Army Para badge

[Sergey]

Look at this aluminium army para badge. Is it original? What can you say?http://molotok.ru/catalog/view_item.php?id_sell=1398137

[Eric Queen]

They're getting closer boys......

First of all, here's the badge in question.

[Eric Queen]

Looking at this really makes me think hard about Rick's post asking the question, "are the fakers using us ( the forum ) to fine tune their products". I must say now, that it would certainly seem that way. At least in isolated cases.

This ( above ) is an "up grade" of a badge that had been posted on the forum and other places several times starting around nearly a year ago ( below )



My (and others ) comments concerning this badge primarily focused around the most obvious problem, that all second model aluminum APB's had a "beard" or flat plate under the Wehrmachtadlers beak, and these did not. I see now, 6 months or so later, that this problem has been corrected.

Notice that other elements, common to original badges ( which we have discussed over and over on the forum ), are also found in this badge. such as: No maker mark, "C" form not "?" form catch, primerless application of finish.



There are a number of other minor proplems that this badge has, but I will not discuss them here. In fact, I have to really re-think now the discussing of the "whys and hows" in an open forum.
Its too bad that is has come to this. EQ

[Prosper Keating]

Close...but no banana! However, I tend to agree with Eric. It is perhaps wiser not to explain in detail why this badge still differs in various ways from the originals that it purports to be. You try to share knowledge: a handful of people thank you for it but far more people abuse you...and then you find that forgers and fakers - some of whom post on these forums and are quite well-known - are using this information to refine their wares.

There's a lesson in there somewhere...

Prosper Keating