Close Combat Clasp for opinion

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

A friend of mine sent me pics of this clasp a little while ago asking my opinion and thought it might be a good learning lesson here. What are your thoughts?

Thanks

Tom

[AndyC]

I say no golden presentation claps are made in zink but I can be wrong




Andy

[Buckeyesgt]

If it’s supposed to be a presentation one. Quick glance no rivet and flat wire. All the examples in book are round with rivet.

[Patrick W]

Nice effort but of course garbage- obverse design is fake- look at the blade of the bayonet! reverse setup all wrong, nice try at fading the gilding though

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies and well spotted, it is indeed a fake. If you notice, it is the common "Butterknife Fake" obverse like Reproduction #4 in the CCC book. Also has similar backplate crimping, so clearly made by the same fakers. But they like to mix things up, and stuck a top hook on it and painted it gold in an attempt to throw off the scent of a fake. But honestly, these features only help to reveal it as a fake as Buckeye clearly points out only originals have a rivetted backplate, so a big red flag here.

The finish is a pretty good representation of natural fading we see on original clasps, so kudos to the fakers, but all the other red flags on it leave little doubt that this is nothing more than a new twist on an old fake.

Nice work guys, keep up the good studying.

Tom