Hauptmann

A nice honest piece, thanks for showing.

Hi Glen,

You are most welcome!

Thanks,

Dan

And last but not least, the badge itself:

Hope ya'll enjoy her as much as I've enjoyed showing her off.

Thanks for stopping by,

Dan

And now for the stickpin:

Inside the case, including under the base, inside under the base and inside the lid:

Does anyone know what the number 845 signifies?

Hi all,

Okay, so I got ambitious... it's a long walk over here so decided to just do this one while I was here.

Have had this forever and a day... okay, code words for over twenty years!

Not perfect as far as the case goes but definitely original and I love her.

And the stickpin:

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

Being lazy and posting all the ones with like two or three pics. Am dreading doing all my wound badges. The pics are taken... but I forgot to include on in the group pic so may redo that tomorrow before I post them. Can't exclude one from the group pic... she might not like that!

Anyhow here's my Aux. Cruiser. Love the design as does my wife. We also love the Minesweeper badge but I decided to let mine go a few months ago. Got a good price but still miss her. But figure I can always get another some day if need be.

And yes, sadly this one is missing the catch.

Hi all,

I believe that's what this is... too lazy to run down to the bunker to look it up. Nothing I specialized in... part of a big trade... yes, about twenty years ago... you guessed it! Just loved the design.

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

Assuming this is navy so decided to put it here. She's one of my two nicest looking eagles... I'd say mint in this case but open to opinions.

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

Okay... just an eagle but it's one of my two nicest... wasn't sure but assuming it's Heer. The other is "I think" a navy so going to post that over yonder.

On the back, on the left wing as you see it in that position, it is marked M1 and either a / 72 or 172... looks like 172 but the 1 is slanted. And the M1 and the other are separated a bit and on different levels.

On the other wing is RZM in a circle... RZ and then M beneath.

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

Here's a GAB to ponder... again the magic number... had it for well over "come on now... all together now!" twenty years!

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

Just a little cutie to perk things up a bit:

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Looks like an unmarked 'KO' to me...

Actually, silly me, I just read down a few posts and got my answer and then some. Many thanks!

Dan

oww .... French Medals .... now we're talking

Hi Darrell,

You never fail to say just what I need to hear just when I need to hear it! Really made me laugh out loud... as does alot that I read on here. Always a good pick me up.

See, you just never know what I most post. Shoot... I never know what I might post... that's pretty bad isn't it?

Took French in HS so figured I had to have at least some representation of the Frogs in my collection. Used to have an Adrian shell but let it go back when I was still in HS. Kinda regret that I never got another one.

Glad you like.

Thanks,

Dan

Looks like an unmarked 'KO' to me...

Q'est que c'est "KO"? I'm being lazy as my book is down in the bunker and I'm too tired at this point to trudge down there.

And is this a "good" thing?

Thanks,

Dan

Well, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that ya'll and Jack are in agreement on this one.

Thanks for looking!

Dan

Hi all,

Okay... another one that was seen and okay'd by Jack Angolia way back when. Have had it for well over twenty years.

This is a funny one in a way. When Kim was going to college in Gainesville Florida we maintained our condo down in Dunedin and we commuted back and forth as she didn't want to live up there and neither did I. Waaaay too many people for our tastes.

Anyhow there was a little used book/stuff shop... no other way to describe it because some stuff was total junk, some antiques, some collectibles... you never knew what they'd have. Was there like forever and a day and almost a landmark with the college crowd.

Well, the owner, who was seldom there, had some German militaria in there. I think 99.99999% of it was trash.

However, Kim got me some badges, one of which is this one I'm about to show. It just looked too dog gone detailed and well made for me to believe it wasn't good. Admittedly the pin and catch are gone and it almost seemed to have an old soot or burn residue on the back like it had been in a fire... but far enough from it not to melt or otherwise damage the badge.

I looked it up in Jack's books as well as comparing it to tons in other books, etc. over the years. And as I say I took it along on one of our trips to see him and he didn't have a problem with it.

But thought I'd pop it on here as well. As when I was reading about one of these on here that happened to be an Assmann I started to wonder if mine had a maker's mark. Had never seen one on it. Well, I "carefully" cleaned away a bit of that soot or whatever it is and lo and behold there it was... the Assmann mark just like the ones pictured on here.

Anyhow here it is for general comments, etc. Assuming it is indeed a good one, any info would be welcome as well as any advice as to a possible restoration... if that can be done.

I think it's a beautiful badge and especially if it's absolutely confirmed as real I'll feel even better because Kim got it for like $16... well, actually got several of the badges for that, but the others are definitely fakes. And no telling where this guy got them... he'd come by stuff, put a price sticker on it and chuck it in a case and forget all about it. Most likely he just didn't realize it if it is indeed a good one.

Oh, and I know the case is for the Pilot... and I got that for $5 as a possible repro but figured it's good to keep the badge safe if nothing else and hey, $5 ain't too bad.

Almost hate to follow that gorgeous Pilot/Observer one that was previously posted with this, what with the damage and all, but again I love it especially since "my love" gave it to me.

Anyhow, here goes:

Hi all,

Here's my Imperial 1914 IC 1st Class. Nothing fancy... that I know of. No makers marks that I can find. No case. Don't know if it belonged to anybody famous. But I love it!

Thanks for looking,

Dan

Hi all,

I think it was a movie with Gene Hackman... no wait, it's just my small, humble collection of French medals. Got most of them in a group and already had a couple so in the riker they went.

If there's enough interest or any specific requests for other reverses here I'll be happy to take them as soon as I can.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Rick,

So they was ready for us! Probably figured we can't lick em militarily... let's do it economically and more specifically militarialy!

I too am in the same boat as far as not knowing. Wish I did... but perhaps some wandering traveler will come through and tell me at some point.

