Phil Steele

Thomas and Rick, Thank you so much for all your help. Now I know not only the tank in question but the name of the officer..:jumping: Thomas my apologies but I was not going to let this one go and for the first time in my life I had a bit of spare cash up my sleeve. Cheers to all Phil

I agree about the picture hangup...your pictures I cant see why you cant post them. Anyhow, I am no expert on these things but I always thought the JFS logos had a fault on them and if this wasnt present then stay away. I dont see this maker mark fault on this badge but hey....I am no expert. Also the pic showing the C Clip I can not detect any die marks along the side (sheer marks I think they are called). And yes they are present on die cast originals. Maybe just a bad picture as stated. If it is the real thing then it sure is a beautiful badge. Phil

Beautiful...I think I may have to put this museum in my " Must visit book before death". Love Dietl's uniform. Great stuff and thankyou for sharing

What a shame as I would love to know which vehicle this one was. I too have looked at other pics of the A7v and tried to pick out the same crew members but no luck yet. :banger:

Nice badge stewy. Are you referring to bronze IAB's maker marked GWL or bronze IABs in general when you say tricky to buy? One of my favourite badges is the Infantry Assault Badge.

You wouldnt know which publications would you. As I said I am not foolish enough to think that this is the only copy of the picture but from what I have seen during my search this is not one of the more common ones.

Oh yeah I meant to add that when I purchased this picture I did spend a lot of time researching said pictures of the A7v and whilst I came across about 30 to 35 not to mention duplicates I never actually saw this picture. However, I dont imagine for a minute that I hold the only copy left although here is Aussie we do have the only original A7v left in the world which surprises me considering what we have had and what we have scrapped for the metal in the past.

Hi Rick Afraid I know nothing about and believe it or not I picked it up on ebay but did pay a pretty penny for it. I figured it was worth it due to the subject matter. I cant help but wonder what that number is on the left hand side 10066.... Phil

I am very new to the medal bar game but gee I do like that one...nice pickup :love:

Hi guys, Here is what I would think to be a rare photograph (I'm sure its original) of an A7v and crew taken somewhere on the Western front or in Germany itself. The black lines are not on the photograph. I would love to know which of the 20 A7v's this is but cannot see any identifing marks. Perhaps someone with more knowledge on this vehicle may be able to help. I acquired this photo about 6 months ago and although it has deteriorated over time, it is one of my favourite items in my collection. Hope you like it. Phil

I tend to agree about the medals at this stage. The photo is poor so I still have fingers crossed regarding their originality. I will know more when it arrives. I do believe that the ribbons are not original however I still look at the pin on the reverse and it is not new by any means so I am hoping that maybe this bar has had new ribbons put on it and remounted so to speak. If the medals are indeed original then they do not appear to be in mint condition thats for sure which makes me believe that perhaps the original ribbons were also in very poor condition hence the replacement ribbons being put on. I know maybe I am dreaming but who knows and again I will know when it arrives. Would such medals that are displayed here be awarded to the one person? I do not have the knowledge to know if any or all are out of place. Thanks for all your help. Phil

I will do my best to return it upon arrival but not holding my breath. I understand faking high end items but apart from fooling the odd idiot like me I cant see how it would be all that profitable with low end items. Apart from the Schlesian Eagle and to a lesser extent the FA medal the others are very cheap to buy and quite common. Not a good start I'm afraid. Thanks guys for your help.

Hello Christian, Thanks for the reply and sorry about the picture quality but they are captured from the original add in ebay for this medal bar. I dont have them yet and it has been only in the last couple of days that I started to doubt them but I did think the pin on the back of the mount looked quite old with aging around the clip and bottom of the pin near the point. Also some staining on the material reverse so I guess I was still hopeful. When I get them I will re post for better evaluation. Not a good way to start and I think I will stay away from bargain priced ebay items. Cheers Phil

Hi Guys, I am new to this and would like opinions as to the validity of this medal bar. I will be honest and say its an ebay purchase from Austria and possibly not the smartest move I have ever made if it proves to be a put together job or at worst full of fake medals. Please be kind. Thanks. Phil