New Freikorps Collector

[MilihFra]

Hello everyone

As you all can already tell by the title I am looking into starting a collection of Freikorps items. I have been collecting german militria, specifcially SS items, for a few years now but I am looking for something new. I have always had a historical interest in the Freikorps but now I have acquired and read a few reference books on the medals, insignia, etc. and the question now is where I can go about acquiring legit Freikorps items. So if anyone knows of any sources or has any other advice for a new collector I would appreciate it.

Thanks

[Masch19]

Not easy


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[Brian L.]

There isn't any specific source, any different from sources for other militaria. There are several German auctions and dealers that sell Freikorps regularly such as Hermann Historica, Bene Merenti, Helmut Weitze etc. You should be warned that Freikorps collecting is heating up dramatically, with prices rising sharply over the last year. Except for a handful of common items, most Freikorps material is much rarer than anything Third Reich, including SS. There are increasing numbers of high-quality fakes coming on the market. eBay is the main source for these. So avoid anything there unless you know what you're doing. There are few reference books and none in English that discuss details of originals or expose fakes. It is an area of few experts that ironically requires expertise in order to not get burned.
As always, your best bet is to read as much as you can, to post images of anything you are considering buying on forums like this one and get to know knowledgeable collectors if possible.

[mchap]

bolewts58 summed it up best, and as you'll see his academic approach to the subject and willingness to share data is unparalleled.

I'll add that FK collecting can be very frustrating and rewarding at the same time... dealers are not experts, you must do the homework or get burned. I hope the uptick in interest continues because it is an interesting and misunderstood time in world history.

Bone up on your German comprehension, you'll need it.

[Stossgruppe3]

The reproduction in this market is more so compared to the WW2 German as already stated no proof of the originality
Regards David

[Brian L.]

The reproduction in this market is more so compared to the WW2 German as already stated no proof of the originality
Regards David

If I understand your post correctly, Freikorps fakes hardly approach the level of WW2 German and at the moment are limited to about a dozen or so more well-known unit badges and awards. The vast majority of Freikorps material has not been faked yet. But, that's because most of it is pretty scarce, so fakers don't have originals to use as reference.