Need help telling difference between fake or authentic Schiffswappen (ship's crest)

[leproc]

Hello! I wanted to start a bit on collecting Kriegsmarine stuff, though I like to only collect stuff pertaining to a certain ship. That being said, I would like to start collecting schiffswappens - the ship's crest.

I'm having a bit of trouble telling a fake from a real article though. If you guys can help, that would be appreciated.

If anybody on this forum is selling authentic schiffswappens (I'll check with the forum to be safe), I'm happy to discuss buying and payment since I really would like help jump-starting my collection. I'm willing to look at anything, though I prefer to keep to the orthodox destroyer, cruiser (light and heavy), and battleship. Please private message me about that.

One example is this Emden crest:





Another is this crest for Z51 - a destroyer that didn't get a chance at glory in the war: https://www.weitze.com/militaria/93/...1__272893.html

Another for the light cruiser Karlsruhe - https://www.weitze.com/militaria/87/...e__287287.html

Thanks!

[JustinG]

Well, as one of the few people who collect these Schiffswappen and unit wappen. Let me first say that this is a fun field. The wappen you shared of the Kreuzer Emden from the House Of History is indeed a period piece. This is one of the most familiar wappen pieces. This was one of the first constructed ships Germany was able to construct. These appear on ebay and various collector dealer sites more frequently.

The crest that seems to be the most copied is the Tirpitz. Many have maker marks stamped/written on them. Many are constructed of metal and wood. I haven't seen a period wappen for the Bismarck but most of the other ships I have seen. Mainly, Panzerschiff, Schlachtschiff (Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Tirpitz) Kreuzers, Linienschiff, Torpedoboot,Artillerieschulschiff, Tenders, Beglieitschiff and a few flottille wappen as well as a few schools.

You can do a search on the forum, it isn't too many people actively collecting these pieces. Majority of the pieces I have purchased have been on hunches. Do they appear well constructed? Does the age seem right (75+ years old) With larger, more popular ships, I look at more carefully. About a third of the pieces I have do contain a stamp maker mark on them. Several don't.

Best of luck in this fun field. Also, remember that later on there was redesignation of ships/units in the Bundesmarine. The Emden later became the Frigate Emden. The wappen I have seen now contain a band with the words "Frigate Emden" on them.

Best Regards,
JustinG

[JustinG]

Here's a good thread:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=schiffswappen

[leproc]

Well, as one of the few people who collect these Schiffswappen and unit wappen. Let me first say that this is a fun field. The wappen you shared of the Kreuzer Emden from the House Of History is indeed a period piece. This is one of the most familiar wappen pieces. This was one of the first constructed ships Germany was able to construct. These appear on ebay and various collector dealer sites more frequently.

The crest that seems to be the most copied is the Tirpitz. Many have maker marks stamped/written on them. Many are constructed of metal and wood. I haven't seen a period wappen for the Bismarck but most of the other ships I have seen. Mainly, Panzerschiff, Schlachtschiff (Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, Tirpitz) Kreuzers, Linienschiff, Torpedoboot,Artillerieschulschiff, Tenders, Beglieitschiff and a few flottille wappen as well as a few schools.

You can do a search on the forum, it isn't too many people actively collecting these pieces. Majority of the pieces I have purchased have been on hunches. Do they appear well constructed? Does the age seem right (75+ years old) With larger, more popular ships, I look at more carefully. About a third of the pieces I have do contain a stamp maker mark on them. Several don't.

Best of luck in this fun field. Also, remember that later on there was redesignation of ships/units in the Bundesmarine. The Emden later became the Frigate Emden. The wappen I have seen now contain a band with the words "Frigate Emden" on them.

Best Regards,
JustinG

Thanks JustinG. I have seen that you have a large collection of these. Where do you usually buy them? I'm looking for Hipper-class, Deutshland-class, and Scharnhorst-class crests. I understand those might be hard, especially since I can't read German easily O_o

[leproc]

I just found out from the seller that the Z51 crest was memorabilia - not official.

[JustinG]

I personally, haven't seen a Zerstörer wappen. Since many of these were named after WW1 officers/enlisted personnel who served with distinction, I seriously doubt there was any crests for them. The Named units or divisions/abteilung will and most likely have crests/wappen. Several units like the 3rd Schnellbootsflottille have some great crests and reside in several collections. Others similar units, they remain a mystery to me if their crests/wappen were sold or produced commercially.

Best of luck.

Regards,
JustinG

[leproc]

I personally, haven't seen a Zerstörer wappen. Since many of these were named after WW1 officers/enlisted personnel who served with distinction, I seriously doubt there was any crests for them. The Named units or divisions/abteilung will and most likely have crests/wappen. Several units like the 3rd Schnellbootsflottille have some great crests and reside in several collections. Others similar units, they remain a mystery to me if their crests/wappen were sold or produced commercially.

Best of luck.

Regards,
JustinG

Yeah. The Z51 isn't an official crest as said by the seller. It's memorabilia made by a nostalgic officer.