Summer Tunic breast eagle for my wife... Good?

[BROBS]

I believe this is a very nice and good one, however I always like to be sure. Picked this up at the St.Paul show yesterday.

Thanks for looking!
-Brian

[GAMS1]

A good one !
Nick

[BROBS]

Summer Tunic breast eagle for my wife... Good?

Thank you sir! I thought it was good but I don't have a Heer or Luft of my own to compare.

Is there a way to tell the manufacturer or what it's made from? It's non-magnetic but doesn't seem like Zinc... Aluminum maybe? CuPAL? Seems like copper showing through on the front.

Thanks,
-Brian

[GAMS1]

Not alu but a metal like copper+something ?
Look at the metal colour coming out .
Nick

[BROBS]

Summer Tunic breast eagle for my wife... Good?

Here is a shot of the side... You can see white metal where something has dinged the side but almost a layer of copper on top?
Isn't that how CuPAL is made?



Thanks,
-Brian

[GAMS1]

Cupal is made of aluminium covered with copper .
If your eagle is made of aluminium under the copper , that's it !
Nick

[BROBS]

Seems like it to me?
I have no experience with CuPAL items.

I don't know how I would tell it's aluminum, but it's silver in color and non-magnetic.

-Brian

[BROBS]

Wow if this is CuPAL I may have been given a smoking deal!

[Jean-Claude]

Yes Brian its cupal, as the vast majority of this makers' birds are (all the ones with oval plates behind the hinge and catch). Nice "gold" specimen with the typical dark coppery toning which I have always found kind of weird considering how well the silver finish holds up on their silver specimens. This maker also produced a tombac (or brass... hard to say but it heavier and has no oval plates under the hardware) version which holds the gold finish a lot better

Attached is a pict of my gold and silver cupal set like yours and a tombac (or brass) gold specimen by the same maker.

Best regards

JC

[BROBS]

Thank you JC for the explanation and pic. Is the maker known?

Did other makers use zinc and other materials?

-Brian

[Jean-Claude]

Hi Brian

There are lots of variations and most of these birdies are unmarked (except for Schwerin, Maedicke, Rudolph Karnet and some Assmann that I am aware of) so makers are unknown even though in some cases the hardware used looks similar to hardware found on marked decorations/badges which could be a clue/hint but you cant really take that to the bank. In this particular instance I recall a dealer write up describing your bird as a "POSSIBLE" FLL product but other than the "sideway" hinge which is found on FLL flight badges (but used by other makers as well) its just a guess IMO.

As for metals, I know yours was produced in tombac (or brass) cupal and aluminum (cloth mounted). Generally speaking these birds follow the metals' time line of the Third Reich (Tombac/brass, nickel, cupal, aluminum, alloys and zink) and some variants of the same bird come in different metals. There is also a great variety of designs ranging from beautiful to downright homely but this is very subjective

I'm a fan of these birds so I have accumulated a few. Here are 2 of my favorites... Picture 1: Type 1 (for lack of a better name: another unknown maker...) in hollow stamped fire gilded tombac at top and gilded cupal below. Picture 2: Schwerin, in gold anodized solid back aluminum

Hope this helps

Take care

JC

[BROBS]

Again, thanks for the detailed explanation and those are beautiful birds, JC!

-Brian

[Jean-Claude]

duplicate

[Oscar]

My wife want to buy watch! I must show her this post...Maybe she will change mind, it's cheaper for me

[BROBS]

Haha.... Probably not cheaper in the long run! The watch will cost less than a full collection.



-Brian