Observers Badge Opinions wanted.

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Ron,

That certainly makes sense. If you feel you cannot tell the difference between a well made reproduction and an original, then the best thing to do would be to get out of the hobby. Too much money to waste if you are unsure of what you are buying.

Good luck with your documents

Tom

[RonE1964]

Hallo Tom,

thanks for your message but what I mean is that you and all the other collectors with this problem have to live, it,s not only my problem then I can detected the fakes when I believe in a theorie but it is just the theorie that not held over the years!

Kind Regards,

Ron.

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Ron,

I totally agree and can see your point perfectly. If you cannot tell the difference between what is original and what is a well made reproduction, best to keep your money in your pocket

Tom

[Larry Lipps]

Actually, Ron's comments hold a lot of weight. With the evolution of the Internet, I joined this forum in 2000. At that time people were posting items that were accepted as original. As manufacturers die types and maker's marks began to form a pattern, the bad items slowly became obvious. Exactly as I found out with my GB 25 PAB that had set the standard as a "textbook" badge for several years. It too fell by the wayside. For several years there seemed to be an equilibrium where items falling outside a thin range of acceptability were eyed with great suspicion. Lately, as the supply of original items is dwindling, I've become concerned about the desire to begin including items that have in the past been "questionable" items as original. Examples such as the barrel hinge FLL Pilot's Badge and ball hinge Glider Pilot's badge are a couple examples. Hopefully this is not a long term trend, but based on today's standards it's going to be interesting to see what's acceptable ten years from now.

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

Here is another one of these same type of fakes that just cropped up, this time marked JMME.

Tom

[Thomas Durante]

r

[George L]

I'd agree with ya, Larry, and would add that as the prices have kept rising, when my hard earned mucho dinero is on the line, it better be for those pieces that fall dead on the bulls-eye, but that's just me.

Actually, Ron's comments hold a lot of weight. With the evolution of the Internet, I joined this forum in 2000. At that time people were posting items that were accepted as original. As manufacturers die types and maker's marks began to form a pattern, the bad items slowly became obvious. Exactly as I found out with my GB 25 PAB that had set the standard as a "textbook" badge for several years. It too fell by the wayside. For several years there seemed to be an equilibrium where items falling outside a thin range of acceptability were eyed with great suspicion. Lately, as the supply of original items is dwindling, I've become concerned about the desire to begin including items that have in the past been "questionable" items as original. Examples such as the barrel hinge FLL Pilot's Badge and ball hinge Glider Pilot's badge are a couple examples. Hopefully this is not a long term trend, but based on today's standards it's going to be interesting to see what's acceptable ten years from now.

[Militaria-Berlin]

I am collecting now only documents and the Knights crosses and his higher grades then these medals are made with only 1 Die and therefore simple to identified.
Ron.

Oh dear, I forsee big problems in the future with KCs.

I can only but agree with larry about the barrel hinge FLLS and ball hinge gliders. Both are not badges I would buy or sell with a good feeling.

Markus

[RonE1964]

Hallo Markus,

I think that it would be easyer to detect a Knight Cross then these are mostly made with only one and always the same Die and also the Higher grades of the Knight Cross where made with only one Die but so we can see is it much harder to detect a unmarked Badge or medal.
For many years we could buy this unmarked Badges equal we do this with marked Badges but today we buy these unmarked Badges no longer or the Badge must have looks like a known marked Badge but today there are so many obscure and unmarked Badges in a unknown number of types and therefore advisable not to buy this Items but better always buy the known maker marked Badges for so long this held then nobody can see in the future and nobody can say of the Theorie of knowledge held over the coming years.

Kind Regards,

Ron.