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**Thomas Durante** · 09-26-2018, 07:18 AM

Hi Giel,

Great badge! Amazing that new discoveries like this can still be found. We have seen these deep-stamped FLL43 badges in Army Flak, GAB and PAB, but also some Kriegs badges too. One look at that reverse hardware setup, in particular the hinge and catch on oval plate is textbook FLL; the exact same setup we see on FLL CCCs.

Also interesting is the raised oval outline under the catchplate, that is exactly what we see on FLL PABs.

Great find!

Tom

**Tom Yanacek** · 10-15-2018, 07:41 PM

Hi Giel and Tom D too,

While I admit that this badge looks good in many respects, I am still very suspicious about it. I first saw this exact badge back in April of this year. It was in an auction along with a Panzer Badge, two General Assault Badges, a Heer Flak Badge, a High Seas Fleet Badge, and an Auxiliary Cruiser Badge. All of the badges had the same hardware setup and all were stamped FLL43. These were the only badges in the auction, which I thought suspicious in and of itself. This particular auction is also notorious for dumping fakes on collectors. I seldom see anything real in their auctions as far as German militaria is concerned. Here is a link to the thread I posted back in April. If these badges are so rare, isn't it highly suspicious that seven of them pop up at the same time and place? Hopefully we don't start seeing these popping up everywhere.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...hlight=FLL+IAB

Best regards,
Tom

**Tom Yanacek** · 10-17-2018, 10:40 AM

Here is a link to the thread on the High Seas Fleet Badge and Auxiliary Cruiser Badge in the Kriegsmarine War & Qualification Badge section:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=957483

**Bruce Simcox** · 10-22-2018, 01:02 AM

Hi Tom

......Thanks for posting those links.

**Tony Bologna** · 10-22-2018, 12:43 PM

Yikes! No question that the original IAB is a fake, it is part of a family of fakes that all have very solft details and incorrect features. The hardware, especially in the clear pictures looks convincing, but this is one of those cases where we actually need to focus less on the hardware and more on the obverse details.

**Thomas Durante** · 10-22-2018, 01:27 PM

Hi guys,

Well I would be quite surprised to see if these badges are actual fakes. The hardware, zink base metal and wear all look very typical, especially for FLL. The fact that all the badges are FLLs is also a good sign (and not a faker just grabbing any badge and sticking an FLL mark on it). What are the chances all are FLLs? Its a good sign in my opinion.

Finding them all in auction at the same time, could be that someone found a hoard of these (its not unheard of from time to time, and certainly known with FLL badges).

I'm just not convinced they are all fakes at this point. I would love to hold some of these badges in hand to see how they are in person. Pics are always difficult but there are so many little details that are correct on the IAB posted that I have a hard time believing a faker got everything right.

Tom

**Bruce Simcox** · 10-22-2018, 04:37 PM

Hi Tom

......Mr. Durante's observation that " Pics are always difficult" is one that gets overlooked in a number of evaluations.

In the case of these badges some good hard evidence will needed to demonstrate that these badges, all showing identical maker marks by the way, are original to the period, and not FAKES.

As there are two badges in the group, the High Seas Fleet and Auxiliary Cruiser, for whom Friedrich Linden is not a known maker of....that alone presents a very noticeable red flag. The images in the links are very clear in this instance, and they show that these maker marks all are identical, not similar....identical.

For myself, I am very skeptical about the alleged originality of these badges.

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