Thank you! This type of detail is quite helpful.by lew07
Thank you! This type of detail is quite helpful.
Wow! Ok, so even the last one I posted that Glenn thought was ok, you would call this one either fake or fantasy? Could you please elaborate as to how you came to this determination so that I can better understand how to spot a fake myself.
It's difficult to know if the sellers of these rings are outright lying or simply ignorant of what is genuine. The three dealers I have mentioned here all seemed to be trustworthy; but then I also have to trust in their trust in those who are selling them the rings. The seller of the first ring is, or has been, a member of these forums.
Thank you, that's probably good (if expensive!) advice :-)
The dealer of the second set of pictures insisted that his rings came from SS sites; though he admitted that there was no way to prove definitively that they were worn by the SS. He seemed so certain that his rings were genuine and had priced them accordingly. I'm certainly glad I came here before putting down that kind of money.
Let 's just say the dealers should know betterand as mentioned before the honour ring is the one to go for.
Even if you can find a genuine TR "cantine ring" they aren't really worth a lot as they were not an official issue item.
As for the seller of the first ring if he's a member here he should know there is no SS connection!....
Serpent
Unfortunately, you cannot trust any dealer to be perfect all the time. Dealers that are trustworthy can make mistakes that cost you money. You have picked one of the most complicated areas to collect and will have to be patient or it WILL cost you money. You will have to educate yourself and have a very keen eye, especially with rings. That's just how the hobby is, I'm afraid to say. Welcome to the forum and always post your rings before you buy. You may come across a ring that's authentic and your best chance to get one will be to post it here first and the culmination of information from experienced collectors will shine through to help.
It will be very rewarding to find a good piece, so don't give up.
Mark
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig. CE
Thanks, Greenhorn. I've been looking over all of the threads in the TR Ring forum trying to, as you say, educate myself. I feel I can spot the obvious well known fantasy rings just by having googled TR Rings for the past month or so, but obviously there are others, especially when listed by dealers who seem knowledgable and trustworthy, that are still getting by me.
Are there any hardcopy written resources that I might look for to further aid in my education (there are only about 7 pages of forum threads)?
Besides the first ring, which lew07 pointed out looks like it was made by a mold, I'm not clear on why the others have been identified as fake (I'd even be interested to hear more about why the first one appears fake). I'm not disputing that they are fake, I would just like to know how to recognize them as fake.
On the last one I posted there seems to be some disagreement as to its authenticity so I'm not sure what to think about that one.
As always, any resources or specific information on spotting fakes vs. real rings is most appreciated.
I'm sure you are aware of Honour Ring books so not more to be said there. Are there books on Kantine type rings? Probably, but unfortunately I cannot point you to any. WW2 German rings were very plain, no sexy designs or lavish subjects. Look at the catalog photo Glenn posted for examples. What you can expect to see on a genuine ring is wear and patina. Even if the ring wasn't worn, it would have been jostled about for 70 years now, causing scuffs, dents, bruises, rounded-off edges, etc. A pristine example may be located if it was put in a box and not touched over the decades, sure, I can understand that too. But due to the nature of the myriad of fakes, I'd prefer an example showing wear over 5 or more years. Remember, the bottom and top of a ring wear faster than the sides and the inside of the ring will have minimal wear. I'd expect to see patina in the recesses of the ring and in any script of the inside. Just some cues to look for and there must be more. I don't collect them, too tough a subject, but I can offer the above observations.
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig. CE
Welcome to the forum and the great fraud that is known as SS collecting.
Read this article I wrote for the SS helmet thread and insert SS Skull Ring instead of SS Helmet. You may find it gives you some help.
Advice for new helmet collectors looking for that elusive SS helmet
Thank you, Greenhorn! I think it will take looking at some good examples of genuine and fake aging to fully appreciate the well written description that you have offered here (unfortunately, from what I've seen, the forums are filled more with obvious fantasy rings and less with close replicas that have been intentionally aged). I'm trying to apply what you have told me to the rings that I have depicted in this thread, especially the two I posted second, but I think I just don't have enough experience identifying a proper looking patina or wear to do that with much success. Nevertheless, thank you very much for the detailed description; its information like this that I'm hoping to acquire from the forums.
Thank you, Doug. That IS a helpful thread. It certainly makes clear the work involved in collecting.
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