Panzer Straps Opinions, Please

[DonC]

All, not really my area - woud appreciate any opinions on these.

As always, thanks in advance!

Don

[DonC]

X

[DonC]

A

[mwliles]

Not the best of pictures seeing the tongues and lining material would be helpful. That said I do not like the piping and believe they are copies.
Marion

[DonC]

Xx

[OSS]

Piping and buttonholes are two red flags (also, this rank does not call for a metal device).

[TJ Suter]

Hey Don, expanding on what OSS noted:

There are two types of buttonhole machines used in the textile industry: the 'cut-before buttonholer' and the 'cut-after buttonholer'. Cut-before buttonhole machines were the type most commonly used during the Third Reich period. They produced a good quality buttonhole by first cutting the fabric, then stitching over the edges which gave a clean finish. Today the most common buttonholer is the 'cut-after' type which first sews the buttonhole, then cuts a slit in the buttonhole. This style of manufacturing leaves loose cloth inside of the stitching. A strap produced with a cut-after buttonholer should be viewed with suspicion but is not necessarily absolute proof that the strap was manufactured post-war.
<O</O
Buttonholes were normally finished with a bartack rather than a flybar. The bartack style buttonhole finish uses a horizontal stitch at the bottom to end the seam whereas a flybar stitch crosses at the bottom.<O</O

[DonC]

Gentlemen, thanks a lot for your replies - very informative!

Don

[nonameno]

Hi TJ,
Thank you for your post. That was very useful and informative.
Best wishes,
Curtiss

[OSS]

It should perhaps be mentioned that the so-called "cut after" buttonhole is almost never seen on original shoulder straps.

[longislandercjv]

Useful information.
The Lehr cyphers are original IMO.
I agree that the straps are not original wartime issue.