Heer ID Sought

[Johnny]

Anybody able to ID this officer or know how i could go about it?

[David Gregory]

Johnny,

That seems to be Otto Baum, who was awarded the Ritterkreuz as commander of III. Bataillon/SS-Totenkopf-Infanterie-Regiment 3 on 8 May 1942.

Reproductions of this photo turn up on various online auction sites from time to time.

David

[Johnny]

Thanks David,

You're right I've seen the pic for sale on ebay as an original and this pic is what they've posted.

Is it easy to fake a repro photo to make it look like an original. I've got quite a few original period pics from Germany and they're generally quite small with crimped edges.

The pic from the site looks like that. Do you think it could be original?

Johnny

If you think it could be dodgy i wont go anywhere near it

[David Gregory]

Johnny,

Unfortunately, it is not difficult to reproduce images like this on old photo paper and then to use an edge cutter to achieve the desired effect. Old photo paper is not hard to find, either. I haven't used my darkroom equipment for many years and I still have a large box of old unused photo paper that came from the DDR. It would be ideal for creating reproductions on photo paper that would be virtually impossible to distinguish from period prints.

The majority of anonymous and "boring" images sold on eBay are usually attic or flea-market finds that are often stripped from albums. Although prices for even fairly common images are rising beyond the point that seems justified for items that are not rare, the risk of falling for a copy is still pretty low.

However, images such as well known personalities and rare items of equipment and vehicles should, in my opinion, be avoided unless you can be sure they are not modern prints. If I were collecting Third Reich personality images such as the one shown above, I wouldn't bid more than what I would be prepared to pay for a modern print, i.e. not very much.

Millions of private photos were taken during the war and as people sort out their deceased grandparents' belongings, huge amounts of them are finding their way onto the collecting market via online auctions.

Personalities and "desirable" images were widely used for press and propaganda purposes, but there seem to be too many of them on offer too regularly for them all to be original.

I know the temptation is large not to miss an image that might be unique, but Otto Baum images are not rare, probably for the reasons above.

David

[Johnny]

David,

I have restricted my collections of photos to the semi mundane at the moment, the occasional grave scene, or a battle damaged town etc.

I'm new to photo collecting and I'm very grateful to you for your advice. I must say it did seem too good to be true to have an original pic of a Totenkopf RK winner on ebay, thats why i asked the question on here.

Thanks again for your help, needless to say i shall stay well away from this one and anything similar. Just out of interest where would u suggest would be a good place to pick original photos up, apart from places like ebay? I'm keen to expand the collection and some pointers would be very gratefully received.

Regards

Johnny

[David Gregory]

Johnny,

To be honest, I find eBay very hard to beat for photos. Dealer sites are worth checking, but you only find bargains if the dealer is selling something he doesn't rate very highly. Unfortunately, they do their homework fairly well.

I focus on documents to Imperial German combattants, their awards and photos. There is so much offered on eBay that I don't really need to bid very much, unless the image is really something special.

Like most areas of collecting, it pays to be patient and to watch the market for a while. My rule of thumb is only to bid what I am prepared to pay and to place my bid as late as possible. I win most of the auctions I bid on and will only bid very high if the documents or image subject matter are really relevant to what I collect.

Most of the photos I have are fairly mundane, but checking the minute details with a good magnifying glass often reveals features that make them special to me at least. I also try to collect by themes, i.e. specific units, towns, regions, battlefields and types of equipment. I deliberately try to avoid aviation photos because there are simply too many people chasing them, for example.

Before long, I am sure you will develop a taste for a particular theme or themes. I find that specialisation, rather than trying to buy everything, helps to keep my spending at acceptable levels (to me, but not my wife) and I feel fairly confident I know what I am doing.

As your taste for specific themes develops, you will probably find yourself collecting related items, such as maps, unit histories, badges, awards. Welcome to the slippery slope.

David

[Johnny]

David,

Thanks for all your help and advice. I know exactly what you mean about the 's;lippery slope'! My wife heaves a huge sigh every time an envelope arrives marked 'air mail'.

I'll keep scouring ebay.

Thanks again

Johnny