So, I bought this WB in 1990 at an antique mall in Austin, Texas. At the time, I thought I was buying a hollow-back GWB. In my defense: it was in the days before the internet, there still aren’t that many reference books on WBs, and I was 14 years old . . . so, cut me some slack. Later, I found out about the hollow-back GWB controversy and put it in a shoebox, with other debatable items, and seldom took it out. I was not aware of the adidas WB.
Last week, I acquired two WBs and thought of this one. After careful inspection and research, I’m displaying it.
It’s a BWB with 99% of the black removed and greatly shows it’s gold wash. It weighs 13.1 grams. It has the /// of the “adidas” variant on the right sword. That it’s entirely stripped of paint may not be a bad thing in this one case, because it appears that there is a ‘w’ at the inner bottom of the helmet, and a faint letter preceding it. I can’t make out the preceding letter.
But maybe my eyes are deceiving me. Maybe it’s a squiggle. Maybe this is a WB Rorschach test and I’m seeing maker’s marks.
If this really is a maker’s mark, I think the reason why no one has seen them before is because the adidas WB is rare, and for it to be completely stripped of paint is even rarer. It’s a faint mark and hard to see, even if it’s devoid of black paint.
Assuming it’s a legitimate marking and not eye trickery, one might be able to see what makers with that company initials made TR badges and narrow it down. I’ve heard this back assembly was common in the Ludenscheid area. If it’s ‘FW’ then perhaps it’s related in some way to Assmann, which also had three stripes incorporated in it’s ‘A’ maker’s mark. The Assmann mark has a stripe at the top of the A, a stripe in the middle of the A, and a stripe at the bottom of each leg of the A. It's a weak theory, but better than nothing.
Perhaps this will help in making an unknown maker, known.
What do y’all think?
Last week, I acquired two WBs and thought of this one. After careful inspection and research, I’m displaying it.
It’s a BWB with 99% of the black removed and greatly shows it’s gold wash. It weighs 13.1 grams. It has the /// of the “adidas” variant on the right sword. That it’s entirely stripped of paint may not be a bad thing in this one case, because it appears that there is a ‘w’ at the inner bottom of the helmet, and a faint letter preceding it. I can’t make out the preceding letter.
But maybe my eyes are deceiving me. Maybe it’s a squiggle. Maybe this is a WB Rorschach test and I’m seeing maker’s marks.
If this really is a maker’s mark, I think the reason why no one has seen them before is because the adidas WB is rare, and for it to be completely stripped of paint is even rarer. It’s a faint mark and hard to see, even if it’s devoid of black paint.
Assuming it’s a legitimate marking and not eye trickery, one might be able to see what makers with that company initials made TR badges and narrow it down. I’ve heard this back assembly was common in the Ludenscheid area. If it’s ‘FW’ then perhaps it’s related in some way to Assmann, which also had three stripes incorporated in it’s ‘A’ maker’s mark. The Assmann mark has a stripe at the top of the A, a stripe in the middle of the A, and a stripe at the bottom of each leg of the A. It's a weak theory, but better than nothing.
Perhaps this will help in making an unknown maker, known.
What do y’all think?