Real or ripoff?

[vibmon]

I'm in the process of ordering this one, apparently ground dug from the Demjansk siege area in Russia. Thanks for any comments!

[Raul]

Hello, something looks iffy, but wait for others. Raul

[Ben Evans]

For me original buckle in ground dug state another for ref

[David North]

...apparently ground dug from the Demjansk siege area in Russia...

Dear vibmon,

If this "provenance" is increasing the price of this buckle, then there lies the potential "rip off".

As already confirmed, an original and ground excavated SS buckle, in nickle silver. The condition of the buckle is however not to every collectors taste and of course, each to their own.

The SS 63 RZM buckle is still enigmatic and if anyone is interested, well worth a Forum search and read.

Regards and best wishes,

David

[kirby]

A real buckle but I’d be careful ordering anything from Russia right now. I ordered a buckle on April 7 it went through the post office and customs on April 16 and disappeared. Nothing new on the tracking number in two months. If you’re using PayPal I wouldn’t use the friends option it’s better to pay the fee and cover yourself. I sent a helmet to Russia five or six years ago and it showed up back in my mailbox about five months later, never delivered.

[vibmon]

Appreciate all the great feedback and am happy it's authentic; I did use PayPal but am not aware of the extra fee ..must look into that. Shipping is a little scary, I'll post back how it goes. Here's a link to the site: Demjansk Battlefield militaria & collectibles

[kirby]

A regular PayPal transaction includes a 4% fee. That gets you some protection. If the dealer ask you to use the friend and family option you don't pay the fee and you have no recourse. I have bought and traded several buckles with Russian collectors. This is my first bad transaction. I think the Covid has things messed up. Hope you get your buckle it is a hard one to find.

[JunkerHartmann]

For me original buckle in ground dug state

Very pretty :-)

[vibmon]

Just wanted to update that I received the buckle today, so about 3 weeks. Very well packaged and in expected condition. Won't make it a habit ordering from Russia, but glad it worked out!

[Ben Evans]

Good that you got it