fake Gold Party badge

[all1knew]

Hello all,

This golden pin comes with a Bill Shea COA but to me looks like a reproduction.

Is this an Austrian fake or a legit NSDAP gold party badge?

William Kramer

[all1knew]

2

[sdesember]

The 4th Reich Austrian.

[Serge M.]

Ouch !

Is Shea slipping a gear?
Even I can tell that ones bad.

[all1knew]

Another photo for reference.

William Kramer

[Wim Vangossum]

Very bad. However the one in the Berchtesgaden NS documentation center is not much better and that's a museum


Regards, Wim

[Jo Rivett]

After Wittmann`s homeless, crack head "life of Brian" banter, is anyone surprised?
In 2016, that paper and words were wasted on this globally-known fake badge, asserted, you will note - as the old guard do, with nothing more than his 35 years in the hobby....is a terrible joke indeed, but a sad reality of the state of affairs.

"More powder for that wig, Sire?"

His "market value" is tainted by the fantasy values he has been ticketing his Militaria with for decades, and is at least double the normal market value today.

Great CoA by the way.."I have..I have..Me me me me, movies, me again.. I have again....."

[Serge M.]

I recall back 10 years ago, Shea used to have lines of collectors at his tables at the big shows, throwing their cash at him, and he was treated by them as 'Godhead'.

Those days are long gone. Perhaps he can jump into his Back to the Future movie $500K Delorian prop car and relive The Old Days.

[all1knew]

For the record, Bill's son Patrick stepped forward and stated he typed up the COA and had his dad sign it.

William Kramer

[bmsmear]

I'm trying to learn - can someone give some details on what gives away this badge as bad? Thanks!

[Wim Vangossum]

I'm trying to learn - can someone give some details on what gives away this badge as bad? Thanks!

No problem, one thing that catch immediatly the eye is the even, machine-like lettering in the red field. Originals have letters that are more sloppy when you carefully look at them. They are once carved by skilled man (but still a man and no machine) into the design of the award.

Regards, Wim

[Gary Symonds]

I am still waiting for evidence that these badges are nothing more that a change in contracter or supplier to Fuess.

The quality of these badges are consistent with period examples.

The gilding on these examples are fire gilt. Something no modern faker is going to do, not only because of the cost, but also the health hazard.

I have discussed this issue with Bob Hritz, and we are both of the opinion that these badges are originals, just a difference in contracters.

Remember Fuess designed the first pattern Blood Order, had a falling out with the Party, and the second pattern BO did not have his name at the bottom of the second pattern. This could well be the case with these examples. The two patterns of the BO do not match, just as these GPB's do not match, yet nobody questions the originality of the second pattern Blood Order.

If these are fakes, where are all the others?

These badge should be readily available at all major shows, and we know that are simply not there.

Maybe, just maybe, Bill Shea is capable of thinking for himself, and has come to the same conclusion.

[sjl]

I recall the discussions with the late John Pepera about these badges. Three collectors came up the same number on three Fuess badges. More duplicate numbers were found and they seemed to belong to SS members on the DAL and were often sold paired with the new generation fake large Deschler with the same number.

Giveaways include fairly uniform thickness of the front letters, puffiness around the stamped numbers which often repeat, and a tall, thin "C" on the pinplate in "MUNCHEN". They seem to have fixed the "railway ties" over the leaves on the earlier fakes, but the leaves still look odd.

http://pages.interlog.com/~sjl/GPB/fakesnew3.html

[Gary Symonds]

I recall the discussions with the late John Pepera about these badges. Three collectors came up the same number on three Fuess badges. More duplicate numbers were found and they seemed to belong to SS members on the DAL and were often sold paired with the new generation fake large Deschler with the same number.

Giveaways include fairly uniform thickness of the front letters, puffiness around the stamped numbers which often repeat, and a tall, thin "C" on the pinplate in "MUNCHEN". They seem to have fixed the "railway ties" over the leaves on the earlier fakes, but the leaves still look odd.

http://pages.interlog.com/~sjl/GPB/fakesnew3.html

Stephen, we have been back and forth on this for years.

Now for the first time you bring up Prepara's name and produce anectodal evidence about some collectors with all matching badges.

Well, where are these collectors, and let's see some pictures of the matching numbers? As an attorney, you know this is hearsay evidence of the lowest degree.

Stephen, please point out all of the above defects you noted in your post, that should be in the badge that Shea sold. You know, the "puffiness" and problems with the RR ties in the posted example.

By the way, none of these "Austrians" were found at the SOS, earlier in the year.

I asked the membership of the WAF then, to post pictures of the Austrians, and I am still waiting.

[sjl]

The thread with John and all the pictures you'll ever want are here on WAF. Use the search tool and you'll find the original thread and you can re-live the joy of discovery as it unfolded about 10 years ago.