RZM M1/52 skull

**Styx** · 10-28-2011, 05:35 PM

Hey everyone - just a chance to shoot down this cap badge. I'm pretty sure it's a fake, looking at the lugs, but I'd be interested in your opinions.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-28-2011 05:35 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**ToxicGas** · 10-28-2011, 05:40 PM

As you suspect, it's a fake. The prongs are incorrect, and the RZM markings appear to be entirely made up.

Mat

**Adrian Stevenson** · 10-28-2011, 05:40 PM

Hi, you are correct.

I have moved your thread here to the new dedicated sub forum.

Please take some time to read some of the old threads here.

It is always welcome to include any details of any markings into the thread title. This makes things much easier to search. This afternoon I have edited most of the old threads to reflect this.

Cheers, Ade.

**Styx** · 10-28-2011, 05:43 PM

Great, thanks for the help. Also, ToxicGas, I notice in your picture that the badge is discoloured and turning a brassy gold colour. Is that necessarily the sign of a fake? I have a similar badge which has the same effect and I wrote it off as counterfeit.

**Styx** · 10-28-2011, 05:47 PM

Anddd, what do you reckon on this one? I honestly have no clue with this, I haven't seen enough, but my natural inclination is to believe it's fake.

**ToxicGas** · 10-28-2011, 05:49 PM

by Steampunk

Great, thanks for the help. Also, ToxicGas, I notice in your picture that the badge is discoloured and turning a brassy gold colour. Is that necessarily the sign of a fake? I have a similar badge which has the same effect and I wrote it off as counterfeit.

No problem. The skull in my display picture is a genuine M1/52 Deschler skull, and the gold colour you see is the tone of the metal it's made from. I believe it's copper, coated with aluminium, (which has worn off) though I'd have to check that. Many are made this way, it's not a sign of a fake... though I can't say it's always the sign of an original either. If you still have it, post it.

Mat

**Styx** · 10-28-2011, 05:54 PM

It's getting to the point where I'm regarding the genuine skulls with something close to reverence. There are just too many fakes around, I can't even believe it. I'll post pictures of the last two Totenkopf badges I have which are still not entirely proven as fakes, but I'm not that hopeful. And thanks for the pictures, your one looks great! What do you think of the SS "Meine Ehre heiBt treue" badge? It's available for purchase online but I can't tell whether it's real.

**ToxicGas** · 10-28-2011, 05:54 PM

by Steampunk

Anddd, what do you reckon on this one? I honestly have no clue with this, I haven't seen enough, but my natural inclination is to believe it's fake.

That's fake too, though I don't even bother with those... I think original examples are virtually impossible to find, and in my opinion they're quite ugly. You'd have to check previous posts for original examples. As for cap skulls, my advice is to make a folder named 'real' and one named 'fake', and fill them up with any examples posted that have confirmed verdicts... you can then start to use them as reference. This is what I've done.

Mat

**Adrian Stevenson** · 10-28-2011, 05:59 PM

The Mess Dress badge is also a poor fake as Mat has mentioned.

Originals of these are very rare and very expensive. They were never pin backed like this.

Cheers, Ade.

**Styx** · 10-28-2011, 06:02 PM

Great idea, I'll have to do something like that if I'm going to become a serious collector of this stuff. My past supplier was a little unreliable in the way that he didn't know his genuines from his fakes that well, but I've found someone new with some pretty nice stuff, plus he has the provenance of it all - I might be getting a battle flag soon, plus the flag pole top. Here are my last two totenkopf badges: