Fake RK?

[Crossbow]

Hi everybody

I have a question about these cap badges and this RK. I'm pretty sure the RK is fake but are the cap badges? They are for sale in Oz - sorry for the limited snaps

Cheers

Crossbow

[Adrian]

Hi Crossbow and welcome to the forum.

I've deleted the photos of the cap insignia as they should be posted in the SS cap insignia forum.

The RK and ribbon are both fake. The RK is what is known as the 'Rounder' because of the overly rounded inner corners. These were thought to be original a few years back but they have been proven to be fake despite some die hards still trying to convince everyone they are real. These people are the ones who have invariably spent alot of money to own one..............

[Crossbow]

Thanks Ades - I guess black elastic band on the ribbon wasn't enough of a giveaway as it was. Cheers

[Adrian]

The elastic is not something I would worry about. It is entirely possible to have an original award that has had the neck ribbon attachment modified over the years, elastic was around during the war and RK recipients utilised it as a way of keeping their RK around their necks.

In this case, the RK speaks for itself - "I am a fake......".

[Crossbow]

Ok cool thanks. Just as an aside without to open a can of worms how many RK originals are unaccounted for, as in not in collections/ private ownership? Is there a thread on this subject I can look at? Thanks again

[Adrian]

Unless you know how many were made by each maker in the first place, how many were awarded, how many bought privately, how many were lost or destroyed, how many are for sale, how many are in collections, how many are undiscovered etc etc........ you will never know the answer. There are just too many unknowns and variables to be able to answer the question with any degree of accuracy.

[Danny70]

......The RK is what is known as the 'Rounder' because of the overly rounded inner corners. These were thought to be original a few years back but they have been proven to be fake despite some die hards still trying to convince everyone they are real. These people are the ones who have invariably spent alot of money to own one..............

Yes, this indeed a fake RK, but I would like to add something of a correction here (apologies to Adrian!).
This cross is not and example of the infamous 'Rounder' as described by Adrian. This was a far better fake than the one shown at the start of this thread.

The cross that opened this thread has become known as the 'new Rounder'. These were readily available on many sites being sold as high quality reproductions (also available with an 'aged' finish), but it wasn't long before there were popping up being sold as originals. Interestingly, these fakes are now themselves being faked! - cheap one-piece alloys are widely available.

For comparison, here are a couple of pictures of the original 'Rounder' which caused all of the controversy.

Regards - Danny

[Adrian]

My apologies, Danny is quite correct.

The 'original' fake Rounder is less round than the newer fake 'rounder' Rounder.

[Crossbow]

Plot thickens - cheers for the info