"Pridi K Waffen-SS" reproduction booklet sold by Weitze for 450 euros

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

in the never ending proofs that something is sometimes rotten at Weitze, i just checked yesterday the website and discovered that the 10 to 50-euro reproduction "Pridi K Waffen-SS" Slovenian recruitment booklet they had listed for 450 euros and they agreed that their copy had glossy paper that was UV light reacting (confirming this is one of the post-war common reproductions) finally found a (therefore scammed) customer...

The link was already removed, but of course not only do i have all the pictures, but i also have the whole discussion with Dietmar Haarcke of Weitze.net, whom i contacted in past February 2020 to inform him of the "problem".

Here are two parts of the penultimate message of Dietmar, which enlight everyone on the WAF about the level of "expertise" provided there :

[...](pages) are lightening a little more than the cover as they are glossy printed ones which is for us normal[...]

[...]I sell and describe paperwork and books more than 20 years, collecting more than 30 years and for me it’s still a period one[...]

Glossy UV light reacting pages in a Slovenian SS recruitment booklet, YEAH RIGHT !

Original "Pridi K Waffen-SS" booklet as elusive as hell, you can ask Slovenian WAF members and SS collectors.

The booklet was reprinted at least in two models (V1 and V2), both with glossy (UV reacting pages like a Xmas tree).

The first model V1 exist with various front cover colors : i found at least grey and yellow (like the one of Weitze) variations.
Amongst the grey variations, some have the text on the back of the front cover, others are missing it.

The second model V2 exist in green cover. The main difference is that on the back of the front cover is white, not the color of the front cover.
The V2 seemed to not have the text on the back of the front cover (on white as stated above).

I own both V1 and V2 reproductions, which you can get for less than 10 euros in Slovenia !

Below you will find pictures of the V1 yellow variation sold by Weitze, pictures courtesy of Weitze.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

Weitze had the V1 yellow front cover variation, please find below my own V1 grey front cover variation with the text on the back of the front cover.

But i also identified the V1 grey cover variation without the text, as shown on a bolha.com ad pictures i'm also including.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

now here is the V2 green cover variation, with no text on the back of the front cover, which is white, not green as the front cover.

You can notice the fake 1. SS-Ersatz-Bataillon "Ost" stamp and that on the various copies i saw, the V2 do not have the corners cut like the V1 variations.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

the V1 (grey) and the V2 (green) reproduction booklets from my collection, with UV light tests of the same page...
Please note that most pages in both versions are on glossy paper.

See You

Vince

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

now you will say to me : "but Vince, this is great to know about the reproductions, but what about the original ?".

Well, like i previously said, originals are elusive as hell, as many produced SS recruitment booklets by local Ergänzungsstellen...

Please find below 3 pictures of an original, pictures courtesy of Primoz Smajdek, of the blog https://spomeniki.blogspot.com

This rare original is in the Baskovic private museum collection, in the village of Gradnik :

https://spomeniki.blogspot.com/2012/...kovic.html?m=1

See You

Vince

[HAF]

ahh well this company is now forum sponsor here on WAF

[Serge M.]

Vince, Another textbook expose of a lot that 'got past the staff'.

[Gary Symonds]

Though Vince has provided the membership with well researched articles over the years, and this is clearly one of them, the use of the Black Light Test to prove the timeliness of this artifact is not dispositive of it being a reproduction as a single factor in the overall evaluation.

The membership is directed to an essay that I wrote on the subject that clearly shows that the whiteners used that react to UV light were in use before 1945.

https://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/for...t-test-article

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

thanks to all of you for your nice words.

Now about the UV light test, it is only a additional tool but to date of the hundred of original WW2 publications (amongst them publications printed by the SS-Hauptamt) i was able to study, i do not remember any of them reacting to a UV light test.
Here, the reaction to an UV light test only confirms the modern caracteristics of those repros which are printed on modern glossy paper.
A paper collector will easily see that the paper can't be period.

And it is true that some post-war fake and repro publications do not react to UV light test.
I think I made a topic on the WAF about that.

See You

Vince

PS : the V1 grey variation (with text on page 2 like for the V1 yellow variation sold by Weitze) was bought for less than 15 euros, shipping included. Many thanks again to the local WAF member who helped me to get this repro !

[Marcel Banziger]

It is a never ending problem. As long as people keep buying their stuff from Weitze, or Wittman to name another one than nothing will change. People should avoid such crooks completely. That is the ONLY way to get them out of business and stop them from fooling (and robbing from) honest collectors.
But most likely this post will be deleted and I will end up with a warning again since these dealers' names are sacred to some moderators and nothing bad is allowed to say about them.

[AntiqueWW2]

Vince is doing a very good job, as always with his detective work. But I don't think you can compare the two copies of him with Weitze's. Vince's two are definitely copies, cheap copies, what is not really hard to spot. Then a UV test is not really the way to get a guarantee if something is original or a copy. I have by far older books that also glow slightly under UV, some more some less. And I had one of these books in exactly the same variation as Weitzes in a Handschar Group. Also take a look at the one from Vince posted, the 31 shows the same 3 as the one from Weitze. All is possible of course as always in this Hobby, but for me the one from Weitze is just fine.And even if it was a copy, I don't believe what Weitze would intentionally sell it as original. With a 10.000 Euro uniform I can understand it, but with a 450 Euro booklet.....not really.He is not so poor that he needs it

[Robert H]

That Weitze Booklet is clear a copy, nothing further to add to this common BS he sometimes offers. Its not about the 450€ its about lacking of knowledge and little **** makes also by time big ****.

[AntiqueWW2]

That Weitze Booklet is clear a copy, nothing further to add to this common BS he sometimes offers. Its not about the 450€ its about lacking of knowledge and little **** makes also by time big ****.

If that is so clear, show me a real one and what is different about it. Clear is something else for me.....

[Robert H]

I knew you will ask for this as a Weitze supporter... Vince mentioned it already above what is wrong.

[AntiqueWW2]

I knew you will ask for this as a Weitze supporter... Vince mentioned it already above what is wrong.

Weitze does not need any support nor am I interested in what or what he does not need. But what I do care about is if someone claims something is clearly a copy of why that is so. Vince just wrote that the pages glow under UV.......not really enough to mark something as a copy. And the two copies he posted don't really compare to the one from Weitze at all. So again my question, if it's so clearly a copy, please show me an original one and then also show me where the differences to the Weitze one are. I had an original, used Booklet, which had the same cover and features as the one from Weitze so it is logical that I do not simply write that it is a clear copy...