So called early SS Kepi eagles, were some gilded ?

[Tinhatman]

I’ve picked up a SS/SA Kepi eagle. It is gilded, were the political leader ones gilded gold? What are your thoughts on this one? Unfortunately I only have this one photo but it does have the prongs to the back however I’m not sure if it is maker marked. I understand there were many variants of these and no two seem to look identical.

[NSDAP Sammler]

Not sure about the authenticity, swaz and eagles head look somehow strange. But it might be made of brass sheet and it's silver finish has just gone off.

[Aldo]

I like it! These are my favorite type of eagles. You can see the traces of silver between the lines of the wings on yours. A better photo front and back would help clarify. Try taking a photo against a darker background for better contrast

Here is one with similar finish



Here are the rest of mine to demonstrate the variety

[Tinhatman]

Thanks Aldo. When it arrives next week sometime I shall take some better photos and attach to this thread. Very nice collection you have there.

[Tinhatman]

Please see attached images of the Kepi eagles which arrived today. I have tried to photograph them as good as possible with my compact camera. No maker marks present that I can make out.

[NSDAP Sammler]

I really don't want to spread panic or bad vibes, but I stick to my point that the gold-colored eagle looks a bit weird. I don't want to immediately say that it's a fake, but compared to the silver-colored eagle it looks very different! I agree with Al that the gold eagle must have been silver-plated at some point, I've already written that it's obviously made of brass sheet and the silver finish has just gone off over the decades. However, the two silver eagles are perfect originals IMO.

[Aldo]

I agree it looks quite different in certain areas. The head in particular and the eye lacks detail but this doesn't look like a cast piece. It might be a variant by an unknown maker. That being said you have to be comfortable with the piece. These are not rare or extremely expensive. Jessen just listed two more conventional specimens in the expected price range

Political Leaders Cloth & Metal Insignia - Jessen's Relics Military Memorabilia

[Tinhatman]

Sammler Thankyou for the reply. When they arrived today my first thought on inspection was exactly what you’ve stated. I’m really not sure. It definitely doesn’t seem to be a cast piece possibly could just be a bit of a crude example from as Al says an unknown maker.

[Tinhatman]

Al, many thanks for the reply. As said to Sammler above, my thoughts were exactly the same upon inspection. Have you previously seen any genuine examples like this? It certainly doesn’t seem to be a cast fake. Could it possibly be a very early crudely made example perhaps? I don’t want to knowingly have a fake in my collection.

[Aldo]

I tend to like items in my collection that don't conform to every characteristic you'd expect to see. However there is value in sticking to the the more traditional so called "one lookers" I personally think it's a less detailed well worn variant but I can't say with 100% certainty. If you're not comfortable with it you should return it and find a more conventional example.