EK2 spange...good..bad...ugly??

[Todd Gylsen]

I've had this spange for a while but have always had my doubts about it. Is it good, bad?? Thanks for the help.

[Frank Heukemes]

Tough decision!


Here is how I see it:

-your spange looks like the one from Jan Arne S, also marked L/12. I think Jan Arne´s is okay. He may post it here.

-the L/12 fakes look exactly the same (it seems cast from original L/12s) BUT they do not have four separetly soldered on prongs, they have two long ones, the middle part of each soldered onto the badge.

I do not know if your packet is ok, since Frank & Reif is not a recorded maker of these, but anything is possible.

Cheers, Frank

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Guys,

Frank, I thought it was pretty well agreed that these were fakes, most notably for the asymmetrical area under the wings (looking at it, the area below the right wing is much smaller than the left wing). I don't have any pics of a Juncker spange, so I may be speaking out of turn, but I always passed on spanges that had this asymmetry. I have seen several in the past, usually unmarked. I think Gailen has one on his site right now.

Tom D.

Tough decision!


Here is how I see it:

-your spange looks like the one from Jan Arne S, also marked L/12. I think Jan Arne´s is okay. He may post it here.

-the L/12 fakes look exactly the same (it seems cast from original L/12s) BUT they do not have four separetly soldered on prongs, they have two long ones, the middle part of each soldered onto the badge.

I do not know if your packet is ok, since Frank & Reif is not a recorded maker of these, but anything is possible.

Cheers, Frank

[George Stimson]

Although the above Spange does appear to have asymmetrical lower wing feathers, it is not the asymmetrical lower wing feather fake. This one is. (And yes, Gailen does have one of these on his site.)

[Frank Heukemes]

Yes, it is not the asymmetrical fake.

I am posting Jan Arne´s L/12 here, because I think he is unaware of this thread.

I thought (and we all thoughtas far as I remember) this is a good one when he posted it. Honestly, I do not know for sure, I never owned a L/12 marked EK2 spange.

Gordon mentions L/12 as a maker of these, but also shows no picture. He shows a pic of the L/12 fake however and the fake does not have four seperate prongs, otherwise it is the same compared to the "original". I assume the differences in the head area are due to hand finish.

Here are:

1) Jan Arne S presumably good one (seperate prongs)
2) fake L/12 (just two prong parts folded up to make "4" prongs)

[Frank Heukemes]

reverse, L/12 mark is there, you just hardly see it:

[Frank Heukemes]

the FAKE L/12

[Frank Heukemes]

reverse FAKE L/12

[Colorado]

This is scary. I went to a small show here in VA and walked on the twin of the top EK2 spange. It also included the envelope, Frank and Reif marked. I asked the dealer how he came across it. He could not remember. Too coincidental that they are showing up with packets.

[Todd Gylsen]

I can tell you which vendor this EK2 Spange with envelope oringally came from. It came from Globe Militaria those many years ago when they were in business. This is the main reason I am leaning toward the reason these are not real but very carefully done fakes. I am not positive that these are fake or real, hence why I posted this to the forum...to see if it is real or fake.