Sniper badge check please!

[Steve Flanagan]

Purchased this in combination with a scope at Louisville this week, scope turned out to have issues and dealer is offering full refund, if the patch is good I would love to keep it and just deal with the scope. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Steve Flanagan]

Ii

2

[Antonio Scapini]

Hi Steve, I like it, IMO a good original one.

[Steve Flanagan]

Badge

Thank you!

[Jeff V]

I thought these field gray badges were deemed fakes, and only the light gray ones were thought to be original?

[Ludwig]

Looks like the ones that generally are called textbook originals.

[jacquesf]

Steve, the rough feldgrau backed ones like yours are deemed good, but had questions asked. Compared to the other one, light grey, Jeff referred too. Here are some pics for comparison, you will note the embroidery on yours and the posted ones, below are very similar, only the backing is different. I like it yours as well. J

[Antonio Scapini]

I have me too one with the same base fabric of the one posted from Steve.
In the other the base fabric is like those posted from Jacques.

[Norm F]

previous discussion.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=719276

Best regards,
---Norm

[MAUSER99]

I would advise reading the 11 page thread on the sniper patch to anyone wishing to try to own an original.

[Jeff V]

I would advise reading all of the sniper patch threads. I personally always liked the dark grey backed pieces but there are many that don't like them. I recall one member saying he bought the whole set of three as fakes for $35.00. With this in mind I certainly would not pay the going rate for one of these versus the more universally accepted light grey backed pieces.

[Norm F]

... the more universally accepted ...

From what is presented on WAF to date including that 24-page thread, I'd have to say the terms "universally accepted" and "generally accepted" are not appropriate to the Sniper badge. Yes, there is one particular type as described in this thread that some collectors like to call the "generally accepted" type but the controversy around them persists. In the absence of indisputable evidence, people weigh the data such as it is for themselves and fall into one of three belief groups:

1) The type discussed in this thread is late wartime manufacture (albeit most are unworn).
2) The type discussed in this thread may be of 1945 wartime manufacture given that the design is illustrated in period publication drawings in January 1945, but if so then likely were never or at least rarely awarded.
3) They're likely all post-war but hope springs eternal.

Perhaps "favoured type" would be a more appropriate description than "accepted", since it's possible that some veterans at least owned this type in later years, regardless of when it might have been made and acquired.

Best regards,
---Norm

[longislandercjv]

Yes, I fully agree and highly recommend that you read the thread here on WAF.
The prices that the "generally accepted" sniper patches command are quite expensive, regardless of the fact that no definitive, concrete proof has been found so far...
Read the very informative thread here on WAF. You will be glad you did.

[Norm F]

To make things more confusing, even the "favoured type" seems to occur with variations making them hard to pin down.

The first attachment shows three of the so-called "favoured type" in all three grades. Of these, the first two have no provenance and the third claims to have been awarded to Obermaat Franken on Dec 16, 1944 (Hormann).

The second attachment shows the badge that was sold with the Weissinger grouping in 2003 along with Antonio's badge that was said to have come from the family of a vet. These two have some connecting threads on the obverse not seen on the others, although it's possible these were simply trimmed away on the others.

[Norm F]

The stitching on the reverse is even more puzzling. Here's the "Weissinger badge" front and back and another of the Feldgrau backing badges like the one that started this thread. Pretty similar but more white threads on the Feldgrau example, especially on the backs of the leaves. (But the next post will show even more variability.)