help on E-Boat Schwerin

[me262pilot]

hello dear collectors. I got this E-boat badge from a friend. It´s quite manipulated on it´s back side, also the swastika is renewed after a cut off the old one. The hinge is glued.

My question is: do you think that the badge is basicaly an original, even though it´s partially destroyed or do you think is it generally a copy. The ship, waves and the wreath have great detail and the maker mark seem to have the typical irregularities in letter distances and height distances.

Thank you for your help !

(I hope that the link works !)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9088076...ream/lightbox/

[JAndrew]

I don't see a lot but I don't like what I see.
JAndrew

[me262pilot]

I understand...... But could it be that it´s a fake ?

[Norm F]

Hi me262pilot,

I think the badge has a chance of being a heavily manipulated, restored and refinished original, but the question is almost irrelevant since it has been so heavily worked on that there's only a fine line between a "total fake" and a "mostly fake with a nucleus of originality". I would think the value to collectors is the same in either case, unless there was a robust provenance to the item.

Interesting that a Deumer pin and catch system was used in the "restoration".

Best regards,
---Norm

(uploading your photos from the host server)

[Norm F]

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[JAndrew]

Norm,
Thank you for downloading the rest of the photos. The only one that would open for me was the top half of your post #6 and it looked to me like a cracked wing on a cast fake from the irregularity of the reverse area I could see.

Now that I can see the entire thing I would agree with you but still have some concern about this being a casting. But it sure would be a terrible waste of the hardware on a casting so perhaps it is a real base. Either way I also agree that it has been so messed with it does not have much value at this point as a collectable piece. There are so many nicer pieces out there why spend hard earned money on one like this?

JAndrew

[John R.]

I tilt to the badge being period although normally when I see a top catch missing on these, I worry a bit that the faker is just being tricky.

I have to also ask why a faker would restore a fake and the most obvious reason is that another collector found out the badge was a fake, destroyed it, then a faker got the destroyed badge.

In this case, I am not completely sure but like said above, it does not matter. The badge has been worked over so completely that it has little value in the collecting world.

For sure, somebody went to a lot of trouble to fix the badge, why I do not know or really understand except to resell maybe at a slight profit. Hard to say.

Bottom line, I am not sure anybody can prove this is a fake due to the work done on this badge but its appeal is certainly quite limited.

John

[Norm F]

For sure, somebody went to a lot of trouble to fix the badge, why I do not know or really understand except to resell maybe at a slight profit. Hard to say.

John

Hi John,

One possibility that comes to mind is someone might make a hobby out of restoration and derive satisfaction from fine technical work in the workshop? There's a fellow in Germany (whose name escapes me at the moment) who does such things without intention to deceive although of course once a badge is out of his reach, one can pretend whatever one wants unfortunately.

Best regards,
---Norm

[John R.]

And we had Jimmy here.

John

[Norm F]

Hi John,

One possibility that comes to mind is someone might make a hobby out of restoration and derive satisfaction from fine technical work in the workshop? There's a fellow in Germany (whose name escapes me at the moment) who does such things without intention to deceive although of course once a badge is out of his reach, one can pretend whatever one wants unfortunately.

Best regards,
---Norm

The name I was trying to remember was Michael Friedrichs in Germany. Apparently he's an upstanding and really nice guy and a real artist at restoration of badges which is great for him and for his clients but not so great potentially for buyers of the badges 2 or 3 owners later...

Best regards,
---Norm

[tystgaard]

Nice

Well

Yes a heavy restored badge. It is what it is, and if it where cheap I see no problem having it in a collection, also considering the price one could expect to pay for a mint
badge.

I just myself purchased some high end badges, with a condition issue, but alot of history. I would not had afforded the full price for a mint badge.

Best
Nicolai