Spain medal, "blue division" of Russia!

[Tom Yanacek]

All these silvered Spanish Blue Division medals were made a couple of years ago in Poland. Look around "SI" in the lettering "DIVISION" and you can find some evidence of casting
No originals has been found NEVER in other than laquered with the so called MITTELGOLD laque
Regards
Greg

Hi Gregorio,

Is that messed up 'SI' a characteristic seen on all the Polish-made, cast fakes of this medal? I agree that these should not be silvered, but I have to wonder if the example posted by Sascha is actually silvered. It almost looks like bare zinc, with the finish totally gone, but with the presence of zinc oxidation (Weißrost).

Thank you & best regards,
Tom

[Uncle Kurt]

Hello,
Please a question is my medal original or not?
I thank you for your help!
Kurt

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=803387

[Gregorio Torres]

Well, these fakes are actually very dificult to identify and to distinguish from originals. So this is the reason why I don´t buy this kind of medals in sites like forums or ebay if I don´t know the buyer. Just in hand you can be sure. The polish fakes came to the market in 2010-2011, and they fooled to all experts. They are made in aluminium alloy very similar in outward appearance to the originals made in zink. Even the weigh is almost the same. I can distinguish them when in hand easily smelling the piece. You know that sour smell of old pieces of zinc :-)
I´ve seen these polish zink coming in golden, silvered and naked finishing, and nicely aging and as new one. There isn´t a common lack in the casting work for all the fakes, but looking carefully you use to find some traces of the casting procedure in the surface, but not in every item.
I need to have the medal in my hand to be sure completly, but if silvered (as somebody told me before the pictures were posted here) is a fake.
The ribbon looks ok, but this means nothing to try the medal, as all of you know perfectly.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hi guys,

Here is one that I just won on an auction. The medal has a glossy sheen to it, so I think it has a protective lacquer topcoat. The ribbon appears to be a German-made, wartime ribbon and the suspension ring is marked to Deschler of Munich.

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

The Deschler '1' marking:

[Ian Hulley]

Very nice

Shame about the coating (having said that I coated mine with Vaseline as well )

Ian

[Tom Yanacek]

Very nice

Shame about the coating (having said that I coated mine with Vaseline as well )

Ian

Thank you, Ian.

Best regards,
Tom

[Von.Burgdorf]

Award document to the soldier Luis García Peláez

Infantry Regiment 262 - 9 october 1944

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...63#post7184063



http://subefotos.com/ver/?27b64a217f...e1c3a23dcx.jpg

http://subefotos.com/ver/?595bcb659e...7226ab5e8x.jpg

http://subefotos.com/ver/?8515599512...e9eac8a01x.jpg

[Ian Hulley]

Thanks to a very kind gesture by Dale who shared an original ribbon with me ...




and the two ribbons side by side ..



Once again a huge thanks to Dale for helping me upgrade the award.

Cheers, Ian.

[Oberst Rudel]

Thanks to a very kind gesture by Dale who shared an original ribbon with me ...




and the two ribbons side by side ..



Once again a huge thanks to Dale for helping me upgrade the award.

Cheers, Ian.

Congratulations Ian, the original ribbon is almost impossible to find...