Gentlemen,
You may remember a Golden CCC discussed here - GOLD CCC
That same piece has been in Peter's hands in Norway for the last two months undergoing the most careful scrutiny and I am most pleased and proud to post the following results of Peter's labor...
Hi Mike and thanks. I have looked at your CCC.
To have the items in hand is always the best as photos can mislead and photos will not show everything about an item. Your CCC is definitely original from the period. I have compared it with original pieces from my own collection. Hardware, details and tool marks are all present. The measurements of the clasp (width, height and weight) are clearly as they should be. There can not be any doubt about the originality of your Golden CCC.
The finish is another question. Sometimes it is difficult to judge if a decoration is plated or spray painted. Spray-paint would here be bad of course. It was nice to see, when I had your CCC in my hand, that it is plated and not spray painted. The finish is a bit different than other decorations from the period. The gold plating is darker than what is usual from the period. The black plate is hand painted after it was mounted on the clasp. The pin, holding the needle to the hinge, is also plated which is not the norm.
I was first suspicious that it had been upgraded from a bronze or silver clasp and I based this on the provided photos on the forum. Inspecting your clasp in hand opens up for another scenario. It is my opinion that your clasp was refinished by the manufacturer who in this case was Steinhauer & Lück. I believe that the clasp was originally finished as a gold clasp, but right before it was going to be delivered, the clasp was rejected and likely it was found that the gold plating was to thin and not meeting the quality requirements. It was decided that the clasp had to be replated (it is very likely that there were several decorations rejected on this day). The clasp has polished highlights but these are in my opinion from the first finish which is now coming through the second attempt on finish. With other words, there are two (2) layers of gold plating on your clasp.
The black plate was of course also affected by the plating as it was already mounted on the clasp and had to be painted black at least on the obverse. The black paint used here has the same semi gloss finish as the number plates on the GAB and PAB from the period. It was this semi gloss paint that made me thinking differently about your clasp.
I would keep the clasp. I would however buy a second golden clasp that is manufactured/finished exactly to the norm. I hope this was of help Mike. Can I keep the clasp and case for a little while longer? I am very busy at the moment and would like to include this clasp in my book.
Regards
Peter Wiking
You may remember a Golden CCC discussed here - GOLD CCC
That same piece has been in Peter's hands in Norway for the last two months undergoing the most careful scrutiny and I am most pleased and proud to post the following results of Peter's labor...
Hi Mike and thanks. I have looked at your CCC.
To have the items in hand is always the best as photos can mislead and photos will not show everything about an item. Your CCC is definitely original from the period. I have compared it with original pieces from my own collection. Hardware, details and tool marks are all present. The measurements of the clasp (width, height and weight) are clearly as they should be. There can not be any doubt about the originality of your Golden CCC.
The finish is another question. Sometimes it is difficult to judge if a decoration is plated or spray painted. Spray-paint would here be bad of course. It was nice to see, when I had your CCC in my hand, that it is plated and not spray painted. The finish is a bit different than other decorations from the period. The gold plating is darker than what is usual from the period. The black plate is hand painted after it was mounted on the clasp. The pin, holding the needle to the hinge, is also plated which is not the norm.
I was first suspicious that it had been upgraded from a bronze or silver clasp and I based this on the provided photos on the forum. Inspecting your clasp in hand opens up for another scenario. It is my opinion that your clasp was refinished by the manufacturer who in this case was Steinhauer & Lück. I believe that the clasp was originally finished as a gold clasp, but right before it was going to be delivered, the clasp was rejected and likely it was found that the gold plating was to thin and not meeting the quality requirements. It was decided that the clasp had to be replated (it is very likely that there were several decorations rejected on this day). The clasp has polished highlights but these are in my opinion from the first finish which is now coming through the second attempt on finish. With other words, there are two (2) layers of gold plating on your clasp.
The black plate was of course also affected by the plating as it was already mounted on the clasp and had to be painted black at least on the obverse. The black paint used here has the same semi gloss finish as the number plates on the GAB and PAB from the period. It was this semi gloss paint that made me thinking differently about your clasp.
I would keep the clasp. I would however buy a second golden clasp that is manufactured/finished exactly to the norm. I hope this was of help Mike. Can I keep the clasp and case for a little while longer? I am very busy at the moment and would like to include this clasp in my book.
Regards
Peter Wiking
Congratulations my friend -Nigel
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