Questionable U534 Relic?

[Andre]

I have seen the previous post on the site referring to some issues raised about U-534 relics that are available from a UK based on line site. I have bought many and restore them all to a rust free condition. I have got better at it to the extent I have started uploading videos on YouTube. However my purchase of a severely rusted knife handle allegedly found on U-534 has made me come on here to ask you all your view.

I got it totally rust free and found stamped marking that state NAAFI 2929. I checked this and it is part of a British WW2 Knife!
I am drawn to the conclusion based on this information that this is not as stated sadly....



Here's what one it looks like to confirm.

[Adrian]

Kind of demonstrates how cautious you need to be buying relics purported to be from a certain craft/area/battle etc.
Sellers will pimp anything up to get more money from it and don't care about the buyer or preserving history.
This clearly didn't come from a U-Boat
Anyone can get a load of rusted metal and sell it as part of Michael Wittmann's Tiger or Gunther Prien's U-Boat or recovered from the Bismarck, words don't make it true.
Unless you find it or dig it yourself or buy from someone who you know and trust who found it, treat all of these so called relics with utmost suspicion.
99% of the time they are spinning a tale.

[BlackCat1982]

Completely agree with Adrian. Sadly an unscrupulous trader attempting to sell rust for big bucks.

[Carfin LEWYS]

Hello gentlemen,

Unfortunately this type of "scam" is becoming more and more common and unless you take legal action against the seller, which you are not even sure of winning, "the mass is said".
If you cannot find the item yourself or are not 1000 percent sure of the authenticity of the item, move on.
In the world of collectors, there is an adage:
“Buy the item for what it is, don't buy the story that is sold with it.”

Best regards from Alsace , France;
Carfin

[Andre]

Thanks for input, I could check some stuff out and have done prior to buying, but the rust covered items as you say are for me now not something I will be buying again. I have also informed the seller of the situation so they are aware.

[Andre]

* Note above Not buying again thanks,

[HARRY THE MOLE]

How do you know whether the rest of your relics are genuine in light of this? As said... buy the item and not the story.

Cheers,
Steve

[Marcel Banziger]

I also bought a relic from a UK based seller. The item is genuine, but not what the story from the seller tells. This seller, most likely the same as yours (this one sells more often U-Boot related items) has lots of fantastic stories with most of the relics but many are just bogus when researching the items.
Myself I am ok with my purchase, it's after all original and in a nice displayable condition. But know what you're buying, their stories are nonsense.

[Andre]

One thing I have that is 100% genuine was handed to me from the engineer working on the U-534 when I visited in June 2022 . It was wood from the Captain quarters area when they were beginning the transformation of the new museum idea renovations. I have it on good contact that later skip fulls of wood was dumped from U-534 during the present transformation of the site, which could have been made into keyrings etc bus not to be. Soon see what comes of the Museum and its contents.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

One thing I have that is 100% genuine was handed to me from the engineer working on the U-534 when I visited in June 2022 . It was wood from the Captain quarters area when they were beginning the transformation of the new museum idea renovations. I have it on good contact that later skip fulls of wood was dumped from U-534 during the present transformation of the site, which could have been made into keyrings etc bus not to be. Soon see what comes of the Museum and its contents.

My daughter and I had the good fortune to visit the boat while it was still in one piece. As far as I can recall, it was the only surviving U Boat where the hatches hadn't been cut into doorways to pass through the length of the sub. What the museum did to it for its new site was terrible.

Cheers,
Steve