Yes, this one I just had to have.
Patinated and perfect in every way . I will post more pictures when I have it at hand.
There is a makers mark
Best, Jan
Yes, this one I just had to have.
Patinated and perfect in every way . I will post more pictures when I have it at hand.
There is a makers mark
Best, Jan
Hello,
What does make this buckle tropical ?
Does it have a cut-off web tab ?
Or perhaps you consider the light paint as tropical ?
Thanks
The sacrifice of life is a huge sacrifice, there is only one that is more terrible, the sacrifice of honor
In Memoriam :
Laurent Huart (1964-2008)
Hi, good point. Just copy pasted the text from Bill Sheas sales advert.
Love the buckle and the light coloured paint albeit it might not be "tropical". Please tell me more about belt buckles with this light color.
Best,
Jan
Lots of field gear, vehicles, arms, helmets, etc.etc. were painted in an ordnance tan color mid-late war. So really unless it's got a webbed tab attached, it's just a guess it's tropical.
D.
I have always had good experiences with Bill when it comes to communicating issues on items he has for sale. This is the prompt reply I got when I asked him about this buckle and weather it was "tropical" or not. Still liking the item but this gives it a bit more value when it comes to discussing it. Like in every case this one is a great learning experience too
" Thanks for the valid question regarding the buckle. In my 60 years experience I have made the following observations regarding what is considered " army tropical buckles"
1) not all of them have webbed tabs. I have found them three ways..with webbed tabs, with leather tabs(especially early ones) and without tabs(later examples)
2) there is a variety of tones of the olive drab color associated with tropical buckles depending on manufacturer and time of production
3) based on the color and tone of this buckle, I would still classify it as a tropical.
This is not an ordnance tan color. It's definitely more of an olvie green.
In examining the buckle more closely, I also dicovered it was maker marked HK (Hermann Kollner)
I would say the color is the same as this buckle I found on the internet
WW2 German Army Belt Buckle & Tab - TheWorldUnhinged.comTheWorldUnhinged.com
and that's definitely a tropical example."
Best, Jan
Hello,
To me, this buckle is a standard example that received a light olive green paint...that's all...
To me a tropical buckle has a web tab.
To me, if a buckle with leather tab is used with a web belt, no matter its shade of olive green, it's just a continental buckle used with a tropical belt...
And it's the same thing if the buckle has no tab, it's just a post 1943 production that can be used with a web belt, and many were...
Concerning the ordnance tan paint, many equipment and vehicles were painted this way from 1943, but not belt buckles. From this date, Heer belt buckles paints were changed from all shades of olive green to blue (like the buttons of regulation Feldblusen). And as usual, the makers' inerty did the rest...Collectors like categorizing things in order to feel secure...
Thanks
The sacrifice of life is a huge sacrifice, there is only one that is more terrible, the sacrifice of honor
In Memoriam :
Laurent Huart (1964-2008)
Philip...
Agree with everything you said other than belt buckles were not painted tan. Here is just one example of an original that was painted & I have handled quite a few that were deemed original period painted tan. Although I recall all were Luft buckles, not Heer.
D.
Hello,
David : i was talking about Heer buckles only
I have also seen and handled factory tan painted Luftwaffe buckles
Thanks
The sacrifice of life is a huge sacrifice, there is only one that is more terrible, the sacrifice of honor
In Memoriam :
Laurent Huart (1964-2008)
Nice worn original buckle. Nothing tropical though, I see a standard Heer buckle, has is been repainted? In ref to what Bill replied to you thats his opinion, but there has been nothing ever recorded as in the official RZM docs to state what constitutes a tropical buckle in ref to colour. Most manufacturers has differing tints of paint and this varied throughout the war as paint became more scarce, hence past 43 we mostly see the late war blue colour as thats what they had the most of.
Ben
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