For me "early post-war" is the time beween 1946 and 1950. Maybe others have another time frame in mind. In his interesting book "German Medal Makers & Their Marks 1813 - 1957" the author Mark Woods writes on page 130: "By 1949, he (Hans Assmann) was fully back in production with badges and equipment for the railways, post office, fire department, mining, trams, etc ..."
If Assmann was busy, it is very reasonable to assume that also other companies in Lüdenscheid picked up some reconstruction work. That the so-called barter boards are post-war productions is not in doubt. That most companies in that area also had left over stock is also highly probable.
For the collector of historical items these barter boards are very desireable and it realy makes no difference whether the pieces are late pre- or early post-war. They are still pieces of that history and time. To use them as evidence for pre- or post war production is IMO very dangerous.
For a collector of genuine orders and medals in the sense it is used in collector circles, a zinc Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross cannot and is not the real deal. It is a reporoduction made with the same die but in zinc, a not unknown procedure of S&L.
If Assmann was busy, it is very reasonable to assume that also other companies in Lüdenscheid picked up some reconstruction work. That the so-called barter boards are post-war productions is not in doubt. That most companies in that area also had left over stock is also highly probable.
For the collector of historical items these barter boards are very desireable and it realy makes no difference whether the pieces are late pre- or early post-war. They are still pieces of that history and time. To use them as evidence for pre- or post war production is IMO very dangerous.
For a collector of genuine orders and medals in the sense it is used in collector circles, a zinc Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross cannot and is not the real deal. It is a reporoduction made with the same die but in zinc, a not unknown procedure of S&L.
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