K98 Pouches, Real or Fake

[Rampenfest]

Hi all,

I picked up these two K98 pouches and was just wondering if they were real. If they are not, could you guys please tell me what is not right about them? This way I can look for those in the future and avoid buying fakes! Thanks.

The first one has a stamp on the back that says "Friedrich Kirschner Dusseldorf 1930" It has all the dividers inside, but one is ripped. It has a stamp on the top inside that says "JS" and another that I cannot make out. The other pouch has no markings or anything on it and is missing the dividers inside. Thanks for your help.

-Joe

FIRST POUCH:












SECOND POUCH:

[Chet Sowersby]

Hello Joe,
First off, welcome to the forum! As for your two pouches, they look good to me.

Chet

[rick1]

Two originals there..

Nice early one with the brass hardware.

[bodes]

I agree, they are originals....First one looks like it started out brown and was dyed black.....Bodes

[Paul G]

Nice original pouches. 2nd pouch may be a Russian capyure with the repainted black hardware. Those will have the dividers cut out of them.

PG-

[Rampenfest]

Allright. Thank you so much guys. I am very happy to know that they are originals. I picked them up at a local gunshow so I wasnt 100% sure. But bought them because they sure looked the part and had that stamp. How come the russians would cut out the dividers? Did the Mosin Nagant stripper clips not firt well with them? Also, just wondering, would it be taboo to use some black leather polish to clean/spruce the pouches up? Or would that cause damage to them? Thank you very much!

-Joe

[-Herbstnebel-]

Hi Joe,

Nice pouches! It is mostly favoured to leave them as they are, and I would strongly recommend to do so. They will never be mint again anyway and they have an nice, worn unmessed with caracter. Straight from the front! You will ruin that when you put grease on them. And longterm speaking it is not a very good way to preserve them, it will dry the leather out again much sooner.

The story on the captured pouches is very interesting. I have a pouch that looks as if it was repainted black, especially the metal parts. And the dividers are out. Was this done wartime or postwar by the Russians? And why?