When did they start making reproductions? And more questions...

[FreeRange]

These questions didn't quite fit under any one heading...so I hope it's okay to list them here.

As I look at various items listed in various threads/topics - a lot of what I'm reading revolves around the question "Is it real or not?"

Some of the items in question quite surprise me...that anyone would want to fake them to begin with...

...and then, many of the items subject to discussion and deemed to be fake, despite (to my eye) have obvious signs of aging.

My eye isn't totally naïve...we've been collecting antiques for some 30 years, and I also have some items from that time period at home that I know are authentic...

So my questions are:

When did the manufacture of fakes begin? I can understand some of the faked helmets, swords and high-end artefacts...but buttons? Socks? Tinnies? Spoons?

Are these items recently made and artificially aged or was there a market for fakes already in and around 1946? If so, how do you tell a real 1944 pair of socks from a 1946 pair of fake socks? Silly example perhaps, but I want to be clear what I'm getting at.

Again...I tried looking it up, but can't quite find the answers I'm looking for.

[FreeRange]

My other question:

I would assume...during the later years of WW2...that some of the manufacturing might not have been up to par.

Now what is the danger of someone deeming that one of these items is a fake, when in reality it is not?

The other part of that is repairs. My grandmother taught me to darn wool socks. I've never actually needed to darn a pair of socks, but I could if I had to.

Some of the similar 'repairs' I've seen...that have been condemned as 'fake' look perfectly legitimate to me as well. Had I been alive back then, and did a poor repair on a pair of socks, would those socks still be considered a legitimate historical item?

Now what if I had done that repair to authentic socks when I learned in 1966? Is it still a legitmate repair? It would be almost 50 years old in it's own right...

Just wondering about all this stuff!

[ErichS]

German firms started making reproductions right after the wars end to sell to GIs.
Even fakes made in the 70s now show a patina so looking old is no garentee.

[toadboy65]

There was a souvenir economy occurring even during the war. fakes were being made as soon as battles ended, at least in the Pacific. Nobody wanted to go home without a Flag and a Samurai Sword. And most troops, then as now, never experienced combat. I can understand the not wanting to tell the grandkids that you cleaned toilets on an Aircraft carried during the war. So people bought flags and helmets and whatever, and many of those items were fabricated or modified.

[oldflagswanted]

fakes in history ???

There was a souvenir economy occurring even during the war. ...

Romans made Greek fakes, 1871 French in Paris made
fake Prussian militaria - there is nothing new about fakes.
OFW

[james m]

If you are looking for a specific date I'll give you one for Geman repros.! May 9,1945!
Jim

[FreeRange]

Thanks!

Then we need to differentiate between period reproductions and fakes as well...

Is there a value to either group - that were made around 1945 (or any other specific time)?

Example of what I am wondering:

1. Genuine WW2 item = $100

2. Reproduction WW2 item (made in 1945), and clearly identifiable as a reproduction = $50

3. Deliberate faked WW2 (made in 1945) - $10

[CWP]

Socks used by German paramilitary organizations in the 1950s and by the Bundswehr later in that decade may be difficult to differentiate from Wehrmacht socks made 10 years prior.

Very few of the items we collect have direct provenance. Determination of originality is generally made through comparison to known originals. An item purporting to be an original poor-quality late-war item is judged based on comparison with other poor-quality late-war items known to be original. This system is not infallible. In many cases, opinions on originality are just that- subjective opinions.

Most collectors will tell you that items are either original or fake, there is generally no premium assigned to reproductions/fakes based on age. Some old reproductions (for instance post-war badges by Souval) are collected in part based on the fact that these items may have been made for or used by veterans; post-war field equipment in the wartime pattern may be collectible in its own right.