Will the "hobby" die?

[Edgar Estrada]

In my English dictionary I can read:

“Hobby, An activity or interest pursued outside one’s regular work primary for pleasure.”

Well in Spanish it has the same meaning and yes! Collecting these military antics has all the elements to be called a Hobby. However, I see it a little bit more than that, I see it as the searching for history, to have with me a little part of that history, to touch history through them and a “museum” of crafmanship of the past (a very good art). Something deeper than just a hobby, but still a great pleasure.

For what I have learned in this forum (and others), the fakes of KM badges are getting better and better everyday (they even deceive some old collectors sometimes!!). Let’s think when technology is so advance (Star Trek time), that these fakes will be impossible to spot. No one will probe that the badges he owns are original because the fakes will be just as good as the original. Will the “hobby” die that day? The only solution could be to track the badges back on time. It can be “easy” now but in 100 years. For example I should ask the dealers from where they got the badges, and then ask the next one and so on, until get back to 1945 and before.
Will the hobby die one day because of perfect fakes?

Regards,

Edgar

[Don D.]

No because of faith/hope. Collectors will have faith/hope that their things are genuine and other people's are fake. It is this same mentality that keeps people looking for, and buying RKs and PLMs on ebay.

[Marc Garlasco]

People still buy Picaso's and coins...

[VonLuger]

Let’s think when technology is so advance (Star Trek time), that these fakes will be impossible to spot. No one will probe that the badges he owns are original because the fakes will be just as good as the original. Will the “hobby” die that day? The only solution could be to track the badges back on time. It can be “easy” now but in 100 years. For example I should ask the dealers from where they got the badges, and then ask the next one and so on, until get back to 1945 and before.

Edgar

Lay off the herb

[all1knew]

Hello,

But for people who have recently started out it is so hard to stay afloat in this hobby.......going to school, working, and playing on the forum, can take a lot out of a guy - and this stuff is getting more expensive everyday.

William Kramer

[Tiger 1]

Hello,

But for people who have recently started out it is so hard to stay afloat in this hobby.......going to school, working, and playing on the forum, can take a lot out of a guy - and this stuff is getting more expensive everyday.

William Kramer

William,

It was about the same when the old timers started out. I can't begin to tell you how many times PBJs or a can of Campbell's soup tided me over when I spent my money on my collection. Worse yet we didn't have the luxury of the internet for information. We had to find out for ourselves the hard way. Sometimes an expensive hard way.

Collecting takes dedication and some intestinal fortitude. If you're really passionate about you hobby you'll always find a way to indulge it. Then again that's true about anything in life isn't it?

All the best and good hunting!

Tony

[Larry Lipps]

The perfect fake has been among us for a long time. It doesn't have to be technically correct, it only has to be better than the knowledge level of the collector examining it. If it only fools one collector in ten, it's still the perfect fake. It's not important that nine collectors passed it by, only that it was good enough for one to pick it up. To that collector, it becomes real. The perfect fake doesn't scare me near as much as collectors who rely on others for their knowledge. Knowledge is a collectors only real friend and partner. If collectors fail to educate themselves, they will find the world is already full of perfect fakes.

[Don D.]

Waxing poetic tonight, eh Larry.

Good observation.

[Bob Hritz]

Larry summed it up perfectly. We live in an 'instant gratification' world where collectors demand a guaranteed profit and risk free hobby. Dream on. There will always be people who know what is good and they will always be the leaders of the hobby. The others will plug along, remaining clueless and awaiting the next messiah who will 'bless' their collectibles.

Those who collect COA's will fade by the wayside when their Guru passes away and the guarantees can be used for toilet paper.

All of us will make mistakes and the true leaders will always be the risk takers and hunters of knowledge and truth.

when I started collecting, better than 40 years ago, the same thing was said. Thenks to those who dropped by the wayside as they left more for those of us in it for the long haul. If you listen carefully you can still hear Henny Penny and Chicken Little cackling " The sky is falling'.

Bob Hritz

[kennethc]

The perfect fake has been among us for a long time. It doesn't have to be technically correct, it only has to be better than the knowledge level of the collector examining it. If it only fools one collector in ten, it's still the perfect fake. It's not important that nine collectors passed it by, only that it was good enough for one to pick it up. To that collector, it becomes real. The perfect fake doesn't scare me near as much as collectors who rely on others for their knowledge. Knowledge is a collectors only real friend and partner. If collectors fail to educate themselves, they will find the world is already full of perfect fakes.

So profound... The philosophy of "perfect fake".



any partial fake?

[rhudspith]

At the moment I still believe that if you keep up to date with the forum in your particular area of collecting you will be fairly safe from the fakes.

The problem is that keeping up to date is hard constant work. Once you stop this you are in trouble. I know an old collector who has collected since the late 50's and has a fantastic depth of knowlege about most things. However he has not kept up to date with the current trends on fake badges and when I recently saw his collection he had a fake JFS GAB which he bought a couple of years ago because it looked good.

He now only buys items which he has previous experience of and has virtually stopped buying award badges.

[Gregorio Torres]

From my point of view, the fakes keep our hobby alive. If you take a look at this forum, you´ll find the main part of the threads is related with fakes.
It´s allways a challenge for a collector detect a fake, and I feel so fine when I discover than a nice item is a copy than when I get a very nice original.
Of course, it´s very sad when you discover the fake in your own collection
Best regards from Spain
Gregorio

[Edgar Estrada]

Lay off the herb

Sorry, I did not undestand what you mean!

Edgar

[Edgar Estrada]

The perfect fake doesn't scare me near as much as collectors who rely on others for their knowledge. Knowledge is a collectors only real friend and partner. If collectors fail to educate themselves, they will find the world is already full of perfect fakes.

Yes, but everyone starts as a begginer. I am a real begginer in this hobby and I think I cannot be too long on it (too expensive for me), my goal is to make a small collection of KM badges, and four iron crosses (two from each WW), for historical reasons. So, as a begginer some how I should rely on others (old collectors and experts on the matter), for my future knowledge and ask how you can see a fake apart from an original and opinions about badges.

I asked about the "perfect fakes" because I really did not know if there were already with us or not. Now, thanks to all the answers I know that it is; YES!!! they are here.

I did not want to insult no one here, I hope I did not.

Thankd for the answers and regards to all of you.

Edgar

[Edgar Estrada]

The perfect fake has been among us for a long time. It doesn't have to be technically correct, it only has to be better than the knowledge level of the collector examining it. If it only fools one collector in ten, it's still the perfect fake. .

Thanks, that is so true. Specially someone like me without any knoweledge about these items (badges, iron crosses, daggers, helmets). All I know is through the information I find on the forums and two books. But I really lack the oportunity to have those items on my hands to learn more, as most of you do. So, I really need to ask sometimes as much as I can to learn from you (the better informed about the hobby).

Thanks

Edgar