Opinion on Armband

[Pink181]

Came across this armband today and was want some opinions on it.

[Pink181]

Photo #2

[Pink181]

Photo #3

[Adrian Stevenson]

We have talked about these a few times recently. They are not easy to authenticate. The originals were cheaply made and screen printing is cheap and easy to copy. They have been faked for about 30 years.

I am sure there will be more than one original maker too, so variations may abound.

I have an original Vet bring back, which does not match the one you show, but that does not dismiss it.

So start with basics: blacklight and burn test. Then compare to known repros being sold as such.

What colour is the thread which is used to stitch both ends of the armband together?

Cheers, Ade.

[Pink181]

how you perform the burn test?

[Adrian Stevenson]

This thread details which materials burn in a certain way:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ight=burn+test

If you can obtain a loose thread from the armband you can burn test it.

Cheers, Ade.

[CWP]

I have three of these armbands that I am very confident about. One was part of a group that came from a local picker I trust, from a veteran estate. Another came from a trustworthy dealer and was also part of a GI vet grouping. The third is unfinished and I bought it many years ago from a good source. I don't think I will be getting any more of these. All my originals are slightly different. I have a reproduction that I got as a gift from a friend who bought it as a repoduction. It is essentially the same as one of my bring-back originals- same fabric, same printing quality, the design and stitching are more or less the same. It glows brightly under black light, I haven't tested it but it is probably made with modern thread. The thing is, if I mixed it in with my originals, the only way I could tell it apart would be with a black light. If I were to show a photo of the reproduction here on the forum, no one would be able to say that it was not good. I am certain that these have been faked on material that does not glow, with cotton thread. These have been superbly reproduced for decades, some of these reproductions now show genuine age. I am sure there are now more "original" VS armbands than there were in 1945! I don't see any red flags in the pictures but I would be extremely hesitant to buy one of these without some kind of assurance that it came from a good source. I had one of these that I bought from a dealer without any "story", I couldn't find anything wrong with it but I was never really happy with it so I sold it.

[Colorado]

I was going to list two of them tomorrow on the estand. One is a Vet purchase (the torn one), the other indirect. Who knows, they are very cheaply made. One thing I note is the thread on yours is white and mine are black.

[Colorado]

Other side

[YoZh]

Uv

So start with basics: blacklight and burn test. Then compare to known repros being sold as such.



Cheers, Ade.

+1

for first one You need to see it on UV light and make burn.
Thanks

[Pink181]

I took a closer look at the thread, the thread on the outside edge is white, but the thread that attachs it together is black.

I also performed the black light test, and it dd not glow and then performed a burn test wth a small piece thread and it did burned to ash.