I figure with what it cost me... what they hey! And it looks good with my WWII stuff so I guess it's doing it's job helping to hold the riker mount down against the gravitational pull of the sun.

Many thanks,

Dan

Well I'd say the Cased EKs have gone up 3-5 times in price since then, but the Faithful Service can be had in cased condition for ~ 350 - 400 now.

Wonder who made the best deal

Well, on the broader scale of things I know I did. I still have my honor which is more important to me than all of it. I didn't screw a friend to get it. I didn't lose a good customer who always paid right away with no complaints whatsoever. I didn't take advantage of a newbie. And I can sleep at night... well, other than my back pain but that's another story.

There's no telling how much money he lost in the long run... and how much I saved by him doing this. And again, if only he'd been honest with me and told me what it was worth I'd have still probably made a deal... albeit a much better deal, that would have treated him right, gotten him what he wanted and everyone would have been happy. But he simply "had" to get greedy. Sadly there are alot more like him running around out there... and some alot worse.

I'm not sure if it's true but I heard later he had all sorts of problems... his wife divorced him and took a bunch of his collection in the settlement. God has a way of making things right no matter what.

And thanks for making me feel better. I do appreciate that. I figure, God's taken very, very good care of me and sent a ton of things my way. Perhaps it's my payback for trying to do the right thing and be a good guy. Lord knows I'm not perfect but I try my best.

It's just like with that SA buckle... I have a friend right now that would probably want it and would probably pay me premium over that other one I found to match it... probably $150. He'd be thrilled no doubt. But I want to make sure if that is indeed the correct type, get some additional info as well as making sure of the price range.

But at $130 the other one had these awful looking dots of tarnish or corrosion on the front and mine is nice and clean and sharp. So figure that the condition has got to be worth a bit of a premium. Lord knows if I was looking for one I'd probably have to pay twice that to get a nice one.

But I don't want to take advantage of him or anyone else. If that's a fair price so be it. If it should be lower then I need to find out.

Just frustrating as I want to order my book and this is probably going to be the only way I have to do it. I just figure the buckle has been in a drawer or a box all this time. It's nice, I like it but I'm not an SA collector, other than my uncle's dagger. And so if I can get enough out of it to pay for the book and perhaps a bit over to get something else with then I'd be willing to part with it and let it go to a new home where perhaps it will get even more attention.

Well, off to cause more mischief.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Darrell,

Glad you could stop by and very glad you enjoyed the post. I hope it's a fitting tribute to my uncles, but especially Jack as he lives on in these things every time I see them in my bunker.

I'd absolutely love to know more on the 88mm optics. I even wrote to them at the proving grounds hoping they'd be able to snap some pics of one of theirs and perhaps they'd have some additional info. Sadly they gave me the typical gov't brush off... no time, not enough staff, not enough money... not enough, not enough, not enough! Seems we're always sending them tons of our money via taxes and yet they never ever seem to have enough to help us out when needed.

Sigh.

I managed to find a shot of one on the gun in a documentary... Geez I hope I made a note of it on my catalog... well over 2,000 tapes in my collection. It was a shot of it being readied, fired and then went to other things. Thank goodness for slow motion as otherwise I'd have never caught it.

But it's amazing... in books they always show them from the other side or so far away or unclear as to not show the optics. But the one in the clip was right on the money.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that more folks will stop by and perhaps have some things to pass on about it.

I'll tell you this... it's a heavy sucker... not likely to be used for bird watching!

Thanks again,

Dan

Heres one for sale on Collect Russia,

www.collectrussia.com/DISPITEM.HTM?ITEM=12458

Hope this is of some help

Order of Victory

Many thanks! But with my eyesight and the fact that mine has such a dark patina compared with his I'm still not sure of anything.

I'll keep hoping one of our Soviet experts with some experience on these comes along and saves the day.

Although I will say, with my Bundy luck, I sincerely doubt it turns out to be original if that's what they run. But one never knows. Sure would be nice.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Dan,

I can feel your "betrayal". I'm sure all of us can remember that first time (or 2nd , 3rd etc) where we got the shaft from someone, only to learn of it later. Nothing worse than giving someone your full trust and later finding out they took you down the stream for their own grubby greed

As far as the EK goes, it is a nice example. No problems with originality. Not knowing what year you made this trade, I can say that the difference between a Cased 50 Year Faithful Service Medal and this Cased EK1 isn't as wide as you think. Although not NEARLY as common as the EKs, they dont command what I would call a price that relates the rarity of the award. Civil Awards are not an item that holds alot of interest in TR collecting circles. I own several Civil Awards and they are some of the center pieces of my collection. Very nice medals.

Hi Darrell,

Was over twenty years ago (yes, there goes that magic number again! ). Seems at that time the cased IC 1sts I was running into were in the $50-100 ballpark depending on maker, condition, cased or not, etc. The 50 year was running around $300-350 if I remember correctly.

It's like IC 2nds... my goodness how they've gone up. I used to have about twenty WWI examples and had to let them go. Wasn't really much of a choice but I do regret it now that I've been on here. Lord only knows what I let go.

I'd been picking them up for years and years... $5 here, $10 to $15 there. With or without ribbons, you name it. Now who can afford to do that? Not I said the little brown cow.

Sigh. I miss the good old days sometimes.

Appreciate the kind words. As I say... it cost me alot... more on the friendship betrayal end than anything... but I love her all the same. She was my very first cased award... with many to follow. Just can't resist them.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi Don,

Many thanks. I've posted it over there as well so hoping someone might get back with me on it. I just would hate to have to depend on my own estimate, etc. on google and then end up being wrong. Want to be sure and on firm ground.

Just hoping something happens soon as I'm dying to get a buyer and be able to get my book.

Many thanks,

Dan