nskk fake

[aircrew76]

this lesson cost me 50.00 also

[Jerry Burney]

YIKES! This poor thing has fake written all over it in neon letters! Go to Ebay or amazon and buy a good German belt buckle book..You have some studying to do!

[wilhelm Saris]

Even in the most simple buckle book ever published:
"German Military Waistbelts" from Terence Baldwin from England, published in 1980 it was specified already as a fake. This type of buckle was for sale since the mid 1970's!
The author started his research for the booklet in about 1977. There were versions of this booklet from 1981 and 1984 (the last printed and published in Germany).

[aircrew76]

fake

I was at a show and had not seen this one before. but you are correct buying a good book will save money in the long run.

[Jerry Burney]

I started collecting buckles many years ago and decided to concentrate on rare buckles first..I bought a handful of good books and tried to find out as much as I could. Even one read thru and I am armed with enough knowledge to help me avoid all but the worst mistakes.

I have spent years tracking down obscure buckles and even with books..sometimes you have to hold a good one in hand to become familiar with the nuances. The Stahlhelm buckles are a tad difficult because they have a pretty good fake out there..BUT once you have a real one..it's hard to fall for the fake.
Quality is a really good indicator. Not failsafe but a good place to start. The Germans were pretty anal about quality. Anything less than good or better..is suspect right away. I always look on the back first. More can be detected on the rear of the buckle than the front in many cases.

Don't let these two scare you away..we all have some examples like these!