Hauptmann

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Hi all,

I decided that since I now have a scanner I'd go ahead and redo pics of select "important" items... my 1870 being one of them. I'm hoping that perhaps with better and more detailed shots that maybe by some slim chance we might be able to positively nail down a maker. And if nothing else that ya'll might enjoy seeing her in a bit more of her glory.

So without further ado... here she is. If anyone wants to request any other shots please let me know and I'll do my best to get what you need.

I'm going to do one side at a time going from a full shot to the details.

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Dan

You need less money than you think, your Greenback buys more Canuk Bucks. You make it to Vernon I might have to take a jaunt over the mountains.

Hi Larry,

Sounds like a great trip... we'll definitely have to all get together up yonder before too long. I sent Kim and Nick on a vacation last winter up to Vancouver and then over to Seattle to visit with their internet friends. They're hooked on Canada and definitely want to go back and take me with them. So it's a definite possibility we can all work something. Be kind of a militaria reunion!

Well, I'll have to start saving my pennies and one never knows... we might be up there before too long. I'll let you and Pat know well in advance so we can plan something like this.j

And by the same token, if ya'll ever find your way down here to ND you'll have to come visit and I'll give you the grand tour of our little piece of paradise.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Pat,

Great piece! You somehow manage to come up with the neatest stuff up there. I've definitely got to come visit sometime and take the tour... preferably when I've got plenty of dough to spend in case we run into goodies like this.

Ralph... make that three of us at least. I too love oddball stuff (shoot, I love Oddball from Kelly's Heroes too! Great character that one!)... I just seldom seem to run across much of it. But I was rather isolated on our farmstead up in North Florida and now up here in North Dakota... no militaria shops that I've been able to find. One antique shop up in Minot that has some militaria but he's also waaaaay overpriced and even admits it. Like $35 each for common DDR peaked caps you can get on Ebay for dirt. Arrrrrgh!!!!

But we do have some terrific estate sales up here so hoping to find some goodies from time to time at those.

You both have a couple of absolute treasures there. I saw half of a die on Ebay a few months back and was tempted but it went way over what I could afford at the time. And being a numismatist as well I've always been interested in dies and such.

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Dan

Hi Ralph,

So glad you pm'd me the link to this one. Just a terrific piece! I'm not generally into Masonic, etc. but this one is a beaut.

Got me to thinking also about a collection of such that our local museum has. I'll get with one of the officers up there and see about them getting me in for a bit to take some good pics of such. In fact, it "might" be possible if I get ahold of the President that she might let me take the case for a few hours and come back and scan them in so I can get really good pics. It's to their advantage in a way as when I post such things, the more info I can get back it all goes to them and helps to add to their displays.

I'll see what I can do as they do have a nice little collection of such things.

I'm dying to know if you get more info on this one as it's an absolute gem!

Thanks,

Dan

Okay... so, just a badge with a funky little color thingie inside. What's so special about it you ask?

Well, I knew I'd seen it somewhere before. Either one of two places... a documentary called Spytek with Roger Moore or as it turned out in a book called Ultimate Spy by H. Keith Melton, New Expanded Edition, page 91 under Spy Cameras. Why they decided to put it in that particular section I don't know... but here's what it has:

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Basically this would allow undercover Stasi officers to be able to identify each other as being Stasi and I assume that the color code would either be chosen for a particular day, event or perhaps if there were several types of Stasi units at a particular event each would be designated by one of the four colors.

Don't know about anyone else but to me this is really "cool!"

Just couldn't pass it up. And I'm "sure" it's gotta be worth more than .99 cents! So think I did really super good on this little baby!

And needless to say if anyone has any additional information on these I'm dying to hear it. Thanks!

Needless to say I'm an extremely happy camper right now.

Dan

Hi all,

Okay, now this one I'm really excited about. Have been for a week now. Found it on Ebay. Been on the edge of my seat pacing the floors until this morning. Lucked out and won it (Thank you God!!!!) for the minimum of .99 cents!!!!!!!! Somehow I suspect if he lists any more that I'll have a bit more competition this time around.

First I'll post the auction pics... these are the sellers (Steven Haehnel (berlinbvg)) and I'll do my own scans when I receive it which I hope will be mid week this week.

Front:

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Back with screwback in place:

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Disassembled front:

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Disassembled back:

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Hi Ed,

Excellent presentation! Thanks so much for sharing all these great pics! Really adds alot to those little medals some of us collect. Sure would love some of those statues for my collection. Very cool!

Dan

And the 2nd Class:

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Dan

Hi all,

Here are my 1st and 2nd Class Olympic decorations. Just had to have these to go with my 1936 games torch holder and then I later got my 1956 reissue 1st Class.

First the 1st Class:

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And still closer:

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I truly wish I could find a digitized copy of this photo as it might show things a bit clearer. But I'm like 99.999999999% sure this is the same type of goggles worn by Il Duce Benito Mussolini on that day in early 1930 right down to the type of straps it has... the bridge, the metal it seems made of, the vents on the bottom of each eye piece, the padding inside... looks the same to me.

Anyhow just seemed very interesting to me and thought I'd post it for the enjoyment and comments of the membership, perhaps in the hope of finding out more.

How I wish I had documentation that these were indeed the goggles worn in the photo... perhaps they are... nice to dream if nothing else.

Dan

A closer shot:

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Now here's where it gets a bit interesting. The "only" photo I could ever find, and that quite by accident, of such a pair of goggles being used was in the Time Life series of books on WWII, in the volume Prelude To War on page 112:

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Hi all,

I've had these forever and a day. Found them in a little antique shop long ago. And to be honest until tonight I never even saw makers marks on them.

I purchased them in the hope that perhaps they were WWI flying goggles. But later I found something interesting in a book... but first, the goggles:

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Hard to see in the scan but this is marked "France":

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This is marked "Depose"

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These two are marked "E. B. Meyrowitz" although the E. is not visible on one of them:

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Hi all,

Hope this is in the right place but it not please feel free to move it to a more appropriate section. In fact, I'd forgotten about the armor section... so if you think it's better there please pop it over. Thanks.

These are two photos of a wrecked 8 Ton Half Track / Troop Carrier from the African campaign. They were given to me by a friend by the name of "Sarge" Gallipau. I have his first name around here somewhere but as a kid I always knew him as Sarge. He was in the African campaign and then moved up through Europe with the rest of the armies. He stayed in the Air Force after the war and retired as a top Sergeant.

These photos have never been published or shown before.

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Dan

Hi all,

Here's a photo taken by a friend of mine who was a vet of the African campaign and then moved up with the rest of the allied armies. After the war he stayed in the Air Force and retired as a top Sergeant. His name was "Sarge" Gallipau. I have his first name around here somewhere but I always knew him as Sarge.

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This is of a group of prisoners who all appear to be wearing Heer uniforms. Seems to be an officer on the left with the rank of either Ober Lieutnant or Hauptman. The photo is marked "France 1944 - Germans".

This photo along with the others I'm posting from this group have never been published or shown until now.

Dan

Here's the man standing a bit further in the background:

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And part of what I think is the gun they're standing around:

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This photo, along with others in this set I'm posting have never been published or shown before.

Dan

Hi all,

I hope this is the right section for this one. It's a photo (one of several I'm posting) given to me by an old friend many years back. His name was "Sarge" Gallipau. Can't remember his first name off hand but know I have it here somewhere. As a kid I just always knew him as "Sarge". He was in the African campaign and then moved up with the rest of the armies. After the war he stayed in the Air Force and retired as a top Sergeant and just always went by the name Sarge.

He wrote on the back of this one "One of the Supermen".

I'll show the full photo and then more details I felt would be of interest.

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It appears they're standing by some type of gun and one man is looking through an optical scope of some sort.

Awards:

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The SA Sports Badge is an easy one. On the ribbon bar I'm guessing IC 2nd WWI... any ideas on the other? And on the button hole I'd originally thought it was a Spange but looks to me to be a newly awarded IC 2nd.

Shoulder board:

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Lieutnant?

Head with Hermann Meyer cap:

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Assuming this can help date this depending on when those caps came into use.

I've seen the same cross in 2nd class but couldn't inspect it closely. Could you show a closeup of the marks?

Hi Tom,

Sorry it took me a bit. Been a rough few days as I've not gotten much sleep. Amazingly enough when I did the scan I noticed an E that I'd never seen before. It's really strange how many pieces I've had for ten or twenty years and only really see alot of details when I scan them.

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Still not sure if the other two marks are actually "marks" per se or just imperfections in the medal... air bubbles, etc.

But sure would love to know the significance of the E.

Hope these help.

Dan

I can see how it would fool you, it is hard to tell sometimes. I guess no originals with this pin set-up exist then? Thanks for showing and this is a very helpful new forum!

Cheers,

Pat

Hi Pat,

That's my understanding re: the pin. I always thought it was original till I posted it here. Thank goodness we have GMIC where we can separate the wheat from the chaff.

Dan

Check out my clunky one-piece casting of the DKiG, complete with markings. Not meant to fool anyone this one, but neat for a place-holder and it was very cheap.

Cheers,

Pat

Hi Pat,

Wow! That things got to weigh a ton! Never seen one like that... but actually in a way it's pretty neat. Thanks for posting.

Dan

The flint was probably similar to these Brown Bess musket flints from a long overdue housecleaning at the Royal Nepalese Armory.[attachmentid=55297]

A bunch of muzzle loading era patch knives appeared out of the dust, too.[attachmentid=55299]

Hi Tom,

WOW! Just as a knife collector I'd love a knife like that one in my collection... it's a beaut!!!!

Thanks so much for posting that one. I'll now have to keep my eye out.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi all,

I added this to the other posts (Thanks for posting that here Tom! ) so figured I'd plot it in over here too. Gives some good info on these great knives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri

Dan

if it was issued to the british ( or pre-partition Indian) army units, it would have english proof stamps on, probably the broad WD arrow, probably an I (for an Indian proof house), also the design of the sheath is wrong for british issue

the small 'eating' utensils (sorry i have forgotten their names) one is a small knife for using when the kukri is just too big, the other ( thicker and blunter) is actually for sharpening the other two

for a little interesting bit of information, wilkinson sword were asked to produce some kukris for the gurkha units but they weren't popular as the steel was too hard and they couldn't sharpen them in combat situations

The two smaller knives are called the karda and the chakmak. The karda is a small accessory blade used for many tasks. The chakmak is used to burnish the blade and it can also be used to start a fire with flint. The flint is sometimes carried in a pouch attached to the scabbard.

Found this which gives some good info on the kukri:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri

Hope this helps.

Dan

Hi,

I think that you are right... however, is there any evidence of there being other pips that were removed?

PAul

Hi Paul,

Haven't received yet but will check when they come in.

Dan