Buyer Beware!! Crushers

[Rich Moran]

http://www.soldat.com/MutzHeer.htm

No doubt a few years from now if not already someone's to be sucked in on one of these rare original but reproduced crushers.

Don't be caught with your pants down, emotions opened with the wallet on quick draw!

[Z19]

Crushers

Thats all we need...another jackleg making caps!!!! Un-freakin-believable!!!! Alex

[Bob Hritz]

The quiet secret is that these are not made for reenactors, but for shady dealers who buy many hats and caps to sell, as original, to the unsuspecting collectors. No one gets angry with these alledged 'reenactor supply sites' but we all know the REAL target market is the crooked dealers and collectors. A shame, but the truth nontheless.

Bob Hritz

[LeeG]

These caps, while good, are still easily identifiable as repros/fakes for anyone who has handled real crusher caps:
1) the leather brim isn't right, real ones tend to have a certain kind of scoring associated with the shellac the Germans used
2) the wool doesn't look quite right on any of them
3) the insignia are obvious fakes (though the wire bevo insignia looks close), the stitching doesn't look right either

[Vaughn O.]

Does anyone have pictures of the interiors?

[Rich Moran]

It's obvious to those who have handled original material, but to those who get bit hard by the bug and jonsing on owning one of these as their first example willl forget what these look like and at a show buy on emotion because it is a deal that can't be passed up.

Also, there are still some survivng GI's who might want to leave something behind for a grandkid to kick around with and over time become a family heirloom that grandpa brought back from WWII Europe.

Vaughn, I have been looking but have not found anything. I suppose if you contact them they will provide interior shots of the caps if you say your interested in buying.

If your serious about this category, I would think buying one for the academics of collecting would save you over time. This is commonly done by smart dealers to educate themselves further so they do not get taken in as well. A lot of what is there can be improved on and if era correct isnignia is applied and with some time and even use while re-enacting could make the caps field worn.

Museum and Historical organizations propell fantasy of going out for a day and forgetting who you are and thinking who you might have been back in the day. It's healthy to pretend, but when used to decieve it can result in the loss of a lot of money and cause enough frustration to perhaps cause a person to leave collecting.

If your not and not aware of this material, study it & buyer beware.

I was searching for a original pre 39 gold bullion political visor chincord when I ran across the site so thought it would be good to put it here.

If anyone else has other links to crusher replicas being produced, be kind enough to post the link here.

[MisterX]

i dont understand the problem....

[Rich Moran]

Mr. X, it is not the problem of the original seller claiming for their goods to be reproductions meant for re-enacting, it's a problem that later comes back to bite some one if a buyer of these decides to become a seller and decides to go to the dark side trying to sell these repros as originals.

The original sellers have no control over where these things end up, so the thread is posted for those who want to have the information for their files for future use.

[Z19]

Crushers

If these guys and ANYBODY else who make these caps really wanted to be upfront about what they are making then they would ink stamp EVERY cap they make on the liner and other componets that make up the interiors of these caps with the word REPLICA and until they do this they are on my S _ _ T list!!! Sorry for venting guys, but fakes are probably what drives 95% of collectors from this and EVERY other hobby today where a quick profit can be made. Alex

[David T]

You have got to be kidding! This site has been up for years...about a decade! This is Cyrus Lee's site. At one time he was putting out books on SS and Wehrmacht militaria and one or two other books on detecting fake militaria. Anyone who gets burned on any of his stuff is looking to get burned! This stuff is horrible! If this hobby has to be "idiot-proofed" for all the morons....then yes every repro should be marked "Repro"!...BUT HEY!......why stop there! Since this hobby really needs to be soooo "Moron-Friendly" lets get out the engraving tools and sharpies and lets really go to town. I am sick and tired of witnessing these "research-challenged" individuals going through the humiliating and degrading process of happily buying pure crap so they so merrily post their pieces here to be instantly destroyed by our replies telling them its "pure crap"! So my solution is that from this point on...not only are all REPROs to be marked as such in as many places as possible.....inside and out(w/sharpies and flourescent paint).....But also all ORIGINALS are to be marked as such(Original) in as many places as possible...inside and out (w/shapies ,flourescent paint and when neccesary engraved). This ultimate and final solution to the idiot problem when implemented will prevent these disturbing nightmare scenarios that nit-wits such as myself or any other trusting, unsuspecting and gullible buyer may fall prey to......So lets go guys!....get out the sharpies and paint....Yippie.............

[Z19]

Crushers

WOW...looks like I just took one up the ol' anus hole for being concerned about the future of the hobby!! I guess thats what I get for being...what is it? researched challanged?? I'm going to have to remember that one...thanks... Alex

Oh yeah...DUDE...just a little less caffeine

[LeeG]

Cyrus Lee has been around for a while and is an honest guy. His caps are marked with stamps that are not associated with a historical TR maker.

That said, I am sure that somebody has gotten screwed by a third party selling a worked up Cyrus Lee cap. That somebody, however, had not done their homework as these caps really are easily betrayed by construction and insignia for what they are, though they are good looking caps.

It seems more convincing and scary stuff is coming from somewhere else (France? Eastern Europe? China? Who knows...) by makers who use stamps based off of real stamps, etc, and are not bothering with selling their wares as repros. These guys are the boogeymen of the hobby, not folks like Cyrus Lee or At the Front.

[Z19]

Crushers

Hey guys, I may have gotten a little carrried away originally, but it just gets under my skin guys taking items that were made for one reason and being used for another to decieve. PERFECT EXAMPLE...I'll beat there has been no less than a dozen guys who have read this posting who wished many times over in the back of their minds that back in the 70s Heer Janke had marked his caps!!!!!! You take a cap made today and wear it the next 10 years while you are cutting grass, weed eating the lawn or whatever you do while sweating and getting dirty and it's gonna fool someone somewhere down the road. I'm done......have a great week, Alex