Unissued Totenkopf in packet- Deschler RZM M1/52. Genuine?

[ToxicGas]

I came across this today, which is apparently a Deschler Totenkopf sealed in a packet. Could this be genuine? It has no attached prongs which makes me suspicious, as I would have thought it would only be sealed in a packet when assembled and ready for issue... having said that, I have no idea if they were ever packaged like this at all. This seems logistically unlikely, but were these badges manufactured and then completed with prongs elsewhere at a later time? I would also perhaps expect a different font for the text (as it differs from what I see on medal issue packets), but that's a total presumption. Of course, we can't see the detail of the badge itself... my cynical side thinks this could be a clever way of passing off fakes, but for all I know this could be perfectly legitimate. I've never come across packaged insignia before. Apologies for the poor photos, though I look forward to hearing thoughts on this.

Mat

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Mat, I seriously doubt these were ever packaged. I remain very very dubious, especially as the badge is unfinished. For me it is bad.

Cheers, Ade.

[BOB COLEMAN]

I must agree with Ade. Many years ago, I bought ten unused eagle and skull sets from a vet who was billeted in Max Simon's house. The pins were still folded and had never been used. There was also a factory refinished Roehm dagger and a boxed set of photographs of Totenkopf in action in France with a dedication to Simon from Eicke.
There certainly would not be a reason to package an unfinished cap badge.

[Stewy S]

They may have been packaged,but i doubt like that. I would steer clear. Stewy

[talltom]

is this one of the five or so battleflags selling

tom

[ToxicGas]

is this one of the five or so battleflags selling

tom

Yes, it is. I've never bought from them, but I do check their site every now and then. As far as insignias go they sell / stock a lot of fakes, and I suppose this is one of them, but I thought it was worth checking. I have no idea if they know they're selling fakes or not, as uninformed dealers seem to be quite common. I only check their site in the hopes that eventually I'll see something that appears legitimate, as they offer the ability to return items. They also need a better camera, if they believe they have nothing to hide with their items- most of their photos are poor.

I did think this being packaged without prongs made no sense, but I've heard stranger things, so I thought I best check before passing. Thanks for the input everyone. I'll pass on it.

Mat

[talltom]

battleflags better at deacts than medals etc and most all of his are fakes passed off as original for extreme prices in some cases

tom

[CARL]

Wise to pass Mat, as stated above, why package an unfinished item...? Makes no sense. Save your money.

Regards,

Carl

[carlsson1982]

It will be intresting to see what the skull looks like inside.

[Winkelman]

It seems to show a disc & stub of broken pin on the left side ? Strange for an " unfinished " badge .
But as a way of selling items you can't actually see until after purchase , this one is definitely new to me .

Logistically , I'd sooner expect these to have come in boxes of maybe 50-100 , some paper in between , and marked " Totenkopf-ABZEICHEN " on the box ?
Would be great if one ever turned up , of course .
But IMHO not wrapped & printed individually like it was an award of some kind , my 2 cents ..