Customs or Landjäger

[Dave C.]

A question for those verse in the earlier shoulder straps...would the below pictured be for Customs or Landjäger? The backing and "V's" are of a very dark green, darker than in the photos.

[Dave C.]

reverse - green is darker in hand than in the photo

[Dave C.]

Closer look

[Gerd W.]

That´s one tough call

I vote for Landjäger!

Here some customs boards to compare.........no match (IMHO). RSV boards are different as well

[Gerd W.]

another pair pre 1930 style

[lbsr]

Dave,
after my opinion these shoulder boards are Oberzollsekretär or Zollinspektor or Oberzollinspektor of customs (after 1937 regs).
http://lbsr.mzf.cz/dr/rfv/dg_2.html
These shoulder boards were sometimes (60ties?) worn by Bundesgrenzschutz too
(Stabsmeister im BGS without pip, Oberstabsmeister im BGS with one silver pip)

Gerd show us shoulderboards before 1937 (goldish cords and a little less dark green V's and underlay).
http://lbsr.mzf.cz/dr/rfv/dg_1.html

[Huntzman]

Dave

I agree with Jiri, my vote is for Zoll.

Unless the backing color is much darker, I'd discount BGS (1951-56) as they used a dark green: http://www.huntzmanpatches.com/Germa...ank%28C%29.htm

Andrew

[Gerd W.]

Gerd show us shoulderboards before 1937 (goldish cords and a little less dark green V's and underlay).
http://lbsr.mzf.cz/dr/rfv/dg_1.html

....and custom silver ones with eagle as well

RFV? Sorry, I´m not convinced

But these early BGS boards could be indeed a possibility!!

[Dave C.]

Thanks for all the response to these shoulder straps in question! Of course I am wishing for Landjäger, although they certainly look a lot like the example Gerd posted in #4 but with darker cords. Gerd, is that example darker in person than in the photo that maybe subject to flash?

These that I hold area very dark green and why I'm questioning them. Materials, weight, aging, etc. and compared to other examples I have would make me think these in question are earlier production and not postwar. The bullion is a fine silver wire making it feel a bit heavier. No sign of ever having a device attached. Unfortunately a lot of this doesn't come out so well in my photos.

Thanks again to all of your input!

[Gerd W.]

.. Gerd, is that example darker in person than in the photo that maybe subject to flash?

No, it´s not the flash Dave!

Here the custom pair compare to the very early Prussian LAPO officer boards (which use to have the very same v-thread coloring but a different underlay color).

Jiri, what do you think about the BGS mention of Andrew??

[lbsr]

Thanks for great comparing pics, Gerd!

To BGS:
Ive checked my BGS Stabsmeister shoulder boards and, really, the green color is very dark. It's something between RFV (ZGS) so-called "zollgruen" and "bläulich-dunkelgrün" Heer Abzeichenfarbe.
Besides, all of my BGS-Stabsmeister (& most of all my BGS shoulder boards) have outer cords sewed through underlay...

So, I think:
Golden cords with (middle?) green "V's + middle?/light? green underlay - Landjägerei Preußen
Golden cords with (middle?) green "V's + dark green underlay (not so dark as RFV after 1937 /BGS - RFV to 1937)
Silver cords with (middle) green "V's + light green underlay - Schutzpolizei Württemberg (always coat-of-arms in the middle)
Silver cords with (middle/dark) green "V's + middle?/light? green underlay - different Landespolizei/Jägerei units
Silver cords with dark green "V"s + dark green underlay - RFV after 1937
Dull silver cords with dark green "V"s + dark green underlay - ZGS after 1937
Silver cords with very dark green "V"s + very dark green underlay - BGS

V-stripes color (Fischgrätenmuster) could be (maybe due to fading of different materials of cords and underlay?) of another green shade sometimes...

Unfortunately I have no Landjägerei dress regs. In RFV 1926 dress regs is underlay described as "dunkelgrün" and Vs as "grün".

About RFV dark green color I must say (from all RFV-shoulder boards I've ever seen) the pre 1937 dark green was of warmer green shade and after 1937 dark green was a little colder ( more sorrowfull).
Pre 1937 "Vs" was mostly less dark green than underlay, after 1937 the color of "Vs" and underlay seems be the same....

It is very hard to recognize correctly shoulder boards of that pattern, but I hold tooth and nail for RFV after 1937!

[Dave C.]

Thanks for all the details Jiri!

Here are a couple more pictures after receiving another similar rank strap, although with lighter colored V's.

[Dave C.]

The one on the left is the one with lighter V's.

[Gerd W.]

The one on the left is the one with lighter V's.

In my opion, the left one (with lighter green V´s) are more the "classic" earlier custom boards. I´m still a way confused about the right pair, but I´m on the way to believe in Jiri´s opinion. If they were Landjäger boards, the silver thread should be not that flat.

Here a Hauptmann set, pre 1933 Prussian Schupo issue, for a color compare (Landjäger had the same with darker colored V´s).

[Dave C.]

Thanks for you valued input Gerd and that's a very nice set of rank straps