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    Good Morning! I agree wholeheartedly with you Vince. Not only Albert Order, but the Saxon Merit Order and a number of others from the duchies have been appearing. And they’re selling, so more keep flooding the market. I feel very strongly that this will ruin this hobby. It’s getting to the point where if it’s not coming out of an old collection it shouldn’t even be considered. Even at that, I’ve seen some questionable pieces at auction. As long as the uninformed keep buying, these copies will simply keep coming. Take a look at this variation of the “cased pilot set”. This seller from Germany has one a week! Plus PLMs, Grand Crosses, etc. I mean, at some point, you would think the buyer would say wait a minute. But they just keep selling and for stupid prices! The EK1 here looks good to me, but the case and Austrian badge are copies. The set sold for $607. The unmitigated greed of the seller gives me serious pause. But as long as there’s a group of willing buyers who can’t be bothered to do the research, this will continue. I started this thread with the hope of keeping the members informed of what’s happening and going on in the market. At this point, I’m getting more discouraged and depressed just looking back through the thread. Can you imagine how these buyers are going to react/feel at some point if they try to put their “collection” on the market with a legitimate seller or auction house? I simply cannot imagine having the resources to be pouring my money into a hobby but not spending the time, money and effort to do some research and get an education.

     I remember years ago, a former member of this forum reached out to me saying he wanted to collect ribbon bars and medal bars. Asked to buy an extensive list of pieces I had for sale at the time. My reply was that before buying the items he should invest his money in multiple reference books, read/study them. Reach out to the community and ask to visit/inspect/handle their collections and listen to their advice and experiences.

     I get the impression this just isn’t happening anymore. I don’t know if it’s because the internet has caused us to all become distant and isolated. I don’t think people are going to the major shows and events like OMSA anymore. Even I have let that membership lapse but I will leap at an opportunity to see/visit an older collection. There’s simply no substitute for handling the real deal. Once you’ve had 3 or 4 real PLMs in your hands you will never mistake what the copy is again.

    Yes, the fakers are getting more and more accurate and sophisticated but they haven’t achieved perfection yet. But you have to do your research. 
    At this point, I’m beginning to start looking at and considering the lesser medals simply because there’s no real money in faking them! All of the sudden a Saxon FAM has more appeal to me than an Albert Order! Which is rather a shame as back when I started collecting I quickly fell quite enamored of Saxon enamel!!

     I don’t know where our hobby will go but I fear the plethora of fakes is diminishing the hobby.. 

    At this point, I’m just sitting back and watching the decline. It’s making me feel very sad.

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    Edited by Stogieman
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    3 hours ago, Stogieman said:

    I’m beginning to start looking at and considering the lesser medals simply because there’s no real money in faking them!

    https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/orders-decorations-third-reich/fake-1914-1918-ehrenkreuz-hindenburg-cross-422255/

     

    Yes, I know, a collector would spot this easily. But it exists. 

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    Rick, I completely agree with your synopsis of the hobby. I said some years ago that the fakery would ruin Imperial collecting, just as it did Third Reich a generation ago. I had an old acquaintance get in touch with me because he wanted to collect German flight badges of WW1. Unfortunately he decided to buy some without asking for an opinion first. When I told him that he was stuck with fakes, he wouldn't accept that and broke off all communication. Sometimes reality can be a bitter pill to swallow. And Bernd is right, I bought a group of items and in amongst them was a fake FEK.

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    Why they build Dacia and not only Bentley?

    High quality fakes like Blass are so-called manufacture when its comes to the making. While you can pump out a few hundred FEKs per hour with a die stamp and a press. 

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    Stumbled across this gratuitous crap on both German and US fleabay, apparently the same seller. Not even the EK` is real, and the Ludendorff attribution is about the stupidest thing I've seen.

    crap1.webp

    crap2.webp

    ludendorff crap.webp

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    12 hours ago, VtwinVince said:

    Stumbled across this gratuitous crap on both German and US fleabay, apparently the same seller. Not even the EK` is real, and the Ludendorff attribution is about the stupidest thing I've seen.

     

    You are absolutely right. I saw this Ludendorff "set", and said what the heck....

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    On 25/10/2024 at 12:16, VtwinVince said:

    Stumbled across this gratuitous crap on both German and US fleabay, apparently the same seller. Not even the EK` is real, and the Ludendorff attribution is about the stupidest thing I've seen.

    crap1.webp

    crap2.webp

    ludendorff crap.webp

    Final bid on this set was $1425!

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