cigarette case

[kiyotei]

Hi from what I've read on here there were plenty of fakes made post war in eastern Europe. I found this case and the work seems very high quality. Both the iron cross and eagle are very thin stamped brass pieces not medals that were repurposed for decorations. What do you guys think?

[UK Cousin]

These are almost never good. I can see soldered edges around the iron cross. Post war fantasy I'm afraid.

[rbminis]

Hello and welcome to the forum!
The case may be a period item but the addition of a poorly made EK and an eagle that looks like a chicken would not be for me. That and the presence of orange, or new rust, would put me off of this one quite quickly.
Ralph.

[Wagriff]

Junk...

[UK Cousin]

To be more precise, I see discoloration on the left side where the cross meets the case. That is an indication to me of using too high a temperature to solder these on. I've seen a ton of similar cigarette cases and I really wish some were authentic because they just look cool. But they aren't 99% of the time. Etched cigarette cases are what to look for. Kind of a trench art from the bored soldier. But alas these are also very rare.

[Glenn66]

On the bright side, the EK is at least trying to be a round 3!

[Saladin]

I agree with all what has been said here the cigarette case has been doctored post war.
Just look at the beak on that 'eagle' and the flat brass stamped EK looks like it is something knocked out with a childs toolkit.
I have a cigarette case that has been updated by a British Tommy as a souvenir piece..



Cheers
Doug

[kiyotei]

Thanks everyone for the replies, much appreciated. I plan on using the piece as an accessory to my Red Skull costume from Captain America. From a functional point of view, the very thin shields (emblems) make a lot more sense as one would be keeping the case in either pants or tunic pockets. Thick shields (emblems) would not be practical even though they look amazing. The rust was easy to remove by soaking the case in Evapo-Rust. Certain areas needed a bit of steel wool and polish. After polishing the case there is no discoloration due to overheating as that would be easily evidenced by damage or discoloration to the inside gold flashing. The patina on the brass is perfect- deep brown with bright and worn high spots. The case is clearly old which is all I really need for this particular use. I'm not using it as a collector's piece. Again thanks for all the feedback. I've learned a lot about what to look for in the future.

[UK Cousin]

I personally think it would be awesome with a red skull costume! Great idea!

[kiyotei]

Here are a few of my Red Skull photos. I prefer to wear the full uniform but it is so hot that I often skip the tunic.