Fallschirmschutzenabzeichen

[Chris]

Right, Brian. Assmann fakes were good two generations ago. What I'm saying is that it is at least possible that we are seeing the perfect storm: Number 2 die Assmann fakes that are perfect. There are just too many of them coming on the market in the past year to rule out this possibility.

[Chris]

PS Frank, technically you're right. The old firm of Assmann & Söhne went bankrupt, and the Assmann firm run today by his grandson makes electronic parts. However, the old firm was bought out by a company named Meditec-GMBH, also of Ludenscheid, which acquired all the old Assmann dies and tooling equipment. Their catalog of military badges, buckles and metal fittings can be seen online at www.meditec-gmbh.de

Many of the parts which they continue to make (with the same equipment the same way) under the new name will look very familiar to collectors, such as the metal studs for ammo pouches, and the hooks for FJ kneepads for example. (The company also makes Pickelhauben.) I don't know where the original dies went for the FJ badge, but they could very likely have gone to Meditec. There are simply too many of these mint number 2 die Assmann PB's around now for them all to be fugitives from the law of averages.

[SgtB]

Right, Brian. Assmann fakes were good two generations ago.

I wouldn't know, Chris, as two generations ago (+/- 40 years) I was
just a crumb-cruncher. What I do know is that in the late '70's/early
'80's my buddy was in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany (later S.
Korea) and he acquired many of his badges while there. It is possible
that that's where he got the Assman badge which he knew to be bad.
I really can't remember the fine details of the conversation as it was
a 3-minute incident 22 years ago about a subject I knew little about.
Isn't it possible that they perfected the badge in all these years?

I'd love to ask him some more questions but he drank himself to death
at the age of 35 ten years ago. When I catch up to him, I will.

[Darrell]

Hi,

Darrell, as Frank indicates, the finish may be OK. I'd suggest checking VERY carefully on the wreath for ANY traces of gilt finish, particularly near where the eagle overlaps the wreath. Conversely, I'd make sure the gold finish on the eagle is present on the eagle SPECIFICALLY adjacent to the wreath, preferably with some indications of gilt "slop" onto the underside of the eagle.
Regards
Mike K

Mike, I got home and got the magnifying glass out, and took a close look all around the edges and inside between the eagle and wreath. No splash on the wreath, it looks clean.

Also appears all edges of the Eagle have gilt finish applied. No missed areas that I can see (other than the reverse shown in the pictures above).

[Frank Heukemes]

Thanks for the meditec link, Chris!

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

Darrell, the gilt finish sounds like it's good. Congrats on a nice badge!

Chris, great info on Assmann's recent history - thanks!

Regards
Mike K

[Yuri D.]

Just to throw a few more similar examples into the mix. My friend has an Assmann Pilot Observer Badge that he has owned for decades. It has the "A - L/64" MM and does NOT have the inegrated hinge-catch-wreath, but the other type of zinc wreath with separate hinge and catch. It would be very interesting to compare this MM to the MM on the Paratrooper badges to see if there are differences.

[Yuri D.]

Reverse:

[Yuri D.]

The MM:

[Yuri D.]

One of the rivets, notice how rivets on the badges with the "A - L/64" marked eagles are raised and cylindrical, while the rivets on the non-marked eagles are counter-sunk:

[Yuri D.]

Here is an Assmann Observer's Badge from my collection. The eagle on it is marked with a simple "A" with a "1" on the right side of the wreath, and the rivets on this one are countersunk just like on the Para badges without the "A - L/64" mm.:

[Yuri D.]

Reverse of the Observer's badge:

[Yuri D.]

Perhaps the badges marked "A - L/64" were constructed by different people using different equipment. The rivets are a definite indicator of this, because it would take a different technique to create countersunk rivets as opposed to raised ones.

Has anyone seen an "A - L/64" marked badge with a number "1" on the wreath? I know that "1" marked badges are more scarce than "2" marked badges.

Yuri

[Sal Williams]

Hi Yuri,
The FJ badge first pictured seems to have a raised "2" wheras the "1" you show seems to be indented. Is this true or just tricks of the photos on the eyes? Is there significance in that if it is true? i.e. "1"marked wreaths are always indented and "2" marked wreaths are always raised? If so why?

Frank, As usual a rock solid theory! Can't see any way around your conclusions.

Best, Sal

Very interesting guys,...THANKS!

[Darrell]

YuriI found a couple more examples off kai Winkler's site. One is a A L/64 with 2 on wreath, the other is an unmarked Assman with a "1" on wreath. Just for your study.

# 1 - "A" L/64 Wreath # 2

Obverse: