Early LAH nco Board

[Kale Michael]

I have nothing to compare this with for originality. Hope somebody can help authenticate. Thanks for looking.

Kale

[Kale Michael]

detail

close up

[markus]

Now, I am not 100 pct. certain, since I do not collect LAH insignia, but rather LAH paperwork and photos, but IMO the design of this shoulderstrap here is a mixture of 2 original and known designs.

1) The early round shoulderstrap with 3.4 cm high rounded cyphers
+
2) The pointed army style strap with the new-style (block-letter) LAH cyphers.


I have neer come across a strap which combines the 2 types.


I have seen this single strap on a dealers website and passed on it.

IMO a post-war reproduction.

For further info I can recommend Bender's book on the uniforms, insignia, etc. of the LAH.

[Sayle F]

LAH strap

The strap is not a so called "textbook" example , but I can tell you that it is not a newly made reproduction. I have examined it in hand and it is a period strap with period done embroidery. This strap is "out of the woods" not from a dealer or show etc. etc. and I have no doubts about it being authentic. Now could some faker many years ago made this up and then it went into some vets collection and then it was sold with his things in response to an ad in the paper, I highly doubt it. You have it in hand now I am assuming so, do you think it is Fake? I don't.

[markus]

The strap is not a so called "textbook" example , but I can tell you that it is not a newly made reproduction. I have examined it in hand and it is a period strap with period done embroidery. This strap is "out of the woods" not from a dealer or show etc. etc. and I have no doubts about it being authentic. Now could some faker many years ago made this up and then it went into some vets collection and then it was sold with his things in response to an ad in the paper, I highly doubt it. You have it in hand now I am assuming so, do you think it is Fake? I don't.

Hi Sayle,

Just saw your response on my Blackberry....

Permit me the following comments:

1) I was only wanting to help and I stated clearly that I am an LAH paper/photo collector only. No experience on insignia.

2) I would assume a shoulderstrap to be always "textbook" since it was probably not made in series of 2 for the famous "Leibstandarte".

3) You mention that it DID NOT come from a dealer, but "out-of-the-woods" from a vet group:

The image I posted below is is off "Grenadier Military Antiques"'s website
and shows exactly the same strap you posted here above. (Error on Tresse, right hand side)

I assume that you are the buyer of this USD 795.00 item, that also explains
why you have handled the strap in person.


That is all I can say. My 2 cents on your original question of authenticity.

If that dealer has a retun policy - make use it!

Best regards,
Markus

[Sayle F]

1. I work for Bruce at Grenadier.

2. I know where he got the strap.

3. I have inspected the strap in hand.

4. No I did not buy it.

5. I still think it is Original.

6. I never questioned the authenticity of the board partner! you did.

[Sayle F]

"I was only wanting to help and I stated clearly that I am an LAH paper/photo collector only. No experience on insignia."

7. So stick to collecting paperwork!

[Fred S]

They really look the same.

[Sayle F]

I give up Of course they are the same board!!!!!!!!

[Fred S]

Sorry to waste my time here, and yours by the way.

[Sayle F]

Well read the thread man. I never posted this board for discussion. I only wanted to say that I have handled it and was trying to keep it from being trashed, as I think it is a good board. As for wasting time , I think the only one here that is wasting there time is me.

[markus]

Sayle,

Sorry for the confusion caused above. I somehow mixed up your name and the one by the person posting the board above asking for advice. Again my appologies.

The bottom line here is that this style strap has not been documented in any book (incl. Bender's excellent work on LAH insignia), nor have I seen photographic evidence in my 800+ LAH photos or any of the hundered books published on the LAH.

Me, personally, I doubt the authenticity of this strap. Cyphers machne embroidered directly to the strap can not be a one-off, non-textbook example.

Since you work for Bruce I can understand of course that you are highly confident the piece is original, pre-1945.

Again, it is the buyer who paid USD 795.00 who has to decide whether he wants to pay that kind of money or anything for an LAH shoulderstrap never seen or documented before.

It would be nice though to see any solid proof on it's existence and wear besides a vet-group-story!

[Richard P]

I have viewed this strap in person a number of times. If there had been a pair, I would have bought them, but then they would have already been gone. I never buy singles no matter how rare a variant. I have a set of LAH straps that have no photographic documentation and I have never found them decribed anywhere...that does not make them fake. You either know German board construction or you don't.

I think the small LAH monogram was done to accomodate an NCO as tress could not be put on the early large monogram without covering a portion of it up. This one is placed midway on the board so there is room for several promotions. Photographic evidence from WWII does not make something real or fake. It may assist in how it was worn, time period, etc., but fakers use photos to make stuff up too. It would be nice to see this in period photos, but if finding everything we collect in photos was their only validation...we would all be in trouble.

Nice original example of a rare board, congratulations to the new owner. No...I don't work for Bruce.

Richard P

[markus]

[quote=Richard P;2445805

I think the small LAH monogram was done to accomodate an NCO as tress could not be put on the early large monogram without covering a portion of it up. This one is placed midway on the board so there is room for several promotions. [/quote]


That is where I disagree. Enlisted ranks and NCOs wore the same boards without Tresse at this very early stage without denoting rank.

[Kale Michael]

Thanks

Thanks to all who have taken the time to offer assistance on my LAH board. I almost always seek the help of other forum members even on my most confident purchases. I wish I could get such verifications before purchase but that is not always possible.

I recently saw an early LAH board just like this ,the monogram was sewn into the board but the design looked just like the slip on cyphers. You can see a few of the early boards in the rank and file being awarded EKII by Sepp Dietrich , the video was on you -tube recently but was too grainy to see which design was stiched to the board. They could even have been cut outs from a slip on cypher and sewn on.

Thanks again,
Kale