EK1 [L15] - The Black Sheep of the Orth Family

[5tefan]

Poor [L15] EK1! You looks the same like your brother!

- same Frame
- same Core
- same Hinge
- same Pin
- same Catch

But the little "L" @ the Maker Mark make you to the Black Sheep of the Orth Family.

What have you done to deserve this? Or what did Floch done!

[5tefan]

More Details:

[StefanK.]

Poor [L15] EK1! You looks the same like your brother!

- same Frame
- same Core
- same Hinge
- same Pin
- same Catch

But the little "L" @ the Maker Mark make you to the Black Sheep of the Orth Family.

What have you done to deserve this? Or what did Floch done!

[Buckeru]

Top!

[peterm]

Kind regards, Peter

[AndyC]

Stefan do you mean that the left L15 should be original?
Much have been written about this as fake.


Andy

[Tony T-S]

I would imagine that this particular cross is a wartime parts piece put together by Floch. I'm not going to start a discussion about it. I'll go and look for the info as I don't know enough and it's all been discussed before. I will say the the pin looks a different shape to me, but that's probably just the way the light has hit the pin (bent differently to the 15).

[Andreas Klein]

I'm quite sure if the left cross would show a "15" mark we all would have no doubts that this is for sure a genuine original in mint condition.

[Tony T-S]

That's what I thought too, hence my heading off to find out more.

[Tom B]

I don't like either of them Tom

[collecter]

Maybe Mr Floch is improving his products.The other week I upset a dealer from Germany at our local militaria fair here in Chatham,a friend bought an EKI for £190,when he showed to me, I saw the L15 mark I told him to get his money back,which he did,the dealer said I did know what I was talking about,dispite showing him the example in the EK book,it came from a house clearance in Germany with an original tunic.John

[ben bijker]

The ek looks good.

But what could be the explanation for the L?

Orth had L/14, and Schickle had L/15

Doesn't really make sense IMO...

[Andreas Klein]

Hi Ben,

perhaps a mistake by the setup supplier from Orth, who stamped the needles falsely with "L15" instead of "15" or thought that the LDO code from maker "15" must be L15 - we don't know it.

We have another famous example in the combat badge area with the IAB from Frank & Reif which was marked as "Fank & Reif" or take the close combat clasp from Juncker as another example which can be found with "C.F. Juncker" instead of "C.E. Juncker", so misspellings or false markings happened already in the time.

@collector
Btw Mr. Floch is improving nothing ... he is out of buisness since decades and was only a reseller of the Vienna based makers. He never produced anything by his own.

[fabri-online]

I don't know where is the truth and to save these L15s, by the way the example explained by Andreas is really possible as happened with Deumer EKIs, the early types were marked 11, a little time after were marked L/11.

perhaps a mistake by the setup supplier from Orth, who stamped the needles falsely with "L15" instead of "15" or thought that the LDO code from maker "15" must be L15 - we don't know it.