"Reddick" etched blades

[Ibrahim Ahmad]

Hi everyone,

Ive been reading several militaria forums and the word "Reddick" etched blades comes out occasionally.

1) Am i right to say that "Reddick" here means the person, Rex Reddick who reproduced the Eickhorn Catalogs?

2) By mentioning a "Reddick" etched blade, its a reproduction right?

3) Is this his current site? http://www.reddickmilitaria.com/index.php

4) If he indeed created reproduction etched blades, when did it all started and is he still in business? ( I checked the website but seems like there arent any etched blades )

5) Could some of you guys post pictures of these "Reddick" etched blades so that us, beginner guys know what to look out for ?

Really appreciate for any help given & Thank You.

Cheers,

Ibrahim,

Singapore.

[Guest Rick Research]

Good old Rex is singlehandedly responsible for about 95% of all the fake Third Reich blades out there, as well as the largest bulk seller of reproduction SS general visor caps, poorly crafted bullion insignia etc etc etc.

Personally, I have never understood why anybody WANTS brand new badly made fantasy items--

and the sort of people who DO rather me out

He is an honest, up front seller of reporoductions but the unfortunate "after market" effect is that BAD people then proceed to sell off this stuff as "real" to the ill-informed-- "poisoning the well" of legitimate collecting by turning off new collectors who have paid real money for bad items.

There is NO "value" to anything he sells to anyone who collects REAL items.

Been in business, sad to say, for probably more than 30 years. It seems, eternally. Sigh. I saw a catalog a couple of years ago. Given the, sigh, DEMAND for his wares I don't think he'll EVER be out of business.

His OTHER trade is appalling made in Mainland China mock "American Indian" stuff, for Do-It-Yourself pow-wow-ites. Two separate catalogs, and I've seen both.

Just in monitoring things!

Somehow the thought of my local self-proclaimed "Indian princess" (all 4 of whose grandparents came from the "wild west" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ) prancing around in recycled tuna-fish can jinglies and plastic "beads" sewn to nylon "trade blankets," while waving around a fiberglas-sheathed SA dagger is something I'd rather not think about.

[Dave B]

I have d?j? vu ...ok, here is a Reddick blade.

[Ibrahim Ahmad]

Thank you for the info, Rick Research & also to you too Dave-B for the pics (im in multiple militaria forums with the same username, so hope that explains the d?j? vu)

I would also like to point out that Wayne H Techet book on etched bayonets is an excellent starting point for a beginner like myself to see comparisons between a "reddick" blade and a pre-45 etched blade.

Ive never met Rex Reddick but based on what i heard from fellow collectors, hes a nice person who sells his stuffs as it is, "reproductions".

Its the unscrupulous buyers who buy and sell them as the real deal that we have to worry about.

For me, as a beginner, reading & buying books , contacting well known dealers/authors such as Wittmann , Tom Johnson,etc, & getting info from various militaria forums before & after purchasing an item, are some of the steps that i do to be ahead of these reproductions.

BTW:- Rex Reddick has also contributed to the collector community. Hes reprint of the Eickhorn Catalogs, Heinrich Doehle'Orden und Ehrenzeichen im Dritten Reich, etc... allows non german speaking guys like myself to learn more about Third Reich militaria. Thanks Rex!

Cheers,

Ibrahim,

Singapore.

[pikestaff]

some people just cannot afford the mind numbing prices asked for on original items, some people just want to display something different,