Who made this Panzerkampfabzeichen?

[Corey]

My question.. What makes it fake if you dont mind me asking i want to be sure not to make a mistake while buying!

[G43]

Thats unfortunate. Can you tell me whats wrong with it so I do not get fooled again?

[Adrian]

The reasons I believe this one to be a fake are easier to show on the reverse side as per the pic below.

1. Original EWE badges should not have the rims around the edge and trimming lines as shown by the arrows. These badges were hand finished and should show file marks or smooth edges, not like the above.

2. The catch plate on original badges should not stand proud like this one, the pronounced edge to it is normally hidden from view.

3. This area under the gun barrel is the wrong shape for an original badge, it slopes away. On original badges this area should run parallel to the barrel even taking into account the hand finishing. Again, not the ridge around the trimming outline.

4. The central horizontal stroke on the 'E' should be slightly shorter than the top and bottom horizontal strokes on original badges. As you can see, all three strokes are the same length on this badge.

5. The trimming outline around the eagle's head and wings is significantly different on this badge compared to originals.

On the obverse side, I have circled an area where you can clearly see the rough inside edge to the wreath and behing the tank turret. As I said before, these badge were hand finished so this area should be finished and not left in a rough state.

[Stewy S]

I'm with Ade on this one. Sorry. Points 2,3 &4 are the one's new collectors should initially look for. As you gain more experience they'll become more obvious. Stewy

[G43]

WOW! you guys are amazing! I never would have noticed any of that. Thanks a bunch Adrian, and Stewy.

[Adrian]

One more thing to note, the ends of the eagle's wing tips vary alot on originals, again down to the hand finishing. Sometimes you find them with the ends of the feathers, other times they have been filed smooth.