Kassel / EK1 1870 quiz...

[jani_tiainen]

Number 7

7. Unmarked

Obverse

[jani_tiainen]

7. Unmarked

reverse

[Erich B.]

I'll take a stab at this. None of the pictured crosses has the appearance I like to see. I wouldn't have purchased any of them.
Erich

Hello friends,

The following EK's have been pictured in latest Kassel arms fair. All were sold as original, but now I am asking you to tell how many of these are genuine?

I apologise the quality of few pictures, but you should be able to identify the crosses ... I have also "removed" the price tags and will not name the sellers.

I would be happy to give some prize for the winner, but it is possible, that the struggle for the right answer may take over christmas...

Give your best shot mates.

Jani

[Gerd Becker]

Hi Jani,

i say, Nr 4 is the only real one. All the others are fakes.

best,
Gerd

[Biro]

Hi Jani, i say, Nr 4 is the only real one. All the others are fakes......Gerd

I also quite like no. 4 - it is one I would say we could easily argue the date of, but not necessarily the authenticity of.....

Before I found my Godet EK1, I watched this one for a long time as it sat - and still does - on Hueskens site (for 2500 Euro).

I prefer mine with a Godet/Wagner maker mark I can trust - and NONE of these fall into that category - but I definitely would have singled this one out for much closer inspection at the show......

I did try also, to get the discussion going about the EK1 in post 16 and 17 above......to no avail....but I have to say I would still pass on it.

You can see a better pic of it here... http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...light=1870+EK1
I think it was last seen on Weitzes site 3/4 weeks ago

JMO

Marshall

[Chris Boonzaier]

Gentleman...

May I remind you of the catalog I posted some time ago where you could order EK1 and 2s 1914 style, or 1870 style from a German badge maker?
The catalog was dated 1930 or something and the guy had obviously been supplying them for ages to vets.

Like modern US or french awards, there is no "1945 cut off line" for 1870 awards, a soldier could officially buy and wear it in 1920 if he wanted.

We cannot say "man, if it was not made in 1877 it is fake" because that is not true. If Godet made one in 1923 and a vet bought it to wear, it is just as original as if a US WW2 vet buys himself a Bronze star to wear for the one he lost moving house in 1963.

Almost all my medals are not the ones I was awarded. I bought a couple of sets of everything after I left the army... they are noless original.

The question for 1870 pieces is then not "is it made in the 1870s or is it fake?" but rather "is it an original made in the 1870s, an less desireable original made in the 60 years that followed, or an out and out fake...."

Personally I think the middle catagory is such a grey, grey, grey area... about 80% of potential crosses (but good) would have to be tossed out to be sure....

[Biro]

100% agree Chris....

which is actually what I was alluding to, by saying...'we could argue the date of, but not the authenticity of'.....

This is an extremely important point that Chris has raised....trash cans the world over must contain many gems....

And another reason why I'm still confused by the slight ambiguity of the descriptions Detlev uses for his 'Fake of the week's ....

"a modern reproduction,that was not made during the time of official award......"

That's a narrow field.....

Regards

Marshall

[gregM]

I like #4. It has the crown detail and the look of quality that I would expect in
a 1870 piece.

I am intrigued by #5. I have not seen that maker before and it looks to have the right age. If the price were right ( cheap enough ) I would bring it home.

Greg

[Marc Garlasco]

That Wagner is nothing like mine.

Nothing beats holding it, looking at how 3-dimensional the crown and date are, how the crown rises over the height of the beading. Breathtaking!

Marc

[Blitz]

Number 4.

[jani_tiainen]

Answer

Number 4 is original, made between 1870-1880

Number 7 is original, but much later - may even be from 1930's.

All the others are reproductions made to fool collectors.

Will you accept my answer mates

Jani

P.S Very nice guess Antti!