Having only recently ventured in to insignia I purchased a small lot from the estand. This is one of a pair of collar tabs and a chevron. The collar tab is backed on to some rough cloth which appears to have been stiffened with a substance. The Chevron has no backing. Is this typical of this type of insignia? Any opinions appreciated.
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The chevron is an hbt chevron with subdued gray tress.The rank is gefreiter.Looks totally standard and original.Comment
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Kiefer, many thanks. Any opinions on the collar tab?Comment
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Hi Richard,
I did comment on the collar tab but i dont know where the text went.
The collar tab looks ok in regards to construction and materials.The backing with the substance applied is buckram and is a standard material used to back this type of tab.
The only concern i have is the light green colour of the badge cloth used.
Im generally used to seeing a dark blue/green or dark green badge cloth utilised.Generally a colour matching the colour of the collar of the uniform these tabs would of been applied to.
The green used on these reminds me of a cross between mountain troop and panzergrenadier.Parade or dress tabs utilised a backing cloth that matched the waffenfarbe of the corp but these arent dress tabs.(dress or parade tabs also had bright metallic litzen similar to the wire thread used on flatwire insignia and not the subdued gray colour of these).
The litzen used on this tab is the type used on combat tunics.
Is there a chance the tabs have been washed and the colour washed out of the backing or has your scanner or camera misrepresented the colour of the backing?Comment
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Kiefer, having compared the green colour from the scanned image to the actual collar tab I can't see much difference so I agree they are rather light.Comment
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Hi Richard,
The tabs look fairly textbook apart from the light green backing.There could be several reason for the light green though.
One is age.Dyes in cloth do change colour over time and that is dependent on storage and exposure to light especially UV and fluorescent lighting(very bad for fading)
Have they been washed?.Not all Dyes used during the Third reich were particulary colurfast.Especially alot of the vegetable based dyes.
A clue could be held in the colour of the vertical stripes on the front of the gray litzen.On my screen they appear either a creamy white yellow or an off white.
What colour are they ?Comment
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Thanks again for the information, I am learning! They've not been washed in the short I've had them. But previously I wouldn't know. The colour of the stripes are creamy yellow.Comment
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Hi Richard,
If the stripes are pale yellow,then i feel we are dealing with fade.
Yellow is the typical waffenfarbe for signals and should definately be a brighter, more vibrant yellow.Not this pale.
One other point,the actual gray of the litzen should be slightly darker like the tresse on the chevron.That also looks a bit pale.
Couple those two points with the original point of the light coloured green backing and i feel fade is whats going on.
Be aware things do change colour over time even when stored correctly,though.
All that aside,the tabs look original.
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Hi Guys,
The tab is light green because it is for the Schutzpolizei. Probably early issue, circa 1938-40.
MfG,
DianeComment
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Im glad Diane chimed in and cleared that up.
I know nothing about polizei items,im used to looking at heer items.
I did say they were original though
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Thanks to you both for your help, my knowledge of insignia is now improving!Comment
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