Hello All,
Yesterday my latest post in the NSBO thread made me think again to this destructive subject.
I talked about a small article in a magasine showing a well known fake been introduced as original variant but as of today there is no 100% reliable documentation regarding German Belt Buckles available in book stores in English neither. It is very unfortunate since this language is the internationnal spoken and so any good book will be able to reach most collectors worldwide. Maybe it is the direct consequence that collecting German belt buckles was not widely developed until recently, so any real work involving research and money could not be cost-effective, but at least it is a blessing for Fakers.
How many fakes, made everywere in the world, we can see now offered for sale as genuine variant !! Yes, they were many original variants, but any advanced collector needs to be certain that what he find/purchase is period original. There is several ways to find out: is such specimen available in an older collection (back to 25 years ago at least)? is such specimen reported at least once found (you really need to trust your informator) from vet or ground dug? is such specimen bearing matching tools marks (see below) like another similar buckle ? Is such specimen matching in construction what expected for such period? ....
If you know the maker, or have a clue on it, you will at least be able to find a similar die defect or imperfection, plying tool marks, ... on another buckle made by the same maker. Each maker having used his own tools for more than one buckle and this several years until wear out, even if there is a variant (or momentum change of production) some identical marks will be matching. In the case of a reproduction (or fake) there will be nothing to track back or relate to something period original certified. Always not one but several features will be wrong.
Unfortunately, fakers used this lack of printed reliable information to flood the market during many years, each time introducing a new "original variant", and now numerous forgeries and even original post war buckles or markings are considered by some been pre war originals !!
If you want to see the current disaster, just take the latest and massive work dealing with belt buckles of the Third Reich in English. It is loaded with such post war production listed as original !!
I agree that if you are an advanced collector and know very well your subject, you will unlikely be fooled, but what about new or average collectors ?? they will buy hundreds of post war production been convinced everything is original !! And there is no end to this.
So, I am urging any collector to go deeper in his knowledge. Read, talk, share everything you can anytime you can and never stop until you find the definitive answer bringing you back to before 1945. Soon or late, you will receive the evidence you were looking for. Just my advice...
Yesterday my latest post in the NSBO thread made me think again to this destructive subject.
I talked about a small article in a magasine showing a well known fake been introduced as original variant but as of today there is no 100% reliable documentation regarding German Belt Buckles available in book stores in English neither. It is very unfortunate since this language is the internationnal spoken and so any good book will be able to reach most collectors worldwide. Maybe it is the direct consequence that collecting German belt buckles was not widely developed until recently, so any real work involving research and money could not be cost-effective, but at least it is a blessing for Fakers.
How many fakes, made everywere in the world, we can see now offered for sale as genuine variant !! Yes, they were many original variants, but any advanced collector needs to be certain that what he find/purchase is period original. There is several ways to find out: is such specimen available in an older collection (back to 25 years ago at least)? is such specimen reported at least once found (you really need to trust your informator) from vet or ground dug? is such specimen bearing matching tools marks (see below) like another similar buckle ? Is such specimen matching in construction what expected for such period? ....
If you know the maker, or have a clue on it, you will at least be able to find a similar die defect or imperfection, plying tool marks, ... on another buckle made by the same maker. Each maker having used his own tools for more than one buckle and this several years until wear out, even if there is a variant (or momentum change of production) some identical marks will be matching. In the case of a reproduction (or fake) there will be nothing to track back or relate to something period original certified. Always not one but several features will be wrong.
Unfortunately, fakers used this lack of printed reliable information to flood the market during many years, each time introducing a new "original variant", and now numerous forgeries and even original post war buckles or markings are considered by some been pre war originals !!
If you want to see the current disaster, just take the latest and massive work dealing with belt buckles of the Third Reich in English. It is loaded with such post war production listed as original !!
I agree that if you are an advanced collector and know very well your subject, you will unlikely be fooled, but what about new or average collectors ?? they will buy hundreds of post war production been convinced everything is original !! And there is no end to this.
So, I am urging any collector to go deeper in his knowledge. Read, talk, share everything you can anytime you can and never stop until you find the definitive answer bringing you back to before 1945. Soon or late, you will receive the evidence you were looking for. Just my advice...