What do you all think of this, feels somewhat like cotton material.....don't know much about these so very tentative to purchase till i get some feedback, any rough estimates to value if real? thanks, Chris.
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Next....Thanks for any help anyone can provide, Chris.
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Looks good to me, I would say $60-$75 for value.Comment
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Just my novice opinion, but the quality is bad, the material of the white disc is practically transparent, and the stitching on the disc is unlike any of my NSDAP armbands, but then again, mine are earlier wool armbands.Comment
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<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Hello Chris
I am not crazy about this armband, primarily the condition and shape of the swastika concerns me, however, the deformity in the photo may be a result of how you are holding it.
Have you checked whether the armband glows under blacklight? Either way, I would probably pass on this one. Good luck.
Best Regards
Mike
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I have a known original armband that displays these same characteristics. It came from a vet more than 10 years ago. The white material is just as transparent and the stitching is the same, I have the same stitching on a SA sport armband. The swastika on mine is made out of two separate pieces of black cotton-like thin material that is stitched to the disc. The only thing noticeably different about mine is that the stitching used to close the armband in the back is tan, not red. It is crudely made, which makes sense when you realize that by 1939 huge amounts of these were being mass produced, even in occupied countries, and some of them were made by civilian seamstresses who were possibly not being paid for this work and may not have been very friendly to the NSDAP! The quality control on these types of items was nowhere near the standard for badges or edged weapons. Close examination of original photos will show plenty of examples of crudely made NSDAP cloth such as flags and armbands; some were certainly homemade. I have a pennant that is in this category also. I talked to a veteran who had been in the Hitlerjugend who told me that one of the activities of his HJ group was making armbands, he said oftentimes the boys would have their mothers make them with their sewing machines at home. In the case of your armband I would say that close examination of the RZM tag is important. I believe that it is a real armband and the tag looks good also. However I am not an expert on these paper labels and if the tag is shown to be wrog, likely the armband is bad too. Here is a quick shot of some right and real stuff I have that is of poor quality.Comment
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I will also add that I have two vet aquired armbands (one indirectly, from a stash found by forum member Nutmeg) that glow under blacklight! I have also seen a totally original flag that glowed. I know that even some original ribbons from WW1 glow.Comment
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Great info Chris.Comment
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I may hold off until I get a blacklight to look at it with, and take the advice as well that even some original items will "glow". My only suspicion was that the seller had a fake SS helmet, and had no clue that it was fake. Being that there was already one bad item, I had to hesitate on this. Did get an A2 flight jacket though! Thanks for the advice guys, Chris.Comment
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Early (pre-RZM) armbands were often homemade. Since this armband has an RZM tag, I am assuming it was supposed to be made to RZM standards -- which it clearly is not. I have seen much better fakes, as a matter of fact.
Chris, did these HJers who made their armbands also put RZM tags on them?
Items will glow if they have been washed in modern detergents -- which often is reason enough not to buy them.
I wouldn't go anywhere near this one.Comment
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I don't think that the HJ troop were making armbands for the RZM, of course. I can accept that people would not want this armband due to the bad quality. However I repeat that I have seen plenty of armbands of similar quality that were real. I have also seen other crudely made or homemade appearing items that have various acceptance stamps on them, there was a SS trumpet banner in the SS forum that was vet acquired and crudely done but with a SS acceptance stamp. I am certain that modern detergents do not account for all of the pre-45 material that glows under blacklight. Detergents would not be likely to cause some parts of an item to glow while other parts of similar material do not glow. I have an armband from a vet where some of the threads that the band is woven from glow and some do not. I also have a bread bag strap where one half glows and the other doesn't.Comment
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