Great War field dressings

[ynot]

Hello,

Does anyone know if Great War field dressings are being faked?

I have 2 examples pictured below, the smaller one is from July 1915 and has a safety pin wrapped in brown paper which is sewn to the top. The other one is much bigger and is dated February 1916.

I’ve had both of them for quite a while now but no longer than 3 years.

Any comments are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

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[ynot]

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[ynot]

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[ynot]

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[Paul B]

Hi Tony

The general consensus is that most -if not all -of the John Bell of Croydon field dressings marked February 1916 are fakes. As I understand it, the problem is not with Bell as a manufacturer per se, more with the Bell dressings marked Feb 16, which seem to have been initially produced for the re-enactor market.

Visit www.1914-1918.org/forum and search for "field dressing", or alternatively go straight to www.1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=9490&hl=field+dressing

Sorry to be the bearer of potentially bad news.

All the best

Paul.

[ynot]

Hello Paul,

Thanks for that. I must say I did have my suspicions when I got it but as it was a swap for something I paid hardly any money for, I took the chance.

I think that the smaller one is original but I’m only going by the condition and smell. I know these can be faked too but even if I am wrong, it does look good. Well I think they both look good.

Thanks

Tony<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o></o>

[MH184]

They even fake these !!!

[Paul B]

They even fake these !!!

Yep, unfortunately.

Probably for three reasons:

1) Cheap to reproduce, and a reasonably high return if you can sell them as original.

2) Very few people have handled the real thing up close.

3) Most people think that they are too "ordinary" to reproduce.

4) The best way to tell if it's a fake is to open it -a lot of collectors don't want to risk doing this in case they destroy what turns out to be an original field dressing.

You name it -it's been faked. I think there's also a few dodgy WWI German dressings doing the rounds as well, and how long before the Bell and Croydon dressings become too well known and the fakers switch to another maker....

Makes you want to take up stamp collecting....

All the best

Paul.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Marcus, yes, they do indeed fake them as Paul said. Here is a site ran by a friend of mine:

http://www.motion-picture-props.com/page18.html

Cheers, Ade.