Question about Floch Fakes

[Ron P]

He seems to have defenders as well as detractors. Personally I believe there is no excuse to knowingly produce and sell fakes as being origional and pricing them as origional. It is the same as stealing. Also most flim-flam artists are personable, back-slapping, and quick to shake your hand. It is part of their formula. What is worse are the dealers who slink away from his table with boxes of his wares knowing full well it's all junk and than lie to your face swearing "it's 100% origional". If thats what they need to do to make a living, than they need to find another line of work. I myself have been "Floched" three times. As to my origional question, does he contract out to legit award manufacturers? Ron.

[Steinar]

If floch is 1 person it must be game over soon, hes getting old, very old... if he has been making fakes for over 50 years, it will end, or some other will take over and continue the faking.

1 thing is to make fakes and try and sell them as period done badges, but another thing is makin fakes and sell them as fakes, priced low...
Last time I checked snyders site (i only looked at the EKs) he had all kinds of crap..many flochs as well and priced as it was period done badges lol

[don-zamo]

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amoral [aim-mor-ral]
Adjective
without moral standards or principles

Leroy, no need for that, so I spelt something wrong? big deal.

The guy sells fakes, knowingly, nothing to discuss. He may be a nice person as you claim, but the man is a crook.

[don-zamo]

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amoral [aim-mor-ral]
Adjective
without moral standards or principles

Oh and Leroy, you do realise, spelling in the UK and USA differs somewhat.

You have 'american english', which isnt actually real english

Only kiddin mate

Ive never met the guy, so I cant really comment, I just dont like people who sell fakes. Im not attacking you atall, I do apologise if it seems that way.

[Darrell]

Maybe the dies will be destroyed finally. Let's hope so.

Actually Robert, I hope they don't. We've nailed these fakes down pat with the flaws and characteristics associated. If they make a new die ... it starts all over again

[Leroy]

No problem!

Look, I don't like what he does, either, and I HATE seeing people ripped off. Our problem in this hobby is we don't ( or can't) "self-police" enough. It's always been amazing to me that everybody knows what's going on, but when we walk into a show, THERE HE IS! I think in large measure because he HAS been a supplier to so many dealers, he's developed an immunity. That history, combined with his pleasant demeanor (and occasional finds of great real stuff) has insulated him. When I say I will miss him, it is really only because he has never personally ripped me and, in fact, has been helpful from time to time. As I said, a "likeable rogue". The connections to the early days of this hobby are fast vanishing and with them we are , whether we like it or not, losing the advantage of some very real knowledge not often considered by modern collectors. Good riddance to bad rubbish, but also, there's goes a guy who knows "where the bodies are buried" and, in some cases, how wartime manufacturers really worked (as opposed to how we might THINK they worked).

Anyway, no hard feelings and I AM on the side of the good guys!

[don-zamo]

I understand 100% what you are saying Leroy. Thankfully, ive never been floched, and now ive found this forum, I doubt itll ever happen, well, I can hope so.

James M

[paddywhack]

is there any pics of him?

[Ron P]

Yeh, on the Interpol website!

[Dennis J]

Question about Floch Fakes

No problem!

Look, I don't like what he does, either, and I HATE seeing people ripped off. Our problem in this hobby is we don't ( or can't) "self-police" enough. It's always been amazing to me that everybody knows what's going on, but when we walk into a show, THERE HE IS! I think in large measure because he HAS been a supplier to so many dealers, he's developed an immunity. That history, combined with his pleasant demeanor (and occasional finds of great real stuff) has insulated him. When I say I will miss him, it is really only because he has never personally ripped me and, in fact, has been helpful from time to time. As I said, a "likeable rogue". The connections to the early days of this hobby are fast vanishing and with them we are , whether we like it or not, losing the advantage of some very real knowledge not often considered by modern collectors. Good riddance to bad rubbish, but also, there's goes a guy who knows "where the bodies are buried" and, in some cases, how wartime manufacturers really worked (as opposed to how we might THINK they worked).

Anyway, no hard feelings and I AM on the side of the good guys!

Me too Leroy I am not jumping up yours and I know Floch and Souval as well as Snyder and even old Joe from House oF Swords and Wolffram Diebal from Germany.The later 2 have passed.Hell I went to Germany with a friend of mine to get my money back from Diebal and we went out and got drunk and he told me where I could get the FAKE ss officers bullion arm eagles and metal hat insg from Austria and where he got his tunics and hats made and how to age them.When he showed me that large box of arm eagles I remember thinking how good they were and that I will learn from him and tell everybody when I see them at gun shows about what's out there now.I being a old timer know what you are saying Floch has been around for 50 years and like Snyder and the others he has had some real nice items that you could not get anywhere else so you play along and use them to get knowledge and good items from.Then you pass on the info to everybody else.In other words in those day's we "played the game".I as well as most of you know what a con man does to get your trust.I am not going to sit here and name names but I as well as you have seen some of the most trusted names in the biss. buy from him.The thing about today is the new collector does not want too play the game and he or she should not have too.In today's world the internet is a great way to learn.The only bad thing is that the bad guy's are learning and getting better all the time .I know for a fact that there will allways be Floches and Snyders even after these guy's are gone.
Just a side note the first place I saw one of those Fake Austrian ss arm eagles was in Angolias book on Cloth insg. of the SS .

Enjoy your hobby
Dennis J

[Leroy]

Thanks, Dennis! Your observations of the "old days" are right on the money!

It seems to me that it is us older guys, in league with people like Tom Durante, NTZ and Stonemint (who are really making a difference in this hobby), who are the ones who can "rescue" this hobby. We won't be able to clean it up 100%, but I know for a fact that it is safer now than ever before (except maybe in the VERY early days when there were tons of real stuff right from real, live vets). Fakers are good and technology is helping them, but they still screw up in detectable ways.