Flood of reiterabzeichen - fakes???

[Valter Gorenc]

About a year or more back ago Reiterabzeichens (horse riding badge) were quite scarce on ebay, but recently I noticed there are plenty of them on german ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...category=15506

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...EBWA%3AIT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...category=15506

some of dealers have even more:

http://cgi6.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sort=3&rows=50

there were also badges in boxes, but unfortunately I didn't save the link

My concern is, are all these badges original or it's just another flood of fakes? How rare are these badges ineed and what's their value?

Any experienced opinions welcome!

Greetings, Valter

[MH184]

Valter,


Were the boxes like this by any chance with accompanying minature ? This is a genuine box and award.

Kind regards,

Marcus

[J Howland]

Detlev has had them from time to time over the past year or so (and I bought one from him to replace one that I owned over twenty years ago).

My feeling is that these bronze badges are probably traceable to someone who may have recently found an unissued quantity of them rather than that someone has decided to start faking them.

The other possibility is that there is a lot of "monkey see, monkey do" in retailing. Some dealers, seeing that a certain badge has shown up on ebay & elsewhere, may have decided to see what luck they might have in selling off similar ones that they already had in their stock. While uncommon, it's always seemed to me that the rider and other equitation badges are nowhere near as popular with collectors as combat badges.

On the other hand, if there was a sudden supply of silver or gold badges I would be suspicious...

Jim

[Philippe DB]

Hi Guys,


It's my believe that the bronze "Rreiterabzeichen" for sure is and was a very common award.

While living in Germany we were members of a German "Reit- und Fahrverein" horse riding club. At the age of 16 I earned the "Jugendreiter abzeichen in Bronze" myself and my dad earned the normal award in bronze that same day.

It was my impression that anybody who was in to horseback riding a little more seriously tried to earn that award sooner or later. This for sure wasn't the case with the Silver and Gold versions because to earn these, if my memory serves me well, you almost had to be a professional in the sport.

Sadly when moving back to Belgium my award document and the award itself got lost. I hope it might still turn up someday but for the moment I only have my fathers award.

KR
Philippe

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Philippe,

Maybe not very rare but keep in mind that riding (in a way to earn these badges) was (and is) a sport for the privileged in Germany.

[Philippe DB]

Dear Frank,


I guess you have a point there. Even today I still can feel the embarrasemment when arriving in my fathers white "Toyota Crown" and having to find a parking space between all those big BMW's & Mercedeses

KR
Philippe

[Rick Research]

Here are the number of awards made between 1930 and 1942:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...91&postcount=1

[McCulloh]

The "1957" Reiter badges are still made today and are of exceptional quality for "57" pieces. I remember reading in "Horse and Hound" in the early 1980s that @500 of these badges are awarded every year. Also, I have seen the "rare" Reiters' button badge on one unnamed dealers' site being worn by many Continental Bloodstock breeders at Tattersalls as late as 1991.

[Chris Boonzaier]

My wife has the Bronze ones as well, i think silver if for the real Profis and gold for someone at Olympic or similar level.

(the wife has never worn hers and they are still on the card as awarded)

[Valter Gorenc]

to Marcus

Yes, exactly the same boxes, I saw them also also for gold and silver version! Some were accomapnied with miniatures, some with documents, others just badges in boxes.

Thanks, Valter

[Valter Gorenc]

how to sort 1957 reiter from pre- 1945 one?

The "1957" Reiter badges are still made today and are of exceptional quality for "57" pieces. I remember reading in "Horse and Hound" in the early 1980s that @500 of these badges are awarded every year. Also, I have seen the "rare" Reiters' button badge on one unnamed dealers' site being worn by many Continental Bloodstock breeders at Tattersalls as late as 1991.

Is there any difference in design of 1957 and pre-45 riding badges? The original design lacks swasika as well, so I think there shouldn't be any difference, just like with Hindenburg crosses. How to sort the "period" ones out from recently produced (which are, I assume, legitimate awards, so they' re not real "fakes" per se - but neither "third reich award")?

Greetings, Valter

[J Howland]

The "!957" legislation really didn't involve the basic rider badges. There are simply pre-1945 and post-1945 awards.

I can't find my reference books right now, but, if my memory is correct, the post '45 badges simply lack the letter "R" at the bottom of the wreath.

Jim

[Rick Research]

That's it, although Forman PERSISTS in perpetually reissuing his price guides with a WEST GERMAN "no R" model badge illustrated as Weimar Republic period!

The "R" BTW is for the "Reichs..." and not "Reiter," which is why it was a P-C no-no after 1945.

[Valter Gorenc]

to Jim and Rick

That's it, although Forman PERSISTS in perpetually reissuing his price guides with a WEST GERMAN "no R" model badge illustrated as Weimar Republic period!

The "R" BTW is for the "Reichs..." and not "Reiter," which is why it was a P-C no-no after 1945.

Jim and Rick,
Thanks for this useful hint!

Valter

[McCulloh]

Bumped for hagwalther....