The Future of Collecting Shoulder Boards

[ShoulderBoards]

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[Schulterklappen]

Schulterklappen und Schulterstuecke

The Forum is going to be a two edged sword when it comes to fakers, but it helps collectors more than the fakers in my opinion.

Rare Heer units, Lehr, FHH, & GD, are going to be heavily faked because of the values involved, much like SS items and cufftitles. Collecting pieces from lesser known units still has a great appeal to me because of the histories involved and you can learn much about materials used and construction techniques.

Look through the threads and pm some of the guys that collect insignia. There are many very knowledgeable people here. Even with that, you will not necessarily get a consensus of opinion on things though.

Not to dissuade you, but collecting is going to involve risks. If you are in it for the love of history, it is going to be worth it despite occasional setbacks.

[Glenn Barbaritz]

Not to dissuade you, but collecting is going to involve risks. If you are in it for the love of history, it is going to be worth it despite occasional setbacks.[/quote ]

well said. Glenn

[TJ Suter]

The high end pieces such as FHH, GD, Cav Rgt 5, etc. are always going to be faked. The real problem, as I see it, are the decent reproductions that were made in the 1970's. They are about 30 years old now and are showing some real age and wear. I don't foresee the lower end stuff being heavily reproduced as the profit just isn't there.

The best way to start out is with the 'cheaper' less commonly faked straps/boards such as Infantry Rgt's and post them here on the forum. After you've handled a number of good pieces you'll start to get a feel for the material and construction methods used. Then move onto the higher end stuff. I have about 10 years experience with cloth items and I still have guys like Scott who specialize in panzer and GD look over items for me. Two sets of eyes are better than one.

Also, get a cup of coffee or an adult beverage and spend some time on Dave's article:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/unif...ards/index.htm