Stumped - need help to id

[KC1]

Any thoughts on this buckle are welcomed!

Thanks - KC

[KC1]

reverse

[KC1]

have not seen this type buckle with the gold eagle. Has no maker mark.

[lach470]

looks like a first pattern 1933 RLB officer's buckle .... but I also have not seen them with a gold eagle before....interesting...
Let's see what others say.

Cheers...

Rob

[KC1]

Hi Rob,

Someone said this is a NSDAP DIPLOMAT BELT BUCKLE but I can find no proof to deny/agree. Like you, the gold eagle is throwing me off but need more feedback from the forum.

Hopefully David or Marc can enlighten this thread.

KC

[David North]

Crikey - this appears to be an original "Diplomatic" buckle.

Note the direction that the eagles head is facing (as opposed to say the early DLV or RLB Leaders).

The buckle construction looks sound, although the fixed keeper is somewhat messy.

Apparently, there is a strange grading by "groups" within the service, with one of the indicators of "rank" being the buckle colour. I have never seen an intermediate gilded eagle on an aluminium base, although it does make sense and order.

I have never seen this one faked and furthermore, I like it and think that it is a potentially rare and highly collectible buckle.

Regards,

David

[buckle1]

KC, David, et al,

This buckle and three others that showed up very recently on a well known US auction site scare the hell out of me. The one shown on this forum was listed as original.(by the way this one is not shown any more so I assume someone bought it) The other three are listed as copies. The construction is near perfect. The remaining three are 1. gold w/silver center gold hi- necked eagle facing right. 2. silver w/rt facing hi necked eagle. 3. silver w/left facing hi-necked eagle. The copys look better than the one on this forum. If I did not know better and if they were on a different auction site I would be tempted. Anyway someone with more experience in Diplo/gov't official buckles needs to weigh in on this. In all my years of collecting I have only seen four of these buckles and here in one place are four different versions. Also FYI the reserves on these are very reasonable.

Happy collecting guys!

Bill

[buckle1]

I went back and checked the site again. I actually had missed three more of these buckles. The one shown first on the forum( guess it did not sell) and two others,
one in all gold w/hi-necked eagle and another with both keepers gold w/silver center and gold hi-necked eagle.
I think the reason the one shown on the forum and on the site was listed as original is it is the only one with a different style eagle. Go figure. Anyway, Where else could you find six Diplo/gov't officials buckles except this site.

Bill

[Bob Hritz]

Here is one I bought in an antique shop for $40, a few years ago.

Bob Hritz

[Bob Hritz]

Verso

[lach470]

You guys are quick! I went through my reference books and it does check out as a diplomatic buckle....I'd love one like this but have no idea if these are repro'd or not...I would imagine they are (like everything else).

This one does look good to me too.

Cheers...

ROb

[KC1]

Very good feedback all-in-all but it seems there is nothing definitive showing this particular buckle as authentic or a repro. Still negotiating price but it is definitely nothing close to the $40 that Bob purchased his for. I am really hesitant to purchase but would hate to pass on this if indeed rare.

Bob - curious as to your buckle; does it show a date on the reverse side on or near the swastika? It looked like 19?? was stamped in that area. The one I am looking at does not. Rob - does your reference book show any maker marks or date stamp?

- KC

[Kurt Doench]

Hi,

Like everzone else, I've also seen the great number of these buckles coming up on a certain auction site. Haven't quite made up mzy mind on these. This one, by the way, is for a senior official outside the diplomatic service (Auswaertiges Amt, German equivalent of the US State dept or the UK Foreign Office). The gold eagle is correct. Very senior types also had the wreath in gold, in addition to the buckle. Diplomats' buckles are either all silver or all gold, depending on the rank group, and lots of finer distinctions in the brocade colour pattern.

Best regards, Karl

[David North]

May I ask an open and general question in connection with the two piece "rim type" officers or leaders buckle.

Is anyone aware of a fake, that has the slightly undulating or slightly profiled (as opposed to perfectly flat), facing surface to the catch ?

Regards,

David

[Ric Ferrari]

May I ask an open and general question in connection with the two piece "rim type" officers or leaders buckle.

Is anyone aware of a fake, that has the slightly undulating or slightly profiled (as opposed to perfectly flat), facing surface to the catch ?

Regards,

David

As for me I don't like the keeper of the first buckle, it looks molded if compared with Bob's one, anyway it is not what I expected by a die struck piece.

Ric