Oppinion on this mint SS decal Please

[DougB]

Doug, I just love looking at these, but it makes me want to just dump my collection. They are just beautiful. Jim G.

Jim you posted a barn burner yourself. Dont be dumping anything!

[helmet2id]

Klinger do you mind using your noggin before flailing away with photoshop????? You now have an obvious fake decal photoshopped overtop of a textbook real with WITH MY NAME BELOW IT ON A PHOTO CAPTION THAT SAYS "Buhler SS Collection".

Do you NOT KNOW HOW TO USE THE CROP TOOL?

I didn't notice that when I looked at the thread again. This should most definitely be edited. Hopefully the moderators can correct it if it is too late for Klinger to do so.

[Paul D]

Post and photos removed lets be more careful with the use of photoshop etc !!!

The first decal posted is a clear fake so lets use the originals posted by Doug to learn the differences between fake and real !!

[DougB]

Thanks Paul. I normally dont get too unglued but that caused the seams to split open...

Klinger your side to side comparison of the decals is fine. Look at the differences and as I said earlier it should become obvious over time. Ewan already stated one obvious trait. Think composition and graphics.

[Schwerpunkt]

mhh ok, but just for me to know and i think for others as well, whats wrong with it (love to know then it looks so good to me), ok its shiny but what else, i think i will never figure out on some decals how to find out ther are so many real good ones on the market at the moment, a poor 50p decal is easy to spot but how the good ones (for me this is a good one, but im no expert for decals), maybe do you have a real decal shown on a picture to compare

The one you show is not even a good fake , besides looking purely at the decal other things may hint to it being post war as the rest of the helmet needs to fit with wartime specs like paint and liner. That's why posting the entire helmet for review is always recommended.

[tampalam]

It is always good to see a detailed photo of a nice original. The more one studies it, the more the eye learns to pick up details that at least make it a fast option to spot a fake. Of course this is only a small part of the process of learning, but it lets one spot the bad fakes right away. The well done fakes are a trickier learning curve and even experts are deceived on occassion. Study, study, study and it is surprising how much one finds he has learned after only a few months. The thing is that the more I learn, the more I realize I still need to learn.

[TUFC]

hi all, i don't understand why somebody dont just tell this guy what to look for !! he has asked a simple question and there are many that know the answer, if he and many others knew the diff the faker's would not get fed! i myself do not have a ss lid so i cannot help this guy,but if i did i would,please be helpfull!

[tampalam]

Hi, TUFC. The reason many details about SS decals are not posted is because there are many minute traits which are closely held by collectors to keep the information from getting to the forgers. Forgers are becoming more and more sophisticated and it will not be long before they reproduce a decal which is indistinguishable from an original. It is probably a losing battle, but at least it is being fought to hold back a flood of fakes for the time being. I know that this attitude seems elitist at first, but the collectors of these SS lids are very protective of their hobby and have a very deep commitment to preserving authenticity for historical and monetary value.

[DougB]

hi all, i don't understand why somebody dont just tell this guy what to look for !! he has asked a simple question and there are many that know the answer, if he and many others knew the diff the faker's would not get fed! i myself do not have a ss lid so i cannot help this guy,but if i did i would,please be helpfull!

I was taught a long time ago that I can get people to give me fish or I can learn to catch them for myself.

You are talking about a highly complex subject matter here as well. It is not as simple as "shiny shield" and "size of runes". There are 400 page books on the subject that dont even get to some of the more closer guarded secrets.

The first step is a visual study like the side by side comparison above.
The second is to buy authentic pieces to study.
The third is now that you have a foundation, to network with other SS collectors who will share knowledge with other serious collectors.
But it wont be handed out on a silver platter.

So you have a comparison above, what differences do you see?

[TUFC]

hi mate, fair point, but it has not helped this guy, prob to the tune of £1,000+. and one happy faker !!, but yes i do understand.