mmerc20

A friend of mine from work brought in a box of things he found with his metal detector both in the US and in Spain. The box was all mixed together. He had these insignia and buttons but couldn't tell me anything about them. I know they are Spanish but can anyone tell how old and what they are from? The buttons are not marked and neither are the insignia. I'm guessing they are from a hat, but I'm not sure.

Thanks,

Mike

It looks like it says 20. I took a couple different photos because it was hard to see. I couldn't tell if it said 10 or 20. Anywhere else in Europe 20 is more common? France?

I knew a coworker was a big WWII German collector but we got on the topic of aviation and he mentioned he had a riker mount of full of different RAF wings. 

It was an interesting conversation and he surprised me yesterday when he brought them into work to show off. He has a really nice collection and although most are sweetheart wings, I practically fell in love with the gold pair I have attached a picture of. 

I don't know a lot about RAF insignia being here in the US and didn't realize until recently that the pin-on wings were sweetheart pieces. Being used to US wings, I just assumed both sew-on and pins were used. 

Is there a source for learning more about different sweetheart wings and makers vs scarcity? Without a hallmark, is there any way to know who made the gold set?

Mike

Thank you! That was easy. Ok, now I hate to ask the question, but since I can't find another example online anywhere, are they terribly valuable?

Did it originally have a ribbon?

mike

I have had this medal for a number of years but never found out what it is. I think it is made of silver but I'm unsure. Does anyone recognize it?

mike

 A friend of mine just picked this flag up with a bunch or other items brought back during the war.  I'm guessing it's a vehicle flag because of the metal frame around the outside but I'm stumped as to what it is exactly.

  I thought it might have something to do with the DAF  because of the gear in the design but other than that I haven't got a clue.

 As always, I certainly appreciate any help I can get.

 Mike 

 I couldn't read the handwriting and definitely appreciate the translation.  That's wonderful.

mike 

 I have a handful of  German photos brought back by a US soldier but most don't have any labels on the back however this one is a little different. 

 It's an interesting photo of a ceremony of some sorts and has pencil writing on the back.  My problem now though is I can't read the handwriting at all.  Is anyone able to understand what is written? 

Thanks a lot,

Mike

Still trying to find out who they are. Bumping this up after over 6 months.

I was curious if anyone can recognize the generalleutnant in this photo. It is one of numerous photos that came from a 7th Army soldier that brought them back to the US during the war. These are all original photos.

Thanks!

Mike

It definitely looks like a feldpost eagle and I'm leaning towards it being a cast copy. Why else would the holes on the wings be filled in? It isn't as clean on the reverse as the other examples I've seen so I will probably stay away. 

Thanks everyone. 

I found this railway-type eagle at an antique mall today but am not familiar with them at all. It measures about 14 1/4 inches from tip to tip and unlike the photos of others I have seen, is completely unmarked on the reverse. 

It at least appears old and has some wear and light corrosion. I wish I got a better picture of the front but only have one in the display case.

Any thoughts? Could this be authentic? What is the going price for these size Eagles?

Hello everyone,

I have seen quite a number of Victoria Cross copies out there lately with some looking much nicer than others. However, if I want to get one of these, I don't want to throw my money away. At the same time, I don't want to pay anything near the Hancock copy prices. 

Can an anyone recommend a source for good quality copy VCs? Can any be found in the U.S.?

Mike

The reverse

A friend of mine hit what appears to be the militaria gold mine at an antique store he visited while on vacation. He is currently unable to get online to post but I thought I would do him a favor and see what forum members think of this Demjansk shield. I don't know a lot about German medals and insignia and neither does he but when he got numerous German insignia, US ribbons and patches for under $70USD, I would take the gamble too.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Mike

I am on the board of directors for the Camp Butner Society and the future Camp Butner museum, a non-profit dedicated to telling the history of the area during WWII. The Camp Butner Society has been working to preserve not only the story of the over 40,000 US soldiers who passed through the gates of Camp Butner North Carolina on their way to Europe, but the untold story of the numerous German and Italians who were prisoners of war here.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that one of these prisoners decided to make their mark while on a work detail in 1945. A cement and stone culvert was built near some large warehouses (which still stand today) and the wet cement must have been too tempting to leave untouched.

Now, almost seventy years later, that unknown soldier's mark is still here. It has survived many North Carolina freezes and thaws, hurricanes and exposure to the elements but we know that someday it will crack and disappear forever.

Since this great part of history is so unique, I knew I had to find a way to preserve it forever so I turned to making an exact copy of it. After searching the web for the best material to make molds, I was directed to a company that specializes in mold and cast materials. Luckily they had a distributer in town so I bought some.

The copy will be painted to more closely match the actual cement and when finished I will be sure to post a picture here.

I am reaching out to anyone who might have knowledge of any Germans who spent some time at Camp Butner. In a perfect world, we would love to add some artifacts to the collection of some of these soldiers, but even a photo and biography of a former prisoner would be welcome.

Feel free to check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CampButnerSociety and like us too! We can't let the story of our veterans go untold!

Mike

Does anyone have any idea what this is? The blade is completely unmarked and doesn't even have a fuller. When I first saw pictures of it, I thought it was a cut-down German dress sword, but that is not the case. The blade appears to be stainless, measures about 375mm and after having it hand, I thought it was some sort of replica, but both the scabbard and frog are rather old. The guard and lionhead are not cast terribly well and the grip is plastic. There is nothing on the tang.

I just don't know what to think about it. Anyone seen one before?

Mike

The reverse is blank actually.

Let me try that again. Here is the picture.

Mike

I've had this for quite sometime now and never checked to see what it is. Anyone familiar with it?

Mike

I suspect the silver ones might have some sort of silver content, but I am not willing to make a leap of faith to get one just to test it. Even the gold ones might be, but there is no way to tell for sure without throwing your money away.

Mike

Well, I hate to do it, but I have placed my three crosses up for auction on ebay. I don't know if I'm out of line mentioning this here, but my user name is mercierarmory. They all end on the 31st.

Mike

interesting. thanks a lot. I have been wanting to get some gold just to have (i collect coins too) but with the current spot price there is no way I can afford $1100+ per ounce. Getting some swiss gold would be really interesting to have and they don't command too much of a premium. Now if I could only get them at spot price or trade extra militaria for gold then I might consider it!

Mike

Apparently someone tipped him off onto the guide I wrote already and this is what he sent me. What a POS. He is just dwelling on the fact that I misrepresented the waA63 of appearing in 1943. Of course he "must have to laugh at me". Perhaps if he studied in school and learned English he wouldn't have to resort to scamming people for money and get a real job. Grrrrr! I want to see this guy kicked off the site! Gunbroker says they are "investigating" which probably means they will do nothing about it.

Mike

someone pointed out you little article you wrote! I must have to laugh at you. You have NO credibility what so ever right down to your WaA63 comment of only after 1943!!!! That just proves with a doubt your a wannabe expert! Get a life, and sorry to dont have funds to buy this piece! Oh, and...this is how ridiculous you are. That is a KILO bar you posted! Not a mobile currency! Hey, if you made some good points and knew even alittle about what your talking about, I'd be all ear's! But, with your WaA63 comment...PROVES you know nothing!

Hello Mike,

My hat is off to you for such a great effort.

I too hope the "suckers" will read your submission on eBay and steer clear of these traps.

It seems that there is always a new scam on the horizon to steal money from those who are uneducated and/or unaware; you've covered off both of those catagories in your article.

Very well done.

Now as to my map to El Dorado...

Regards

Brian

Don't despair. The El Dorado map is on ebay right now

El Dorado Map