What Was Your First Fake?

[Zeller]

I like having fakes for reference and study!

My suggestion: invest some money on reference and study every piece you are going to buy in advance. Don't trust any dealer or believe any story, always buy the piece only. Merry Christmas

[radonovan]

Back at the beginning of my stupid days, I bought an SS Honor Ring at a militaria show that exactly matched a picture of one seen in a book I had. The match was so perfect, right down to the wear areas. I paid a whopping sum of $80.00 and thought I had robbed the guy! I displayed it alongside the book opened up to show the picture in a glass case with various other collectables. Then came the internet........ It seems there are thousands of SS Honor Rings engraved to R. Dolp for sale even today, many at less than the 80 bucks I shelled out for mine! Needless to say I felt like fool, not so much for buying such an obvious fake but, for displaying that fake piece of crap!

[Aqu]

My first was german wound badge bought from Estonia years ago. One of Russian made screw fakes . But it is very good example to compare it with original one.

[jimpy]

And these "horror stories" are exactly why I donot collect TR militaria..........because I wouldnt have a bloody clue what I was looking at!
Personally I will stay with British stuff, I usually know my stuff with that!

[Zeller]

so maybe you can help finding the few british items I am looking? I am mainly a TR collector but I do like also Betfor Forces in Trieste stuff and have a small collection about it. I'm after a british side cap and a pair of despatch rider goggles. cheers

[NortonI]

My first was a SS steel buckle, I was 15 so didnt know anything at that time

Mine too ... my schoolfriends grandpa was in the Waffen-SS and brought back home his aluminium 822-38 buckle - which attracted me very much. From this day on - early 80s - I was looking for one. This was the time, I was only looking on fleamarkets ( didin't know about dealers and fairs...and would have not the money to buy there ) - than one day, early sunday morning - a steel ss buckle - all rusty on the backside - the catch was "repaired" with new solder. I remember, I had a bad feeling, but I bought it. 50 DM alot in 1981 for a teenager - you could get three vinyl longplayers ...or party the whole weekend Even asking the seller ( he had only militaria stuff ) if this was an original - he promised it to be genuine item...
I still look at the ( OLT ) fake buckle today...remembering the story - so if it was good, than just for the memory.

PS: Decades later - I found my original buckle - again on a fleamarket...original

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I got ripped off in the 1960's at the tender age of 13, that must have been an omen of things to come! I was at an arms fair at the CIS building in Manchester, I bought a 'genuine' Iron Cross 1st class with my hard earned money from a paper round. It was made from soft alloy. It still riles me even now the tricks I see dealers getting up to. There are many out there who will rip off the unwary seller or buyer.

I used to help out at a militaria shop in Manchester when I was in my early teens, it was run by a bloke called Bernard Marsh. If anyone was selling something to them he would ALWAYS give two thirds of the value. These days dealers ask YOU how much you want. Try asking for two thirds of the value and see how often you get knocked back! I know of one dealer who bought a collection of six Samurai swords about 15 years ago off a woman who was selling them to raise money for Help the Aged. She was paid a mere fraction of their true value. One sword alone was later sold for over £1,000. Not all dealers are like this thank god, but the good ones are getting harder to find.

[Pompa Mike]

Other than my ex wife I can't think of a thing. I got an M3 shoulder holster that a guy was trying to pass off as WWII vintage. The price was so good I bought it even though I knew it was fake. I stick mostly to 1911 pistols and even though fake 1911's abound it is one that I can usually spot fairly quickly. I don't know how you folks spot all the minute details on some of the things you collect, Ton's of knowledge on this forum.

Mike

[M422A1]

I believe my first fake was an SS pantograph knife that I bought through an ad in the back of a gun magazine. This would have been around 1970. Or it might have been the rhinestone encrusted "SS dagger" I bought at an Army & Navy surplus store in a small town in PA. I got both within a few weeks of each other, can't remember which I got first.
Then I discovered "Delta International" and "WWII, Ltd." and I had fakes arriving in the mail monthly! The only problem was I thought all the stuff was real. The first fake I got from Delta was a Gestapo I.D. disc and the first fake I got from WWII, Ltd. was an M43 Panzer cap.
Somewhere I have some pictures of some of this stuff. When I find them I will post them.

Best Regards,
Mike

[Woolgar]

This IAB was my first really disapointing fake.

We live and learn !

Nick