Is it OK to add to mint unissued tunics?

[napesica]

Question for collectors, is it OK to take a mint original unissued tunic, with original paper tag inside, and add a earned cuff title that would have never been on an issued item? By 'earned' I mean not a regimental or divisional cuff title.
IMO, it is not, but interested in what others think.
Thanks !

[Adam S.]

If a tunic is unissued I don't think that any changes should be made to it. If you buy a stripped tunic and you're restoring it then I think that would be okay to apply bells and whistles to IMO.

[tanker]

I agree with you. "Adding" anything would be a deceptive practice and in my opinion degrade the original "mint" tunic. Ron

Question for collectors, is it OK to take a mint original unissued tunic, with original paper tag inside, and add a earned cuff title that would have never been on an issued item? By 'earned' I mean not a regimental or divisional cuff title.
IMO, it is not, but interested in what others think.
Thanks !

[CWP]

Sewing anything on an original unissued tunic with paper tags is absurd and deplorable.

[John Degioanni]

If one wishes to take away the value of a piece they can alter it. It will never be what they are trying to make it. I believe a true collector of history leaves things as they are. I do agree if the piece has been stripped its ok to restore it.
John

[Johnny R]

No.

[NZMark]

no.

+1

[Jos L C]

No ..

... but it seems no crime to add stuff, the years 2000 and up showed loads of SS and Luft jackets ( just to mention something ) with added insignia, cuff titles etc..
Some dealers showed a endless stream of original tunics in the most exotic configurations and they sold like candy..
Sewing machines were smoking and COA's were flying around and it still happens with many items.
Fact is that people don't know and don't want to know..
I've seen a fancy uniform which started as medical and hit the market as German para and noone could see, it's just one of the many I know of..
Just take ebay, 50 rolls of original thread, 1500 buttons, 30 meters of silver twisted cord, etc, all sold in a second.., noone collects these items, tailors at work for us.. and there're still good tailors.

It's all in the mind ..

Jos.

[Johnny R]

I have told the sad story of "old style collecting" before when the answer to this thread would most likely be "sure, who cares".

Back in the 1970s and I imagine earlier basically if someone wanted a Spanish Army volunteer tunic they just made one from an untouched regular Army tunic.

If someone wanted a Panzer Oberst tunic for the 6th Regiment, they just stripped an original signals tunic or Infantry, added loops and insignia and created what they wanted.

A lot of these created tunics are now aged and thought to be "untouched" rare "originals".

What is rare now are untouched and unissued items with factory tags etc. like you are describing. It would be sad to see them embellished with cuffittles and have the tags removed.

[JasonA]

Hi napesica,

It is okay to do what you please with anything you own in the context of nobody's going to stop you. But I think from a historical perspective, most collectors are ardent about preserving history and wouldn't have anything but ill thoughts toward those who would alter anything that wasn't completely stripped to begin with. And even then, most would argue that the restoration should bring a piece back to its last original configuration (if it's possible to confirm this, of course).

The other downside here is the resale value of a changed item. Once an item has been changed it usually devalues the piece in some way. So even if one wanted to alter something from its original configuration and didn't personally have a problem with it, hopefully the financial end would set the person straight.

My recommendation to you would be to wait until you find the configuration you're looking for instead of trying to create it. I think it's important to remember that there were millions and millions of soldiers who fought in WWII, and plenty of uniforms, headgear, equipment, firearms, etc. have survived. Unless what you're looking for is exceedingly rare in one way or another, it is likely you will eventually find what you are looking for.

J-

[jmcm]

The only thing on a tunic that i will accept is a replaced breast eagle!

[tony james]

Sewing anything on an original unissued tunic with paper tags is absurd and deplorable.

Agree !!

[Tim O'Keefe]

Sewing anything on an original unissued tunic with paper tags is absurd and deplorable.

+1

Would just say that adding anything that was not originally on any tunic is destroying its original history.

[sscrooge]

Sounds like the tropical first pattern tunic on face book , regards dave

[Petra]

Me too
everything else is not worthy - but sadly a lot of people do it truing to bump the price of the item - its so hard to see untouched item these days

The only thing on a tunic that i will accept is a replaced breast eagle!