Bavarian pilot´s badge by Poellath

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Imperials,

I already used the seach function but did not find good pics of a Bavarian pilot´s badge by Poellath.
I understand these badges are heavily faked and wonder how a good badge by this maker looks like.

is it Carl (with a C) or Karl (with a K) on these badges? Is one good, or both bogus? Many question marks, hope you can help out here.

Cheers, Frank

[translator]

I sold an Imperial Observer's Badge recently that was in a case marked "Carl Poellath"....

[Rich G]

Do you retain any pictures of it? I'd be really interested in seeing it.

Rich

[Frank Heukemes]

Here´s the badge I want to know more about. Is the mark ok, I have seen ones with K and C for CARL POELLATH.

Cheers, Frank

[Frank Heukemes]

I read in one of stogieman´s posts that he had some badges marked "Carl Poellath, Schrobenhausen, Silver" that turned out be fakes. Does this one look like one of those?

Cheers, Frank

[Frank Heukemes]

Here´s the obverse

[Rick Research]

Frank: All I have to go by is the Observer's badge shown in this forum.

Mine is marked all in capital letters and with the name written together with no space between Karl and Pöllath as

KARLPÖLLATH
SCHROBENHAUSEN
SILBER

I cannot type text here centered, but here is the scan. Because it was taken with a scanner, I couldn't open the pin.

[Rick Research]

My badge has "K"arl and P"ö"llath

The stamp also appears to be ONE PIECE, with the three lines centered to each other, but each line is actually stamped separately.

The stamp on yours looks like the three separate lines were stamped very much NOT centered.

It also says "C"arl P"oe"llath.

What that means, let me be the first to admit I have no idea. As far as any of us are aware, Pöllath has never reproduced their own badges. They are still in business, so their badges could have been made for many, many years.

All I can suggest is looking at their OTHER major products, enamel "Karneval" type "awards" to see whether anything turns up with a datable indication of possibly changing the way they marked their items.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Just an observation

it's very interesting to note that in Don Chalif's book, 'MPABW 1870-Present' (assisted by Roger James Bender) every Po"llath badge is referred to as being manufactured by 'Po"llath, Schrobenhausen, or by a certain 'Carl.' With a 'C'.

I dunno, just an observation.

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Rick & Eric,

Thanks for the info, but would you agree that the badge itself looks original?

Cheers, Frank

[Sonderkommando]

Hello Frank,
I don't know if this is applicable to your badge or not being a Bavarian Pilots Badge, but I think it was Stogieman who once told me that a lot of the Prussian Pilots Badges with the cross at the top cut out like that were mostly fakes. With the Prussian Pilots badges the cross is usually part of a "nub" at the top. I hope that's not the case here as it looks to be a nice badge.

Regards,
Brett

[Rick Research]

I honestly have no "opinion" on Imperial flying badges. personally, I'm too unsure to have ever gotten into them. I only have the three German ones I've shown and a Bulgarian one.

We need to get a data base of as many examples of each kind as possible and talk out what we have and what we've seen. That was my intent when I started the "Extreme Close Up" threads asking everyone to keep to a uniform 200% whole badge obverse and reverse size, with 500% close ups on details.

Some people have had negative reactions, because of the misconception that Collecting By Concensus rather than Accumulating Data is the intention, or that some sort of "Popularity Contest" is going on. Some people simply are not willing to accept any criticism of anything they own under any circumstances, ever.

We cannot proceed and all learn without that. I am not sulking and not posting because the only 1939 EK1 Spange I've acquired so far is fake: IT'S THE BADGES.

Let me ask, again, that everybody who has Imperial Flying badges post yours for comparison. Please start a NEW thread for every DIFFERENT maker and type badge.

SO-- if anybody else has a Pöllath/Poellath Pilot's Badge, please post here. Other makers, other badges, start new threads. Search "pilot" or "observer" to see what already exists in back pages.

I'd really like to know as much as possible about all these Imperial flying badges. We are still in the Data Dark Ages here on these-- and NO ONE has EVER done the detailed "scientific" sort of detailed scans discussion of "our" badges that Third Reich collectors have done with theirs.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Objective is good!

Rick is of course spot on in his last post. After reading it, I decided to root around and try to find awards other than flight badges in my collection made by this maker. Not to derail the thread concerning flight badges per se, but to try to answer Frank's question vis-a-vis the method of hallmarking. Here's the first one I've found: a regimental Honor Cross.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Reverse:

Back is marked in raised letters, Carl Poellath Schrobenhausen.

Now, I have flight badges that have both hallmark characteristics
mentioned in the posts above. I'll post those for the benefit of us all.

Brett, to me a Bavarian cut-out cross is perfectly OK.

[Eric Stahlhut]

here's an even better one!

here's a regimental tinnie!