In the last years so much progress has been made on the field of research about these badges and orders!
This is due to people who compared designs, dies, pin systems and also due to the people who dug up the documents and who studied them.
Both is extremely important and nothing would be more wrong if one "side" tells the other that they are wrong, egoistical, self-righteous or whatever since both are sometimes right and both are sometimes wrong.
As much as we know that not every company made their own dies and pins systems, as much do we know that not every company was obeying the written rules and regulations.
Both "schools" are important, interesting, productive and absolutely necessary! Nothing would be more wrong than to have a fight between the two sides, leading possibly to ignorance of evidence of either side - which would be a dramatic mistake.
I value personally value Tom's approach as much as I value Andreas'. In some instances I tend to agree more to the "sceptical document" side - might be the German in me. On the other hand I certainly know the value of forensics from my studies and defend them with all intensity! However, every "finding" or "naming" should be done with a very high degree of factual evidence which holds up under reasonable scrutiny! If not, it is just a thesis or an unproven opinion.
Arguments, that some people cannot understand German documents correctly despite being a German with a normal functioning brain, or conclusions based on smell, taste or one example only are often wishful thinking or defensive measures. But even that can lead to great discoveries - if it is only to show some of these people how wrong (or maybe even right) they are.
As always in life I think it needs to be such that we take the best of both "schools", be critical of both and learn with both. And we know one thing: we all want the same - the truth! But it should be more than just an assumption of the truth and sometimes it takes patience and also the guts to say "I don't know what maker made this badge!" What is wrong with that statement?
Dietrich
This is due to people who compared designs, dies, pin systems and also due to the people who dug up the documents and who studied them.
Both is extremely important and nothing would be more wrong if one "side" tells the other that they are wrong, egoistical, self-righteous or whatever since both are sometimes right and both are sometimes wrong.
As much as we know that not every company made their own dies and pins systems, as much do we know that not every company was obeying the written rules and regulations.
Both "schools" are important, interesting, productive and absolutely necessary! Nothing would be more wrong than to have a fight between the two sides, leading possibly to ignorance of evidence of either side - which would be a dramatic mistake.
I value personally value Tom's approach as much as I value Andreas'. In some instances I tend to agree more to the "sceptical document" side - might be the German in me. On the other hand I certainly know the value of forensics from my studies and defend them with all intensity! However, every "finding" or "naming" should be done with a very high degree of factual evidence which holds up under reasonable scrutiny! If not, it is just a thesis or an unproven opinion.
Arguments, that some people cannot understand German documents correctly despite being a German with a normal functioning brain, or conclusions based on smell, taste or one example only are often wishful thinking or defensive measures. But even that can lead to great discoveries - if it is only to show some of these people how wrong (or maybe even right) they are.
As always in life I think it needs to be such that we take the best of both "schools", be critical of both and learn with both. And we know one thing: we all want the same - the truth! But it should be more than just an assumption of the truth and sometimes it takes patience and also the guts to say "I don't know what maker made this badge!" What is wrong with that statement?
Dietrich
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