of that dangling rim...

Here's the obverse...

A certain Philadelphia-area-Fairly-New-Collector dropped by to pick up a couple of items... He brought a few of his pieces to show me... among them was this 1914EKII, which didn't feel right to me... Notably, the "bulbous" oak leaves on the reverse, along with the "dangling" piece off the bottom rim of the crown(see photo)... There is some sort of indiscernible mm on the ring. I offered to post the question for consideration...Can anyone make this fellow feel better about this EK? Or is this a recognized fake? ---Cartoonman

Here's the backside...

All my other EKs, I and IIs, 1870-1945 are/were just fine... This one, not so... When I purchased it in 1965, I was a teenager with a few bucks in his pocket, who hadn't yet to listen to his intuition (!) I soon figured out that it sure was a fake, and looking at it now, have no doubts, because: 1. the edges never tarnished, 2. there is some flaking of the edge coating, 3. the store keeper said, "They were found in a warehouse, never issued!" Yeah, well, what does a teenager know? Anyone have additional comments about these long-ago forgeries? My guess is there were a lot of them going around, in the mid-Sixties in Germany... Anyone know of any place where there are people who put a value on these pieces? ---Cartoonman

...and here's a close-up of the surface of the rim (and yes, there appears to be a maker's mark under the ring...)

..Here's the reverse...

Greetings, Gentlemen (and those Gentlewomen, who may be here, too! ), In the long-ago (1965), I purchased this post-war RK, in Germany, paying very little for it, and figuring I'd never be able to afford a real one (I was right! ). It was SO clean and new at the time, that it looked "just minted." All these years later, I'm looking at it, confirming my earlier belief of its non-genuine status, based on: 1. Cheap purchase price. 2.non-tarnishing "silver" frame. 3. Strange "glow to the frame. 4. (More recent)flaking of frame surface. Additional reasons to know this is a fake? This must be one of MANY from that generation... anybody know the source of these? All comments/thoughts welcomed... I'll add two more posts, with reverse and a close-up of frame... ---Cartoonman

The apparent color differences may also just be due to lighting conditions in Devon ... Here's a photo taken in the US... ---Owner of Said Bar, 1964 until Just Very Recently PS Glad they arrived, in spite of British Postal! :cheers:

Oh RIGHT! Of course! Thanks Sacha! You're a gentleman, for your gentle response... ---He Who Visits GMIC Too Late At Night

Okay, gentlemen, so I'm the only one saying, "Uh-uh! Never a Hindenburg Cross to the LEFT of the EK2 (as we're looking at it)?" Somebody PLEASE explain to me how that and the Milit?r Verdienst Kreuz would supercede the EK2... ---Can't Wait To Be Enlightened :rolleyes:

[Just back from DC trip (weekend) and chain-sawing firewood (better exercise than pushing drawing pens on paper...).] Re yer last comment about monocular view on life: WHOOPS! Not the first time I' stepped in it, probbly not the last time... And, okay, you win: Epson rules! Nice scan of that eppaulette, Mister! ---Rube :beer:

Oh, right, and bigger scans, for your AGING EYES... ???!! ---Youngster of Only Almost-Sixty

Thanks for the clarifications, really! But... what did 16-year-old boys know?!?! At the time, NOBODY cared about Imperial! Never heard the term Litewka jacket before... whazzat mean? Yeah re size: that's what I keep telling my wife... Nice shoulder board! I'm off to DC to check in on aging-but-healthy dad... when I return, on Monday, I'll see if that brand-new HP scanner I got for free can give your (probably ancient) Epssssssssssson a run for its pixels....

The first three pairs of eppaulets(the large pair were parade, only, if I recall correctly...) were (also if I recall correctly ) formerly attached to this uniform, here modeled by 16-year-old Scott, in Munich, in the Sixties. He would be mortified to know I'm doing this... But one of you guys might recognize the uniform, again apparently worn by a prince (or some-such) before WW1 knocked summa the glamour out of uniforms and such... :unsure: