Assmann Observer - Marked 800

[Mike Kenny]

Can some tell me what a "dip" version of wreath is??
great thread thanks!

The "dip" above the wreath tie. Search for "dip wreath repro" for other examples of the fakes.

Regards
Mike

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

OK, thanks for all the great replies. I appreciate it and this will be a great thread for future reference.

As you already suspected, this is a well made reproduction in my opinion. I think the most telling comment was from John and I had the same reaction when I first saw pics of this badge..."there are a bunch of things that immediately come to mind that are wrong with this badge".

The hinge and catch are the first things that jump out at you, totally unlike any Assmann product made by Assmann. The folded hinge, with thick side barrels can be found on many fakes, most notably the 2-dot PAB fake and a score of other Luftwaffe badges. The catch is very flimsy, its size and shape are nothing found on original badges by Assmann. As was mentioned, the rivets are close, but not good enough. Clearly an attempt to copy the textbook Assmann rivet, but they fell short.

Another thing that immediately jumps out is the soft maker mark. Original Assmann's are crisp and well defined, whereas this one is muted and likely the result of a casting.

Also pay attention to the entire left side of the wreath when viewing from the reverse. Its contours and shape on both the inside and outside edges are much less defined on this reproduction than we find on original Assmann badges. Another example of the fakers concentrating on getting the rivets right, but not paying good attention to detail on small aspects like the wreath contouring.

The 800 marking is likely what throws most collectors off when looking at this. As Larry pointed out, its mere appearance makes collectors 2nd guess their experience with what an Assmann badge is supposed to look like and opens the door to this being a "jewlers copy". However, this is definately not the case as there are other reproductions that are identical to this, but with different hardware and even different maker marks!

I also have a feeling that something in Stephen Previtera's gut was telling him that something was wrong with this badge. If you read his description in the book, he mentions a few times how much it differs from originals. Some of his terms are:

1. "This is an unusually heavy badge"
2. "There is nothing common about this example"
3. "Some elements of this badge fly in the face of known Assmann types"

All these incorrect aspects of the badge were telling Steve "something is wrong", but he went against his gut instinct. Something we have all done in the past but in this case, his gut was exactly right, this is a well made reproduction meant to deceive.

Despite all this evidence, there is still more! This is where a good database of reproductions comes in handy and I found several in my files that were made by the same fakers. The wreath and eagle are an exact match and irrefutable proof of this reproduction. We will start off with another Assmann Observer that matches exactly the wreath and eagle. Even down to the flimsy hardware, but with different style of rivets.

Tom

[Thomas Durante]

verso

[Thomas Durante]

Maker mark of the other fake

[Thomas Durante]

Same exact flimsy catch

[Thomas Durante]

Here is another FAKE badge, this time a Pilot/Observer badge marked B&NL. It uses the EXACT same wreath as found on these 2 Observer FAKES.

[Thomas Durante]

reverse of B&NL fake. Notice the same small block hinge.

[Thomas Durante]

And now for the icing on the cake.

The 2 obsevers have the EXACT same wreath and same eagle. On the back of the eagle next to the maker mark, there is a small triangular mark that is found on both fakes. They clearly came out of the same fake die.

[Thomas Durante]

Not only are the eagles the same, but the wreaths are too. Notice both obsevers have a pecular dot pattern on the left reverse of the wreath. They are in the exact same configuration on both wreaths and was clearly part of the reverse die the fakers used. IMO, this eliminates the possibility of "jewler made piece", or anything else other than a FAKE.

[Thomas Durante]

And finally, the obverse of the wreaths also share the same flaws. Here is a compare of the Observer wreath with the FAKE B&NL PO badge shown above.

I just want to add that this shouldn't in any way diminish Stephen's excellent book. It is by far the BEST Luftwaffe reference book ever produced and every book ever printed has its share of mistakes, including my book on the Close Combat Clasp. The best an author can hope for is that these mistakes are minor and in that respect, Stephen has succeeded in that regard.

Thanks

Tom

[Larry Lipps]

Excellent detective work! This is the reason 800 badges scare me so much.

[Lubo]

Good job Tom, I am amazed, there goes the next myth buster!

[AFF96]

Holy cow Tom! Great work! Great learnibg experience!
Thanks,
Greg

[Leroy]

Multiple cast repeats of the same flaws from 1 original badge....sound like your old friend, the "Hero".

[Joe D]

Good job Thomas.