by
thefallenbuddha
As this thread shows, I am not the only one who feels the uniform came via that seller. If it is not the same then it is literally an identical twin to one this seller was selling not too long ago down to the warrant officer rank and school affiliation. And, he has been active with selling items for a number of years, so I would not put it past him to simply be selling the same type of forged item again over time.
But, perhaps, I would have been better to say these items are in general commonly faked pieces, especially in Europe and Russia, which is where Tsars Arsenal at least gets the basic elements of his uniforms, I assume. An aviation uniform is one example, but the same is true for basically any regimental uniform from the White Army or other elite units from the Imperial Army. And, in almost all circumstances they are always uniform set pieces with all the insignia and bells and whistles a collector would dream of. What's interesting to note is that none of this type of textbook example uniforms started appearing until after the uniform books themselves started coming out in the late-1990s.
Saying that my premise is simply "it's so rare it must be fake" is belittling to both you and me as collectors. As a collector, I am sure you know that provenance and the source are very important when it comes to rare items.
I have no doubt that you are an expert on WW1 US aviation items, but I do think comparing WW1 US aviation items with WW1 Russian aviation pieces is an inaccurate comparison. Original Russian WW1 era aviation uniform items are virtually non-existent in the collecting field, yet the subject is very popular and many fakes are put out, I would argue this is done to an exceedingly larger percentage than forgeries made of American pieces. Any Russian aviation uniform (cap, tunic, or trousers) from this period still in existence today is essentially one of a kind. In general, the chances of finding any Russian WW1 era uniform set is extremely low, much less an aviator's, much less one with all the insignia a collector would want.
No, being very rare does mean it's fake, but it does mean much more caution should be taken.
With regard to the seller in question, the uniforms all being exceedingly rare textbook pieces, and all having the same type of aged look while being listed under priced (when it's obvious the seller knows how rare they are) culminate together to cast an overall shadow of doubt. Additionally, none of his items ever have any provenance or personal idenfication to a particular soldier, and auctions are always listed as private/hidden buyer/seller details.
Please believe me, if I felt the items he sells to be in the least bit original, I would have literally purchased every uniform set he has offered. Yet, as a forlorn White Army/Imperial Russian collector myself, upon scrutiny it does become apparent the pieces are flawed and are simply too good to be true.
With regard to this uniform, again, if it is not the same uniform then it is the doppelganger of one this seller had listed. But, this aside, its appearance as a uniform set with all insignia, having an aged look but yet one which still doesn't detract from the item, and putting it into context in the collecting field with the sheer number of forgeries of these items and that it simply looks like one of these, and that there is no provenance to the original ownder cause me to feel it is a modern production inspired by a textbook and made to look old.
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