Here's an example of an otherwise questionable armband. In my opinion it is an original armband. However, I suspect - without being 100% sure - that this is an "assembly". It may have originally been an armband for political leader Candidate in the Reichsleitung, onto which a period oak leaf border and cello strands were subsequently sewn on. Just a guess, but there's something I don't like about it.
Basically there are period armbands with a mix of cello and metal thread. I own a few of these myself and Jeff Clark's book shows several such examples. However, this version is extremely unusual because of the combination of cello oak leaf border with cello braid and silk rep disc with silk rep swaz with metal cord edging. IMO it's even stranger, however, that the oak leaf border runs so close to the edge; in some cases the cello braid is sewn onto the zig-zag seam of the piping. I own several armbands for Hauptamtsleiter and none of them are sewn like this.
This thread had me a bit freaked out about the pip on one of my recently purchased armbands, but thankfully (rub on the color aside likely due to age or the way it was stored) it looks like it's legit.
Another example of a fake Armband. It wants to be an Armband for "Leiter eines Hauptamtes in der Kreisleitung":
I want to express my gratitude to you guys for taking the effort of pointing out these flaws.
This unually ribbed material popped up with me as we discussed on one of the SS armband threads.
I have not seen this thread before and missed your examples completely.
There is a skilled faker at work who is drip-feeding different type of quality fake armbands into the community via dealers.
If only we were able to come to the source of these. I have looked at dozens and dozens of wool SS armband the past weeks and only found my own with the unusual ribbed roundel.
I purchased a second UV light - all parts on non-reactive, which could indicate period material from a hoard being used.
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