Krimschild!

[Seewolf]

I think the "antique" is a feature which the produer wanted to have. It gives the shields a great and wonderful 3d effect, without this effct the shields would look boring.
I have only a Cholm and a golden Narvik so nothing more or special for comparison.
Look at the modern ebay Krim, there no antique and no 3d effect and that one looks horrible...on these pics the water looks like a negative .....

I say that are wanted shadows for a better look, very good to see at the Cholm one...

Forgot to add: The marked areas on the last Kuban and Krim looks like someome tried to "clean" the shields there. The last krim is in a horrible condition for such a very early one

[Nigel N]

I have'nt any shields at all, so nothing to post, but i think Rudiger is right about the antique finish applied, without it, most of these shields would, i think, look glittery and quite cheap looking, not very attractive, but with the finish applied they look great!!!
The finish makes them look a lot like the Third Reich equivalents, maybe thats what the makers were aiming for???
-Nigel

[Mike Yokum]

Thanks Rüdiger and Nigel for helping to confirm what I was thinking. It seems almost the like stain applied to the wood on furniture. The recessed areas retain more and the higher areas less to give a 3D effect as you said Rüdiger.

I'm not sure the eBay one is more modern. It appears to be from another maker altogether and is actually a very crisp strike, more crisp than mine or David's IMO.

Let's continue to look at shields and see if we can learn more about manufacturers and finishing techniques.

[Seewolf]

The finish makes them look a lot like the Third Reich equivalents, maybe thats what the makers were aiming for???

I would say that´s exactly the point

I'm not sure the eBay one is more modern. It appears to be from another maker altogether and is actually a very crisp strike, more crisp than mine or David's IMO.

That one is much too crispy and there is much too much pebbling. That one is much too shiny and shows no character. Maybe not the same maker but for sure are a modern one in my eyes. I miss the special feeling on this one...

Let's continue to look at shields and see if we can learn more about manufacturers and finishing techniques.

Yep, we should do that. we talk so much about combat awards and EK´s and DK´s and so on.....but we never discussed really these shields. And these are all payable pieces at the moment

[Mike Yokum]

And these are all payable pieces at the moment

Oh no! Now every dealer that reads here will jack up the prices!

I've long wanted to do more study on shields, but you know I focus on FJ stuff and officially FJ were only awarded the Narvikschild so it just never materialized. It would be great if we could dig into these awards. They also tell a soldiers story. Qualification badges tell one part of a soldiers story, what his specialized training was in and bravery awards tell of the man's character, but shields tell where he was in combat and of the conditions under which he fought. Too long underated. This is something we can change.