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Collectable fakes

Article about: Hi Guys, I have been entertaining a question that keeps popping up in mind. I see so many questions in the forum every day asking if something is fake or not. I enjoy educating myself on dif

  1. #1
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    Default Collectable fakes

    Hi Guys,

    I have been entertaining a question that keeps popping up in mind.

    I see so many questions in the forum every day asking if something is fake or not.
    I enjoy educating myself on different subjects and trying to see if I can answer the question for myself before scrolling down to see what an actual expert has decreed.
    I'm blown away by the level of knowledge and expertise that can have such a narrow scope, and I'm grateful that such help is available.

    This is one of the reasons I'm a member.
    I believe if you can pay for netflix or any other service that gives you something of value back, you should demonstrate that appreciation in some form or another.
    At the very least saying "thank you" and "please" is a good start.
    It does annoy me when I don't see proper manners used in the forum, however it can sometimes be unintentional on behalf of language barriers.

    So to my question:

    Are there any fakes out there that have become collectables in themselves?
    Maybe some early variants that for some reason were strange enough or fantastical enough that they earned a place as a collectable just based on their merits or place in time?

    If there are, I 'd like to see if anyone has anything or knows any legends about famous fakes?

    Thanks,

    Danger
    It's one thing to look at it with your mouth open, but it's better to shoot it gritting your teeth!

  2. #2
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    Some of the early Souval Third Reich decorations are now seen in some quarters as being collectible in their own right. Their post war wares made for the G.I. souvenir trade can now attract a good price. As with everything though, not everyone will agree and dismiss them as reproduction but there is a market. Each to their own and as long as the seller sells it for what it is and the buyer doesn't get ripped off, it's a fair enough area to collect.

    For example, here are two examples. A Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern and a Ritterkreuz des Eisernen kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten. Originals are high end and very expensive pieces, out of reach for collectors who don't have unlimited funds and will never own an original. Myself included.
    But I would have no issue buying these examples as space fillers. Post war Souval made pieces. They're old enough to look right and have the quality of manufacture and are collectible.

    Photo credit to GeneralAssaultMilitaria and Jamie Cross respectively.
    Attached Images Attached Images

    Looking for LDO marked EK2s and items relating to U-406.....

  3. #3

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    I agree. I've seen some dealers web sites with a post war Souval section, and a suggestion they are collectable, they may be. I acquired in the 1970's, and still have a Souval Luftwaffe Panzer Assault badge, which I understand none were ever awarded in WW2. It was bought as a repro and it looks cool.

  4. #4
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    I acquired a dodgy bayonet in China many years ago.
    To be honest I didn't have enough experience and I was thinking it was a left over from WW2.
    I had just been in Xian near the terracotta army site, and before going in I saw a peasant stall selling junk. Around under 10 items on a blanket.
    One item was a rusty beat up Japanese bayonet. I didn't buy it. I had learnt my lesson of having items confiscated in Beijing when going to see Mao Zedong
    I was going to buy it on my way out but he was gone.
    It was the only time I had seen any ww2 stuff. Wish I had taken a photo. I already had one back at home and it looked to fit the bill.
    Then later in Shanghai, I found a old junk shop and I was looking for something for my mother.
    She had been in Ypres and had gotten me a WWI German helmet so I thought I would return the favour with some antique lion book ends.
    I got them then saw what looked like a paratrooper cut down bayonet mixed in with some classic chinese porn mags. 1917 Remington with scabbard with Japanese star and parachute.
    By this time I had a few days left and thought it was my last chance. Only $10, lucky.
    I remembered the chinese army had received some surplus WWI items and a lot of it got captured by the Japanese and repurposed.
    It looks great but is a fantasy item.
    Even so it was a mass produced item and well made. Never seen another one.
    Its in my collection as a reminder, but also because it invokes an interesting journeys memory.
    I did manage to pick up surplus chinese army objects as a bonus.
    Saw a 1950s british helmet for sale and some fake Korean war task force 77 Navy leather jackets.
    Next trip I'm looking for a M35 helmet with the white sun on the blue circle.
    that's my holy grail.

    Cheers,

    Danger
    It's one thing to look at it with your mouth open, but it's better to shoot it gritting your teeth!

  5. #5

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    I guess this could technically be considered a fake. I've heard Walt Disney painted some M-16 M-17 M-18 helmets in his time in the Red Cross In 1919. He would paint the infamous 3 color camo on helmets and his friend would shoot holes in the helmets to make them 'battle damaged' then rough it up in the mud. They would then sell the helmets to passing Soldiers for several francs as authentic 'sniper' helmets. I imagine if one was ever found and somehow identified it could possibly be worth even more than an actual tricolor.

  6. #6

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    Danger,

    Thank you for your insight and interest in fakes and reproductions.

    I believe there is a market for reproduction pieces as some of our colleagues have mentioned. For someone who does not have a lot of money to spend on actual pieces which can be extremely expensive yet the desire to have something that represents said decorations, the reproductions are available.

    The difficulty comes when the owner no longer wants them or for some other reason they come into the market, and some unscrupulous dealers/sellers will knowingly sell their reproductions as originals to unsuspecting, uneducated and uniformed buyers. A way of marking the not so obvious badges in a way to ensure that they are sold as reproductions has to take place whether by the current owner or the makers of the badges, but don't hold your breath on the makers of the badges marking them in any way to make it known they are copies. There are many that sell them on their websites, and they are described as copies and such but again due diligence in marking them should start.

    Long story short, do your research and know what you are collecting.

    Best regards

    Smitty

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