It is an original F&BL bronze spange, can't vouch for the back plate though.
Looks like it's been re-crimped at least.
Ralph.
Searching for anything relating to, Anton Boos, 934 Stamm. Kp. Pz. Erz. Abt. 7, 3 Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 2, 16th Panzer-Division (My father)
Original clasp, but the back plate looks for me also re-crimped and the swastika re-nazified.
The shape of the swas is wrong and the claws of the eagle are lost.
Sorry to say but I totally agree.
There is a horizontal crack/split evident between the bottom of the eagle legs and the top of the swas suggesting a cut line where the original swas was removed. Also there seems to have been a clumsy attempt to reinstate the eagle talons by making the blobby mess where they should be. Is that solder?
There is another 'V' shaped fissure beneath the swas following the tops of the grenade and bayonet.
Removing the swas would almost certainly have been what dislodged the back plate in the first instance and what is there now does not look like the original.
As stated above the current swas is somewhat mis-shapen and was probably poorly cast from an original before being grafted onto this clasp.
It would have been more authentic if left in the "De-Nazified" state as that would at least be historically correct. As it is, I think it has been totally ruined.
I hope you didn't pay much for it.
Regards
Mark
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Initially I thought the post stamping cutting tool (like a cookie cutter) has been misaligned and nicked the Swastika, cutting off that portion and cracking the eagle. However, I think Mark's idea is more likely. The back plate crimping is definitely redone and his idea accounts for that.
Todd
Former U.S. Army Tanker.
"Best job I ever had."
Hi Todd,
Yes I follow the logic and did consider that myself but as far as I know the cutting tool would have been a single piece therefore there would likely be corresponding and opposite damage elsewhere on the clasp. I also considered the cracks could look like "cold shutting" in hot metal but the way the two cracks/fissures are directly either side of the swas didn't seem right and if that had occurred the swas would have been so weak it would likely fall out later in the manufacturing process. Then looking at the horrible blobby mess of the talons I considered that was too "fluid" looking as oppsed to the jagged appearance created by any kind of abrasion or mechanical action. That all draws the eye in and the swas really does look like there is a join line all the way round, obvious at top and bottom but apparent through shadow/relief at the sides. I also think it must be a very late piece anyway as the maker marks are very poorly defined which seems to be more an effect of die wear/contamination than post manufacture wear.
The back plate looks to be of a much lighter shade than the original iron material and seems to have a thick layer of paint.
I know this is a lot on top of my original post but I just thought I should "show my working out" as they used to say at school
Regards
Mark
Last edited by Watchdog; 05-06-2021 at 05:54 PM. Reason: Typo
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
So I can agree with you
It still started as an original F&BL nahkampfspange.
Ralph.
Searching for anything relating to, Anton Boos, 934 Stamm. Kp. Pz. Erz. Abt. 7, 3 Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 2, 16th Panzer-Division (My father)
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
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