J Temple-West

I can see why you picked it up...but not even close to an original. It looks like someone has attempted to produce their idea of what an officer's title should look like. Nice work on the wire stitching though For reference, have a look at Gordons site on the subject http://www.feldgendarmerie.net/Feldgend.htm

The dedication that collectors have for their field of interest never ceases to amaze me... Superb, Morten

Good morning, Frank....welcome to the forum. Collecting SS items, and dog tags in particular, is an absolute minefield. 99% of SS tags found out there are usually fake. I say this because I recently found a tag, given to me many years ago, in a box in the loft when doing a clear out. I suspected that it was yet another fake but thought that I should do some research into the unit and get some opinions before putting in the bin...just in case. I had no Idea what a learning curve that was going to be... Correct unit designations, fictitious unit designations, incorrect fonts used by fakers, original tags used, modern tags used, method of stamping and so on. The first thing that raises a red flag is that you are unable to find the unit that appears on your tag...SS units have been well researched by collectors and historians and divisional organisational structures can usually be found on the Net.....this, of course, doesn't necessarily sound the death knell for your tag, It just means that further research is needed, and most importantly a clear, sharp, photo of the tag. Collectors of tags will, at a glance, be able to tell you what you have and save you from hours on your computer. Below is the tag that turned out to be a fake....thank goodness 'SS' is not in my field of interest.

This is one of the many fakes of the wound badge by maker 30 Hauptmunzamt... The reverse hardware does not conform to known originals, but is used by those who fake this particular badge.

I've had this badge for a number of years and have tried to find information on the owner...but before contacting the Bundesarchiv - Militararchiv, I thought I would post the badge of W.Hirte 97 ( 97 most likely his soldbuch number) on the forum in the hope that someone, somewhere, has his paperwork or access to fallschirmjäger member listings so that I can find out what unit he was in. Any help would be much appreciated. So, to the badge....an early fallschirmjäger abzeichen by F.W Assmann & Söhne

A very bad fake.

Good morning, John Firstly, let me say that I am no expert when it comes to these awards and I'm going on a bit of a gut feeling, some experience of original awards Vs copies and the knowledge that these particular awards are highly faked due to the prices that originals go for. At first glance this Luftschutz 1st Class Cross looks good...a closer look at the enlarged photo's, however, makes me uneasy. I've made up a shot of front and back showing the areas of concern. Poorly made hanger Far too many casting flaws. Any experts out there? feel free to chime in.

A nice DAK bar you have there, Vince. Going on the design, it looks like the Italo-German Campaign Medal is by Rudolph Souval. Due to Italy's withdrawal from the war and subsequent surrender, the wear of all Italian awards was prohibited in orders dated 29th March 1944. Specific mention is made of the Italo-German Campaign Medal so any pre 1944 parade medal bars, or ribbon bars, found with Italo-German Campaign Medals should be considered as scarce to rare....Good find.

Looks to be the date that he was wounded...Vw (verwunde) 21.7.41. Dresden A36...Home town?

I have just been asked if we have a clearer picture of this particular fake....and we do. Mike, here it is....post #17

I know, Simon... Better to know what you have in your collection than one day trying to do a trade, or sell items to purchase something else only to be told that they are worthless. Believe me, every collector has a box somewhere that holds their mistakes...myself included. Fakers have been around since time immemorial, this is why we collectors need to know our preferred interest inside out....and it's with thanks to people like Nick who start sites like ' The Gentleman's Interest Club' that give us a chance pass on experience to other collectors in the hope that they will not make the same mistakes.... Rule 1...If you are thinking of purchasing an item, ask for clear pictures and post them on the forum for opinions. Thank goodness for the Internet.

Just in is this Afrikakorps cuff title.. In an order dated 18th July 1941, Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch authorized the wearing of an official "Afrikakorps" cuff title by members of the DAK fighting in North Africa. Although not a campaign decoration, the "Afrikakorps" cuff title was worn with great pride by the members of the DAK and considered by most as one. It was most likely the pride shown in the wearing of the title that gave Hitler the idea of introducing the "Afrika" cuff title as the official campaign decoration for his forces in North Africa on the 15th January 1943. Just a few DAK related items....

It would seem that a combined group of HJ and BDM (League of German Girls) was set up for the purpose of aiding re-settlers. This makes interesting reading: http://www.bdmhistory.com/research/easternaction.html You should get in touch with the person who runs the site and put it to him/her/them. Let us know how you get on with the research.

