Folding Shovel (Klappspaten): Original or reproduction??????? Opinions please :)

[joachimpeiper]

[militarymania]

from all the pics i believe this is a good one

[Dimas]

I never seen fakes . This is truily genuine item

[williamsong]

Original for me too!

[Adrian Stevenson]

For more info see here:

MP44.nl - German Uniforms and Equipment - Entrenching Tool

Cheers, Ade.

[joachimpeiper]

thanks guys, im always very grateful of a second opinion, after reading the comments it seems ive managed to find a genuine one which is nice to know. also thanks for the web page you added ade it was very useful, iv collected german militaria since i was a kid and i never realised there were too variants of the folding spade. very useful information. the only problem is now that ive seen another variant i must hunt for one of those too. ha ha.

[JPhilip]

Hello,
If i was you i would look for another set, as this one has been touched a bit...
or get a refund...
Better photos of the cover may be helpful to determine if original or not, but the pressed cardboard seems original. If original it has been heavily repaired/modified...Markings are bogus, stamped on the cover only to match the date on the blade....this type of cover did not exist in 1940, first known productions are from 1942 if i remember well. In 1940, only the 1st type was made (with lid and without metal receiver at the bottom). Markings on the blade are quite faint and the one in the middle is odd also.
Not a good feeling at all...

There are many fakes of 1st of 2nd type covers on the market nowadays...
Thanks

[joachimpeiper]

hi thanks for that information, very helpful, unfortunately i wont be able to get a refund as i brought this item a few years back now. are you 100% sure about the markings being bogus, if you are i will sell this on if possible and try to get hold of another, i find these items very hard to get hold of though, not many dealers seem to have any in stock at all lately.

[JPhilip]

Hello,
It's always hard to be 100% positive with photos only, it's a lot easier when you can handle the item, let's say 90% positive that markings are bogus on the carrier, but 100% positive that the front strap that close the carrier has been replaced...
Beside the fact that this type of carrier did not exist in 1940, it is clear that markings are still fresh and the Waffen-Amt marking is quite awful.
As already written in my previous post, i think that the carrier was enhanced with markings to match the tool. i have seen many genuine carriers that were unmarked (one of my 2nd type carrier doesn't bear any marking) or had markings stamped in the interior, that disappeared after some use.
The absence of marking is sometimes a good thing. If you can't get a refund, my advice would be to keep it as a filler until you can find a better one. I know that they're not easy to find, but you can see some for sale on various forums from time to time. They're quite pricey now especially if in good condition.

The point is that you can't sell it for the value of an untouched one because of the repairs and fake markings. The item is no more "collectable" stricto sensu, but it can still be used to hold a folding shovel.

Your choice....
Thanks

[joachimpeiper]

thanks jphillip, since you have mentioned it i have studied the waa stamp a little more and it is pretty bad as you say, i never really noticed before. what about the spade itself is it worth keeping the actual spade or am i better off getting rid also, thanks.