Today’s poll

[turbopanzer]

Hi
100-500 for me , just a guess have vever hold a real one

turbo

[Antiquefrog]

Only a very few branch-piped visors have passed muster on this forum, most during the last 12 months. Many are offered, very few make the grade. Huge target for fakers past and present. My guess is fewer than 50 genuine examples exist of both types, even giving allowance for stashes and attic finds. I spent some considerable time in 2005-2006 tracking the offerings of these from more than 40 websites, most all - perhaps all - just rubbish from the usual suspects, and it all sold - it all sold! Still going on today! Conclusion: not many real ones around, but there are hundreds of collectors out there who, having unknowingly spent their money on junk, probably feel differently.

If you think you have the real McCoy, show it on the forum. I would bet you don't.

[NTZ]

Only a very few branch-piped visors have passed muster on this forum, most during the last 12 months. Many are offered, very few make the grade. Huge target for fakers past and present. My guess is fewer than 50 genuine examples exist of both types, even giving allowance for stashes and attic finds. I spent some considerable time in 2005-2006 tracking the offerings of these from more than 40 websites, most all - perhaps all - just rubbish from the usual suspects, and it all sold - it all sold! Still going on today! Conclusion: not many real ones around, but there are hundreds of collectors out there who, having unknowingly spent their money on junk, probably feel differently.

If you think you have the real McCoy, show it on the forum. I would bet you don't.

Now that is a man that knows what he is talking about. At least most of us don’t live in a dream land.

[Antiquefrog]

For those interested in arcane detail, I spent nearly 24 months tracking the offerings of branch-piped SS visors on more than 40 international websites (I have since given up). Most of you have visited at least some of them, no doubt. Without bias, and with no opinion as to the genuineness of the items, I can offer the following summary: 1) 187 such visors were aparently sold from these sites during this period, or possibly delisted (unlikely); 2) the average price was around 130% of a genuine white-piped EM visor from the period at the time (base $4.2 K, arbitrary), with a high of about 240% (single example, perhaps OK); 3) more than 90% were EMs; 4) average price during 2005-6 of these around $5.2k or slightly more; 5) Collectively, almost $1 million was spent for such BP visors, most of which were bogus in my view; 6) I have traced around 8 of these to the forum in the past 18 months, and all have been tossed out.

When it comes to branch-piped caps, be very careful.

[NTZ]

The fact of the matter is these overly optimistic people see these things all over the place. On dealer sites, collections, etc. Most of these individual (no slam intended) probably would not know what to look for to determine authenticity in most cases. Especially the good put together ones. If you seen the ratio of good to bad like I have and a handful of others have, you know they are the ultimate in rare. I say it again, with people claiming there are thousands of them in their opinion show me one. That it right, one single one! You can’t do it because you can’t find one. As for price. Even at 300% the price of a comparable white piped it is a probably a fake. Plain and simple. The very, very, very few good ones I have seen that have passed hands passed at prices beyond your wildest imagination. When you see one for $5K run like hell and don’t even look.

[DougO]

I would agree with those that say that under 100 originals survive today. I have looked at a lot of waffen ss caps over the years and have found very few that measure up as 'the real deal' IMHO. When it comes to color-piped ss caps, well... I've only found one that I was 100% sure was real, and I nagged the owner to sell it to me until I got it. It is posted here and got positive reviews, for those interested in seeing it.
The only way I can get comfortable with an ss color-piped cap is to compare it to an army cap by the same manufacturer, and then examine both the manufacturing traits and any signs of tampering. Not to say that an unmarked cap couldn't be real, just that it would be a bit harder to authenticate for me.
Before I found my cap, I had really resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never own one. My friend Dave Delich told me that in all of his years of collecting, he only ever had one... and Dave has seen and owned a lot of serious ss material.
For those who believe that over 3000 are out there, please show me a few examples... please!
Just my two cents.
Doug

[NTZ]

I would agree with those that say that under 100 originals survive today. I have looked at a lot of waffen ss caps over the years and have found very few that measure up as 'the real deal' IMHO. When it comes to color-piped ss caps, well... I've only found one that I was 100% sure was real, and I nagged the owner to sell it to me until I got it. It is posted here and got positive reviews, for those interested in seeing it.
The only way I can get comfortable with an ss color-piped cap is to compare it to an army cap by the same manufacturer, and then examine both the manufacturing traits and any signs of tampering. Not to say that an unmarked cap couldn't be real, just that it would be a bit harder to authenticate for me.
Before I found my cap, I had really resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never own one. My friend Dave Delich told me that in all of his years of collecting, he only ever had one... and Dave has seen and owned a lot of serious ss material.
For those who believe that over 3000 are out there, please show me a few examples... please!
Just my two cents.
Doug

Exactly!

[stonemint]

'frog, I am interested in those arcane details--and thanks for your research!

BTW, I know we have given the thumbs up to several color-piped SS visors here just in the last year--how about someone consolidating them all into one thread? (I believe 2 were Ben's, and Doug had one, and I think there were 2 others...)

[derek]

For what it's worth here's my contribution to the general sense of these branch colour piped caps. To echo Doug's comments, in all my years of collecting and studying SS headgear, (40 years), and corresponding with SS collectors I have only seen 5 unquestionable examples of SS caps piped in colours other than white.
Obviously there are many collections I'm unaware of, but I would be surprised if the number of caps exceeded 100.
Derek

[Antiquefrog]

A consolidation of polls on genuine BP visors would be most worthwhile. I believe most, if not all, have been posted during the past 12 months. Around four or five, if memory serves, made the grade. Admin should be able to put these together for futher review and, if warranted, enshrinement.

[stonemint]

[quote=Antiquefrog;2313942]A consolidation of polls on genuine BP visors would be most worthwhile. I believe most, if not all, have been posted during the past 12 months. Around four or five, if memory serves, made the grade. Admin should be able to put these together for futher review and, if warranted, enshrinement.[/quote


Guys, if you own 'em, how about starting the thread?!

[NTZ]

I agree, lets see them. Let's see how many real ones we can come up with. Come on you 3,000+ guys. Take your head out of the clouds and show us something.

[jacquesf]

What about a color piped ss crusher? Here is the link to one that got the .Jacques http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=270016

[jacquesf]

We tried to put together a thread on crusher and crusher style caps awhile age and it involved a lot of period pictures that also showed up a few colored piped visors. Jacques http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=272682 Here is another with some colored pipedd visors http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=279381&page=2

[stonemint]

Wow, this thread has some serious legs.

Here is a color-piped artillery: