General's tunic

[Ludwig]

-

Do you mind people having opinions?

[chuck locke]

Nope, I don't mind so here's mine. Every collector is responsible for his own collection, He can trust a dealer or not, He can become informed or not, He can buy or not, and he can search out vet bringbacks or not.

There's not one person here at WA who has not bought something either outright fake or monkeyed with. Those who wanted to continue did with a dose of bitter medicine to assist in sharpening their knowledge so as to not repeat.

And lastly he can continue collecting militaria or not, ultimately the choice is his.

Chuck

[Dave Kane]

This doesn't help with credibility........is it a Latvian, as they are called?

[Napalm]

Nope, I don't mind so here's mine. Every collector is responsible for his own collection, He can trust a dealer or not, He can become informed or not, He can buy or not, and he can search out vet bringbacks or not.

There's not one person here at WA who has not bought something either outright fake or monkeyed with. Those who wanted to continue did with a dose of bitter medicine to assist in sharpening their knowledge so as to not repeat.

And lastly he can continue collecting militaria or not, ultimately the choice is his.

Chuck

You sound like a dealer, thanks for trying to educate the stupid...Not a FLAME MODS...

[TONY Q.W.]

Actually, Chuck put it very nice, dealer or not.

[Ludwig]

Nope, I don't mind so here's mine. Every collector is responsible for his own collection, He can trust a dealer or not, He can become informed or not, He can buy or not, and he can search out vet bringbacks or not.

There's not one person here at WA who has not bought something either outright fake or monkeyed with. Those who wanted to continue did with a dose of bitter medicine to assist in sharpening their knowledge so as to not repeat.

And lastly he can continue collecting militaria or not, ultimately the choice is his.

Chuck

Agree to that, too!

[Ludwig]

This doesn't help with credibility........is it a Latvian, as they are called?

Yeah, I saw that piece of crap and I was surprised... and depressed...

[chuck locke]

No gentlemen, I'm certainly not a dealer. As a matter of fact I just had to sell my collection of Luftschutz due to a financial setback.

I currently now collect US military patches, and as a matter of fact, I just bought a 1st Army color center patch off ebay I thought was a reverse color Ordnance patch (rare) which turned out to be a common signals patch that someone had used a red inkpin to color the the white piping with.

Something I hadn't heard of but as before I'm better armed mentally for my next 1st Army color center.

Chuck

[Imperial-German]

I remember 15 Years ago when I was in the Police. I busted a house and when I was doing a search I found one or two rare German badges. Being a collector I asked him about the badges and he stated that he was making them for certain dealers in London!!! (he was arrested for something not connected to the badges I must add).

Anyway this got me thinking. I spoke to one of the dealers that was mentioned . I visited him in his shop and brought up the topic of fakes. His words to me were. "You dont get rich selling genuine items" He also went on to add that collectors had allowed him to buy his house outright!!!

My next move was to intercept the fakers. One particuar london faker I met was a foul smelling drug taking scumbag. he has sold items to most of the London dealers including I might add some famous Auction houses(and still does, his tank badges are amazing). One name he dropped is one of the most respected British Dealers in the country (currently working for an auction house) he has been supplying him with fakes since the mid 1970's.

After this I stopped collecting German and turned to English Medals.

Good you may say. Well it appears that the fakers having given the german trade a bad name and wrecked the german market turned to the British medal market. This scumbag now produces the India General Service Medal 1854 with correct style engraved naming, Burma Medal 1826 and upon special request a Zulu medal correctly named to a Rorkes drift defender etc. (It will cost you ******163;8000).

Food for thought.A dealer is there to make money.!!!!!

[Harry]

Is there a possibility of someone having bought the insignia to apply to a tunic they already owned, only to turn it around as an original through the same dealer???. I do not recall seeing the tunic as a separate item on Weitze's site... Not trying to take the wind out of the Lynching mob, just trying to explore all possible scenarios. Lets face it, collector's are equally guilty of messing with original items, adding insignia etc....

[paddywhack]

just wondering look at the loops for the awards??? they would seem to be of a fairly high ranking or servicing officer?(the ribbion bar is quiet long and there are plenty of other loops for awards to!) though they may have just been added!!!!

[NTZ]

just wondering look at the loops for the awards??? they would seem to be of a fairly high ranking or servicing officer?(the ribbion bar is quiet long and there are plenty of other loops for awards to!) though they may have just been added!!!!

Just last week another collector told me how to sew award loops. I wanted to repair one I just tore. It was too easy and you would never be able to tell it was not period. Although with mine I did use period thread but in a different color so I would remember when I go to sell.

The point is after I seen how easy it was and how good the end result was I will never trust an award loops again.

[glaubenssoldat]

I remember 15 Years ago when I was in the Police. I busted a house and when I was doing a search I found one or two rare German badges. Being a collector I asked him about the badges and he stated that he was making them for certain dealers in London!!! (he was arrested for something not connected to the badges I must add).

Anyway this got me thinking. I spoke to one of the dealers that was mentioned . I visited him in his shop and brought up the topic of fakes. His words to me were. "You dont get rich selling genuine items" He also went on to add that collectors had allowed him to buy his house outright!!!

My next move was to intercept the fakers. One particuar london faker I met was a foul smelling drug taking scumbag. he has sold items to most of the London dealers including I might add some famous Auction houses(and still does, his tank badges are amazing). One name he dropped is one of the most respected British Dealers in the country (currently working for an auction house) he has been supplying him with fakes since the mid 1970's.

After this I stopped collecting German and turned to English Medals.

Good you may say. Well it appears that the fakers having given the german trade a bad name and wrecked the german market turned to the British medal market. This scumbag now produces the India General Service Medal 1854 with correct style engraved naming, Burma Medal 1826 and upon special request a Zulu medal correctly named to a Rorkes drift defender etc. (It will cost you £8000).

Food for thought.A dealer is there to make money.!!!!!

Interesting post.

I've also put alot of serious doubt on items because of the ability of skilled people being able to fake them. For example, I come from a line of German tailors (father, grandfather, great grandfather) and didn't really think anything about the machinery or materials we've had laying around the shop/house until the other day when I went to tailor up a gift for my girlfriend

Going through some of the supplies I found old Stocko and PRYM snaps, period zippers, and period sewing machines to boot (a Pfaff from the 1920s and some Singers)... I started talking to my father about that and explaining the what WW2 items they were used for and then explained how common it is for tailors (not only German ones) who have been in the trade for awhile to have such materials... so if I wanted to already I'd be able to fool people inspecting snaps, stitching, zippers and what not - though I won't

now what's to prevent someone from taking an old tunic or jacket and using these machines and materials to spruce it up a bit... I don't have the time or money to do anything like that, but my father was saying that there are plenty of tailors out there that some faker could easily find that would

After this experience and seeing this post I'll now be extra careful when inspecting tunics (especially "private purchase" ones)... I dunno, maybe I should quit my job and start a repro business

[glaubenssoldat]

Just last week another collector told me how to sew award loops. I wanted to repair one I just tore. It was too easy and you would never be able to tell it was not period. Although with mine I did use period thread but in a different color so I would remember when I go to sell.

The point is after I seen how easy it was and how good the end result was I will never trust an award loops again.

exactly

[rkdek]

"Is there a possibility of someone having bought the insignia to apply to a tunic they already owned, only to turn it around as an original through the same dealer???. I do not recall seeing the tunic as a separate item on Weitze's site... Not trying to take the wind out of the Lynching mob, just trying to explore all possible scenarios. Lets face it, collector's are equally guilty of messing with original items, adding insignia etc...."

Harry, exactly the same thought crossed my mind but I didn't post it afraid of the reactions it may cause