Opinions on WWI Belt Buckle

[Harvey A]

Hello all,

I am not a buckle collector but bought about 45 WWI buckles from a friend who purchased an unopened crate; these were his last remaining stock. He had sold most of the buckles to dealers; and a few of these are still seen on dealer's websites.

I sold several over the past 2 years and every buyer was happy. Lately I have have received questions from potential buyers about their originality.

I saw them in their undisturbed original tissue wrapping paper, and the folds, age, fragility, etc.. made it perfectly clear that they had been wrapped in a factory many, many years ago.

What are the opinions of the experts?

Thanks,

Harvey

[Harvey A]

2

[PlaceOfBayonets]

I can tell you this much. The paint on brand new repros is not even as good as that flawless paint job. Repros are pressed out and tossed into a order pull bin or boxed up for shipments to Europe and USA for all those re enactors.
I do have a mint original that was a war bond item given to war aid donators. It's not even that perfect looking and it's an hour away.

I just dug out my repro and an original sitting around here. After comparing them and your photos I am going to call your belt buckle an original. Way too much detail to be a reproduction.

I posted my photo for the hell of it. Not enough detail can be seen in my photo to confirm what I am saying.

What are you asking for them if I may ask?

William

[Chip M]

As you say, crates of these were captured and brought to the States. Some were given out a prizes for warbond purchases and many were given out to the various states as war booty. I have seen a letter from the federal government, which offered the state of Misssouri a shopping list of captured German items. This list was passed down to state museums and many things were sent, including these mint Prussian M15 buckles. The items on the list is mind-boggling and included artillery pieces down to helmet cockades. I assume the unclaimed items remained in warehouses in Washington.

Chip

[checkit]

Yours are perfectly good.

[Harvey A]

Thanks to all for your opinions; maybe I can reference this thread on future ads.

William, as for price, the one shown above is listed on the estand:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=harvey

And there's another one in slightly worse condition:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ghlight=harvey

I have several more but I'm tired of selling them too cheap.

Thanks again,

Harvey

[Chip M]

Harvey,

Because there are so many of these around, it has depressed the price. I would not expect a lot of interest at what you are offering them for. Wait for the centennial and you will probably get your price.

Chip

[phild]

I can not add much the coments above, except to say that I have seen these in the tissue and in mint original cardboard sleeves (boxes) of I believe 25 per sleeve offered for as little as $5 per buckle and not really selling.

Now that was in about 1969/70 at a gunshow and things have changed a lot...including the price of the $75 matching Luger that was sitting beside them.....and the $1.65 per hour a lot of people lived on back then.

I have seen a lot of these on and off in the 40 years since...but I do not consider them that common any more.

It goes to show that vast lots of mint militaria can and does surface...and will continue. A 'ton" of mint items 90 years old and identical to turn up at one place and at one time does NOT mean fake......a cause to look very close, yes.

[PlaceOfBayonets]

Add to all this the fact that no one's going to go to the trouble to fake an item like WWI belt buckles when the money they sell for does not justify the expense to produce them.

Have you tried listing them on ebay and seeing what they sell for?

W.