Unusual Signal NCO Shoulderboards

[ehrentitle]

I recently acquired a pair of Signal Feldwebel shoulder boards with a group of recently purchased boards. On close inspection today I noticed that the silver tress at the end of the board was different than the edges. It appears to be glued on to what were originally Unteroffizier boards into Feldwebel boards. See photo below. Has anyone come across this before?

[uscob]

Only on self made collectors Boards. Never seen on "Official" ones.

[Marc Sherriff]

I have seen this a few times on BW shoulder straps Boards) but as yet not on DDR ones.

[ehrentitle]

Nico/Mark, Thanks.

[Ralph P]

So does this action indicate that these boards are now fake from original boards???

[ehrentitle]

So does this action indicate that these boards are now fake from original boards???

Ralph, I'm not sure. As you know anything is possible with East German insignia. These boards came from a long time East German collector and member of the SEGMC.

[Ralph P]

thanks Kevin...it will be interesting to read what others know about these boards...

[uscob]

The Boards are OK, only the additional Bar is a fake. But be sure that they fake rarer Boards like Paras, GBK and Naval Aviation. After the Reunification you could buy them directly from the original Manufacturer for the Original Prices but in west German DM and not DDR Marks. The Price for one Majors Board was 12.80 DM what means for a Pair you had to pay 25.60 DM.

[Kartofelpreußer]

I'm trying to understand why someone would fake a board worth practically nothing.

[ehrentitle]

I'm trying to understand why someone would fake a board worth practically nothing.

I don't believe it was intended to be a fake. It may have been that the collector didn't have this particular board in his collection and decided to improvise so he had something representative of this rank. In the pre-internet, pre-e-bay days this stuff was not as easy to find as it is now. In any case I'm going to hang on to them.

[uscob]

I don't believe it was intended to be a fake. It may have been that the collector didn't have this particular board in his collection and decided to improvise so he had something representative of this rank. In the pre-internet, pre-e-bay days this stuff was not as easy to find as it is now. In any case I'm going to hang on to them.

Kevin, you're right. Especially if the guy was a DDR Citizen collecting this Stuff.