I agree with ryuuk... Based on the Schickle/Mayer design, this fake has been around for some time. They can be found with sheet metal or round wire catches in an attempt to copy the materials used on originals.

10 quid to have that feeling of ye olde ticker racing in anticipation....cheap at double the price.

The reason you can't find any reference for this maker and Para badges is that Gustav Brehmer, although a wartime producer of badges, did not supply Para badges to the Luftwaffe. This is a very poor attempt at faking a para badge, even down to the maker mark stating that they were based in Berlin when, in fact, they were based in Markneukirchen - Saxony. Brehmer was a premier manufacturer of badges, and to give you some idea how good they were.... below are some original badges, by various makers, which will hopefully show why the fallschirmjäger wore them so proudly.

These wound badges, marked 127, for Moritz Hausch, were heavily reproduced by Johannes Flock but came with a catch and hinge unlike those found on original examples by Hausch, being separately applied. Going on your photo's, I see a one piece badge (catch and hinge being formed during the die process) which is correct for original examples by Hausch. so, unless there are other fakes out there that anyone knows about (please comment if there are) I think that you have an original by this maker.

Certainly not a Juncker (L/12) The reverse hardware is not found on any original examples that I know of.... I would have to put this one down to being a fake.

Simon, I understand that a lot of collectors rely on dealers to supply totally original items, but this is not always the case....mistakes are made in any collecting field, especially when there is money involved. The particular dealer that you purchased this badge from has a good reputation but does make mistakes, as everyone in this collecting field does, this is why I urge collectors to do their research into their particular field of interest....in other words, get to know your hobby so that you rely on your own experience. As an example, I picked a random item from this dealers' site and found that this item was sold for $220.00.... It is a well known fake. I was told, many years ago, by an expert in his field..."A person can never know everything about everything...get to know your field of interest through research, research, research...if you want to widen your field of interest....research, research, research. So, the random item that I came across is below....If you would like me to post an original of this item for comparison, let me know.

Hi, Simon Steinhauer & Lück and its wartime Vs post-war production can be an extremely frustrating subject as, as mentioned, the firm continued to produce badges after the wars end, it is thought to fill a demand for mementos by allied troops returning home. They were then involved in the production of the 1957 series of awards/badges. When it comes to determining wartime production from post-war (or fake) many factors come into play. As collectors, research is paramount, as is the need to handle as many original badges as possible…in this way, manufacturing processes, materials used, finishing, methods of assembly (rivets/hinges/pins and catches) will hopefully become second nature. Where the problem arises, with S&L, is the fact that many original parts were used during their post-war production….so collectors have to delve deeper and base opinions on the characteristics of known wartime originals….examples that have provenance, for example. Without going into too much detail, as that would take the best part of a book, and there are some very good reference works out there, I will point to one characteristic that leans me toward your badge being of post-war production. Wartime examples of the S&L Para badge generally had domed of flattened rivets, your badge has hollow rivets…something not found on wartime originals, but are found on early examples of the 1957 series. This, of course, is only an opinion, others may have different thoughts…but this is the problem we collectors face when it comes to Steinhauer & Lück and its prolonged production.

Definitely produced by S&L...but considered to be from their post-war production period.

Simon, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the Luftwaffe Observer badge is a well known fake.... These fakes were produced by casting parts from various makers and putting them together. If you look at the badge you will see that the eagle is a copy of an F.W Assmann type, the wreath is a copy of a wreath by C.E Juncker...no such collaboration existed. I would suggest that you post individual photo's of each piece (front and back) so that members can give a more informative opinion. In particular, I would like to see some photo's of the Paratrooper badge. Below is an example of a period 2nd pattern Observer badge by the firm of F.W Assmann so that you can do a comparison.

Just in is the 1st pattern cap eagle which I've combined with the DLV 1st pattern cap wreath....the eagle is RZM marked and has the RZM maker number '17' for the firm of F.W Assmann & Söhne - Ludenscheid. The DLV wreath is marked 'Berg & Nolte, Ludenscheid'.

So, numbers 1-3 all have Bulgarian medals, number 4 has (far right) the Rumanian Medal for Manhood and Loyalty with Crossed Swords. Bulgaria and Rumania were both members of the Axis powers during WW2 and these awards were given to both Axis and German members of the armed forces.

The most comprehensive reference I've seen on the subject.... Thank you, Matthew