erased or reproduction

[ROBB]

This seller has a lot of ww1 stars that are not named 1 or 2 I can understand but several ! Are these being reproduced ,thanks Rob.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...279283815&rd=1

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Robb, as you know I an not a medal collector, so Tony or Adam can answer this better than I.

But I am not impressed by some of the other items offered by the same seller. I have passed his shop many times, it has been open a few months now, but I have not had chance yet to call in, as I am always on business when I pass and parking is a pain.

Cheers, Ade.

[Greeves]

I can't really tell either...picture's not very good...and that's often a bad sign.

You might not be a medals guy, Ade, but you are an equipment guy...what do you think of the WW1 cap he's selling - with the WW2 Queen's capbadge ?...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...277135101&rd=1

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Geoff, trouble is, I am not really a WW1 kit collector either I just feel this cap does not show the age of something that should be over 80 years old. These caps have been copied for years now.

Cheers, Ade.

[leigh kitchen]

Volume 1 of The Collector & Researcers Guide To The Great War (Howard Williamson, copyright 2003) shows photos of a genuine 1914 Star for comparison with 3 duff ones - unfortunately these photos are completely ueless as they're so flaming small - the Stars are shown about 1/2 or 2/3 full size (the photos of the naming styles etc are far more useful).
The captions say
"Look at the profiles of the suspension rings & the crowns as these are one of the best ways to detect copies".

The photos of 1914-15 Stars are more useful, & the points to compare are:
The cross of the orb should protrude into the ring.
The shape of the crown is broader & has a more pronounced mushroom shape on the original.
There should be a 1 mm space between the 5 of -15 & the end of the scroll.
When viewed on the reverse the serrations on the base of the crown & grip of the sword are more defined on the original.
When polished the original shows a high quality finish, the copy remains dull - the patina is in the medal not on it.
The top of the sword pommel on the hilt protrudes on the original & is flatter on the copy.
The 4 should appear centrally between the angle the swords make where they cross, on the copy it is to the right.
The base of the crown is thicker & protrudes beyond the next section on the originals.

Volume 2 states that linings of "Trench Caps" were usually of thin black American cloth with flannel around the headband, some later caps having a yellowish mustard cotton lining.
Many fakes / repros have pvc or oilskin instead of the American cloth, & nylon thread is often used.
The majority of SD caps had large ventilators, small are less common but don't necessarily mean it's a wrong'un.
Although the most common in terms of surviving examples, they're also the most heavily copied.

Personally, I'm avoiding unnamed WWI medals & unnamed WWII gallantry etc - there are at least a couple of firms openly producing the things in Britain & there have been far too many unnamed DCMs, MMs etc "as issued to foreign reipients" appearing for sale in recent years, sometimes half a dozen or so in the same dealer's list .

I may not know much the subject but I'm paranoid enough to avoid the stuff.
You looking at me?

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks for posting that reply Leigh, as it was very informative.


Cheers, Ade.

[MerchantSeaman]

I do collect medals and I reckon that 1914 Star is probably OK but couldnt be certain without handling it - a few unnamed medals have surfaced recently and there are positively some repros around. If there a dealer who suddenly has a lot of unnamed medals then I'd be surprised if they were all kosher.

However I do not like the look of the Pacific Star and the Atlantic Stars which he currently has on offer.

I am not saying that they are fakes but I would not buy them, the suspension ring on the Pacific Star looks a bit large and the stars look very "brassy"

[ROBB]

Thanks Leigh and guys for the replies .I just have to add the seller had 5 or 6 unnamed stars with a buy it now price most have sold .Something to keep an eye on .Rob.

[Adam H]

I'm not comfortable with his WWI medals at all, and would personally take a pass. The pics are not the best, and I would certainly like to have it in hand to know from sure but there are a couple things that make me say...NO.

Perhaps it's not fair to paint a dealer's entire stock with the same brush, but aside from some of his common cap badges (which he claims not to know much about despite having a handle as a militaria dealer), I am not fond of his German camo helmets and some of the other items either.

I would exercise extreme caution in this instance.

Cheers,

Adam

[Paul B]

Hi Gents

Just as an aside to this discussion (and in no way a criticism of any of the reservations other members -all of whom are more knowledgable than I am on this subject- have posted) I would say that I have visited this dealer's shop a couple of times and -in terms of his stock of items I do know a bit about- have been quite impressed.

I actually bought two WWI German tunics from him -these are very hard items to find in complete and untampered with condition, and I'm satisfied that both pieces are good. To be honest, I think that his main area of expertise is WWI uniforms, equipment and weapons.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have blind faith in any dealer -"buy the item, not the name"- but based on my own experience I would say that his shop is worth checking out. As Ade says, however, the parking there is a pain...

All the best

Paul.