With apologies to Don D. in the Imperial forum, I thought it might be useful to start a similar thread here.
For those who think Freikorps is a safe collecting field because it's still a comparatively niche area (albeit one with dramatically increasing interest), I draw your attention to this eBay dealer and his high-quality fakes which include several well-known Freikorps badges and awards. He is by no means the only one producing high-quality Freikorps fakes and in fact certain fake Freikorps insignia was produced as far back as the 1960s. But, "The Club", as this dealer is known by many collectors seems to have the most variety.
https://www.ebay.de/sch/raritaetensa...p2047675.l2562
While the Freikorps items are all excellent quality fakes, there are several details that are wrong, making them easy to detect for those with knowledge. They are for the most part struck from new dies resulting in the die cutter not getting the details exactly the same as genuine originals. Based on certain details, I suspect that at least some of the designs from which the dies were cut were generated on computer and that the dies were then likely laser cut. Such things as fonts, surface textures, hardware, finish and base materials are incorrect. For example, the Loewenfeld Cross I cl. (4th image) has at least 7 distinct details that are wrong. Despite that, the excellent fakes are so numerous and convincing to many collectors, that they have negatively impacted the market for genuine examples of this cross with the result that they sell well below what they should, given the relatively low number that were issued and the fact that there was only one maker (as is the case with many Freikorps badges and awards) and likely only one original die.
SAX.jpg Eiserne Division.jpg Schutztruppe Bug.jpg von Loewenfeld.jpg
Grenzschutz Ost.jpg Gedenkmünze OS.jpg
For those who think Freikorps is a safe collecting field because it's still a comparatively niche area (albeit one with dramatically increasing interest), I draw your attention to this eBay dealer and his high-quality fakes which include several well-known Freikorps badges and awards. He is by no means the only one producing high-quality Freikorps fakes and in fact certain fake Freikorps insignia was produced as far back as the 1960s. But, "The Club", as this dealer is known by many collectors seems to have the most variety.
https://www.ebay.de/sch/raritaetensa...p2047675.l2562
While the Freikorps items are all excellent quality fakes, there are several details that are wrong, making them easy to detect for those with knowledge. They are for the most part struck from new dies resulting in the die cutter not getting the details exactly the same as genuine originals. Based on certain details, I suspect that at least some of the designs from which the dies were cut were generated on computer and that the dies were then likely laser cut. Such things as fonts, surface textures, hardware, finish and base materials are incorrect. For example, the Loewenfeld Cross I cl. (4th image) has at least 7 distinct details that are wrong. Despite that, the excellent fakes are so numerous and convincing to many collectors, that they have negatively impacted the market for genuine examples of this cross with the result that they sell well below what they should, given the relatively low number that were issued and the fact that there was only one maker (as is the case with many Freikorps badges and awards) and likely only one original die.
SAX.jpg Eiserne Division.jpg Schutztruppe Bug.jpg von Loewenfeld.jpg
Grenzschutz Ost.jpg Gedenkmünze OS.jpg