Article about: Hi guys, just wanted to point out a small fact. A guy on another forum that I use posted a buckle with a tab by the maker Schmole & Comp,the buckle and tab were original and quite nice.
Hi guys, just wanted to point out a small fact. A guy on another forum that I use posted a buckle with a tab by the maker Schmole & Comp,the buckle and tab were original and quite nice. When I looked at the buckle I thought there was something odd, I moved from all Third reich buckles and specialiased on Heer ones so I have seen hundreds. It turns out that the buckle was in fact a Dransfeld buckle and the tab Schmole & Comp, but the buckle had not been messed with and the stitching was quite good. When I looked at the factors this is the conclusion that I came up with. The buckle itself was dated 1936, both makers are from the same town, Menden. It is my opinion that either Schmole & Comp were short of buckles and had a big order so bought some from their rival company and put their own tabs on or again they were first starting up and bought in buckles to sell before they got their own pressed running. Yoy will find oddities like this from time to time, I find these buckles quite interesting, I will enclose pics of a Dransfeld buckle and a Schmole and comp buckle for reference, I will ask the owner of the buckle if he minds me posting pics of his buckle so you can all see what I mean First pics, Dransfeld buckle
Hi Ben...Very cool. I too have seen this - but mostly on HJ buckles. I have an HJ buckle that also demonstrates a "cooperation" between makers. I'm sure you've seen this before....it's an HJ buckle that is marked by Overhoff and Assmann - two of the largest buckle makers. An interesting piece for sure.
Thought I'd add some pics to the thread...
Hey Rob, cheers mate, gives the guys another example to look at The owner of the pics has agreed to to allow me to use his pics so many thanks to Kirby. Here is the buckle in question, a buckle made by Dransfeld & Co, Menden with a Schmole & Comp, Menden tab on it
Another two makers in this situation is C W Motz, Brandenburgh and J C Maedicke, Berlin, both in the same city and it is believed that at some point they merged and became one firm using the one set of machines to produce the buckles, or did they both have the same die developed? Or did one one maker provide for the other and he just put his own maker marked tabs on? Until concrete evidence turns up we can only really speculate!
The reason I bought these makers in at this point is that i now want you to look at the Schmole & Comp steel heer buckles, look how similar they are to both the Motz and maedicke buckles, did they have the same die made, could they have again imported from a maker miles away in Berlin when they had other companies near by? I doubt as if you look at the lettering on the buckles there are differences so they are not from the same stamping die, but gents all food for thought and after this thread if you look at a buckle with this eagle you will know it is one of three makers, no other did buckles with this eagle
Hi All, I'm sure cooperation & takeovers between firms happened. I know it happened with buckle makers/sellers in WW1 so why not WW2. I have 3 Prussian steel buckle two dated 1916 & one 1917. All have the same body; but with different finishes and makers on the tabs. Possibly centralised production of the bodies. Who knows?
Variations in buckles
First pics, Dransfeld buckle
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