German Southwest Africa 1904-1906, how to recognize an original?

[kees]

Dear Gentlemen,

I am managing the German Colonies section on the oriental numismatic website zeno.ru http://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=7136

As medals are related to numismatics I am trying to find pictures of medals related to

German colonies.

Of course I like to show original ones. That’s where I need your help.

Searching for these particular Southwest Africa ones, every time I find one on internet, it is different from the ones before.

These medals come for combatants and non-combatants. First one bronze, Suedwest Afrika 1904–06, Den siegreichen Streitern. Second steel, Suedwest Afrika 1904–06, Verdienst um die Expedition. See http://www.traditionsverband.de/schutztruppe/sw_afrika.html

I think the right pictures there show an original and the left ones not.

Reason for this I find in http://www.omsa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=875 post 8.

There is stated that originals will have the name of the engraver Schultz where the shoulder is cut. Private re-strikes would not show this name there. Note that the picture in post 2 is the same as in traditionsverband.de. No Schultz figures on the shoulder. More minor differences are visible, for example in 1904-06. As original medals of both kinds would have been struck with the same 1904-06 die, this one doesn’t seem to be original.

Schultz on shoulder doesn’t seem to be a guaranty, see http://www.derrittmeister.com/productpages/051392.htm different 1904-06

Maybe http://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=75465 currently on auction at Meister & Sonntag http://www.ams-stuttgart.de might be an original candidate, but picture is not clear enough at shoulder.

http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2827&size=big&cat= ‘s picture is just a little bit to small to say more.

Some others ?:

http://www.grafficserver.de/cgi-bin/889/vio.matrix?kd=c9f667ec5402c53&el=2488&typ=popup

http://www.dhm.de/magazine/orden/abbs/094.htm

Could any of you tell me what to look for, or even better, supply me with a good pictures of the real thing?

[saschaw]

There is stated that originals will have the name of the engraver Schultz where the shoulder is cut. Private re-strikes would not show this name there. Note that the picture in post 2 is the same as in traditionsverband.de. No Schultz figures on the shoulder. More minor differences are visible, for example in 1904-06. As original medals of both kinds would have been struck with the same 1904-06 die, this one doesn’t seem to be original.

There is to add that those contemporary wearer "copies" are not fakes and have usually the same value to collectors. Those have not the signature, while the original, first and official strike has. Modern fakes, struck or cast to deceive us collectors, may have this too, so as you said: Schultz on shoulder doesn’t seem to be a guaranty.

I cannot coment on the medals theirself, but others will easily do.