Repro Panzer Skull Tabs

[DevonportDave]

Gents
Whilst on another thread I posted a picture of my Panzer Skull Tabs and was informed by a learned member that they were definitely repro.
Before I go into battle with the dealer who sold them to me as original can I get a final opinion please.
Many thanks
Dave

[GAMS1]

Old repros , no doubts ! Skulls and tabs ...
Nick

[galizien41]

junk, sorry

[90th Light]

I have always consider this type of Panzer collar tab to be a later war private purchase type. They are made from a boiled-wool/ felt type material. In the case of your pair, they are the later lighter Salmon pink colour as opposed to the earlier Rosa pink or deep Rosa.

Here is a pair of shoulder boards that member "LuckyStrike 23" showed. The piping and body of his boards is made from a similar boiled wool as you tabs;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ht=boiled+wool

Your skulls look to be the earlier nickel type which is of course possible on private purchase tabs.

I have examples of these private purchase Panzer collar tabs in both the Rosa pink and Salmon pink. I will take some images tomorrow and add them here.

I also have private purchase shoulder boards made from this boiled-wool/ felt material,

Chris

[90th Light]

More threads showing private purchase shoulder boards made from this type of boiled wool/ felt;

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...highlight=felt

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...highlight=felt

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...highlight=felt

Chris

[GAMS1]

Private made collar patches and shoulder boards do exist in "Filz" of course , but these collar patches were sold in Germany in the 80's as repro ...exactly the same construction and cloth !
The skulls are made after the early Pz skulls in brass but are the common repro sold also in Germany in the 80's !
Flat pins are one of the differences observed on this type,always round pins on the originals .
Nick

[90th Light]

Private made collar patches and shoulder boards do exist in "Filz" of course , but these collar patches were sold in Germany in the 80's as repro ...exactly the same construction and cloth !
The skulls are made after the early Pz skulls in brass but are the common repro sold also in Germany in the 80's !
Flat pins are one of the differences observed on this type,always round pins on the originals .
Nick

Interesting Nick,

do you have any advertisements or threads where these are shown as repro ?

It was my understanding that this type of later war private purchase Panzer tabs were part of a shop hoard find that Adrian Foreman stumbled across on one of this trips to Europe in the 1980's. He picked up a range of items including a pile of mint Krim shields with fold over tabs. Most of the panzer tabs did not have skulls just the same as the Krim shields did not have backing cloth or back plates.

As far as the early Nickel Panzer skulls go, I and my friend, each have a single veteran brought back private purchase Panzer tab with a Nickel skull on them with flat pins. We both got our tabs from different veterans. Our veteran brought back tabs are an earlier type with Rosa piping.

I will take some photos tomorrow in the day-light and add them to this thread,

Chris

[LuckyStrike23]

This skull pattern is always difficult to judge. There are few original pattern (brass, aluminium, zinc) and a few very good copies.

[90th Light]

Private purchase Panzer collars with "Rosa" pink piping

The single that I got from a veteran is the one on the viewers left with the Nickel- silver skull. This was stuck into the veterans photo album. It was the first Panzer collar that I ever got, many, many years ago. This got me going on removed Panzer insignia. The interest has never died.

Note the flat prongs on the reverse side of the Nickel-silver skull.

The other private purchase Panzer collar with zinc skull came from a beyond doubt source. I got it because the size matched my other tab almost exactly. Note how the cloth is folded over on both of them.

My veteran Panzer collar has piping made from boiled-wool/ felt where as the other private purchase collar has piping made from rayon velveteen. One often sees these materials used on SS collar tabs ,

Chris

[90th Light]

Private purchase Panzer collars with the lighter "Salmon" pink piping.

These ones match exactly what was found in a shop hoard in the 1980's. However, this pair have been sewn on and used which is why I grabbed them

Note the later type of Aluminum skull with round prongs and slight moth damage to the boiled-wool/ felt cloth,

Chris

[90th Light]

Comparison of the private purchase Panzer tabs with a regular early wool piped Panzer tabs.

The private purchase type often look tailor made and a slightly different size. Giving them a "jazzy" private purchase look. You also see this on Imperial German uniforms which are officer private purchase or 1-year volunteer private purchase.

Note how the "Buckram" on the private purchase "Salmon" pink tabs is very close to the Buckram used on the regular early wool piped Panzer tabs. The correct pre-WW2/ WW2 glue applied to the "Buckram" of the private purchase tabs but the early wool piped tabs do not have glue on them,

Chris

[90th Light]

Comparison of private purchase shoulder straps for Panzer regiment 5

Note how the hues or colour of pink boiled wool/ felt ranges from a bright florescent pink to the lighter Salmon pink.

Note also how the Moths love to eat this material,

Chris

[90th Light]

More comparison of the brighter florescent pink with the lighter Salmon pink. All these boards all came from the same German Panzer Regiment 5 soldier. Thus it is hard to know if the lighter Salmon pink is in fact later war or simply just a manufacturers variation depending on what they could get at the time.

However, it is my understanding that the shade of Panzer pink waffenfarbe got lighter from deep Rosa pink to Salmon pink as the war progressed,

Chris

[GAMS1]

Private purchase Panzer collars with the lighter "Salmon" pink piping.

These ones match exactly what was found in a shop hoard in the 1980's. However, this pair have been sewn on and used which is why I grabbed them

Note the later type of Aluminum skull with round prongs and slight moth damage to the boiled-wool/ felt cloth,

Chris

Are you sure these skulls are original ? They look like the german early repros
made in a light alu with round pins... ?
Nick

[90th Light]

Are you sure these skulls are original ? They look like the german early repros
made in a light alu with round pins... ?
Nick

I understand what you mean Nick,

like the Nickel-silver skulls there are both good and bad. When I got those light "Salmon" pink tabs, I asked LuckyStrike23 what he thought of the them. He emailed me back saying he thought they were good ones and had no problem with them. We both agreed that they were an interesting variation type. However, lets see what he says now,

Chris