Article about: by Ben Evans Hi Alan and welcome to the forum, I am hoping to help beginners really learn the basics on what to look for, the pitfalls and fakes and hopefully pass on as much as I can and en
Hi all, I am going to do this thread and try and pass on information about particular makers, my aim is to improve recognition of features of certain makers so you can look at a buckle and probably know who the maker is and hopefully improve on the knowledge that you already know.
First maker that we will start with is Gustav Brehmer, Markneukirchen, I picked him because he has been featured recently. Brehmer buckles have quite a distinct eagles head, you will find a lot of these makers will have variations on the eagles which can make recognition quite easy. The only other maker’s eagle which you could get mixed up with is an H Arld eagle but I will post for comparison note how thinner the neck is on the Arld buckle and the difference in the beak. Brehmer buckles are also marked on the rear. The normal standard is the intertwined GB near the catch with the date under the roller bar. However there are variations, I have seen these with just the GB by the catch or under the roller bar with no date. I have seen them with just a date under the roller bar and no GB and there are also buckles with the date and GB under the roller bar. Any configuration of these marks do not matter, they are all Brehmer buckles. Study the examples that I have pictured here then go to the M4 makers list and look at the entire buckles, then look through dealer sites and see if you can spot them, you will be amazed how quickly you learn
The next maker I am going to look at is Berge & Nolte, Ludensheid, another very prolific maker of Third Reich buckles. Also note that most of these will be steel buckles, aluminium buckles are a wee bit different but I will show you some. Berge and Nolte buckles again have a distinct eagle’s head which once ingrained in your mind will not leave you, these are faked quite a lot but once you know what to look for no problems. Again look at the eagles head, I say it wear like a cap on its head, which is quite distinct, also look at where the neck feathers meet the chest, it has a very big centre feather hanging down. The rear of the buckles were marked by the catch with a "B & N 42" or whatever the date is, this is also the same for the aluminium buckles, however the eagles head is not the same on the aluminium ones. There is also an early Berge & Nolte marking, this is an "N" within a triangle with B & N flanked to either side with an "&" under the base of the triangle. Again have a good study at this maker, note the other characteristics and look through the other examples in the M4 makers list, you will soon learn
This maker again has a very distinct eagle, have a close look at it, I call it a "budgie" rather than an eagle, there is no other buckle like it in looks. They are normally marked on the rear with "C.T.D 41" or again whatever date the buckle is, quite an easy maker to identify with practise, get on them dealer sites and get looking, it’s the best way to learn.
Probably my most favourite maker out of all the makers is Hermann Aurich, I just love the variation and the the unique shape of this eagles head. Again this is a one off and no other maker shaped its eagles head like Aurich, once memorised you will spot it straight away. Most often they marked their buckles with an "H" over an "A" with the date next to it and nearly always in the centre of the buckle. This maker bought out a variation in catches and incorporated a "crank" catch on some of their buckles, mainly found on later buckles. Again all, a very easy maker to spot, get on the sites and get looking
Fantastic Ben keep them coming i'm learning lots from your posts
Paul
The gates of hell were opened and we accepted the invitation to enter" 26/880 Lance Sgt, Edward Dyke. 26th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers , ( 3rd Tyneside Irish )
1st July 1916
Thought shall be the harder , heart the keener,
Courage the greater as our strength faileth.
Here lies our leader ,in the dust of his greatness.
Who leaves him now , be damned forever.
We who are old now shall not leave this Battle,
But lie at his feet , in the dust with our leader
Yet another prolific maker of all Third Reich era buckles was Richard Seiper. He again had his very own distinct eagle that no other maker made an eagle like it, look at the eagle and memorise. The buckles themselves had a couple of various maker marks. The early marks were of a diamond shape with the initials squeezed inside it, these are more than often found on the earlier buckles, there are examples with both maker marks on. The next maker mark was "RS&S" then later it seemed to change to "R.S.&.S” I have no written evidence that this is official but after looking at hundreds of buckles by this maker this seems to be the case. Have a look through the M4 makers list at the Seiper buckles and then get on those dealer sites and play spot the Seiper buckle (quite sad really I never did this, honest )
Hi all, I have some spare time so I thought I would add to this thread, this maker is RODO or Robert Dold, Offenburg. I have only ever seen Heer and SS buckles by this maker, both are copied but very easy to tell original from copy. The prongs seem to be what I call short stubby and blunt or rounded on the end of them. The pin head is over size, very large compared to normal/standard buckles. The Heer eagle is again very unique to this maker and very easy to spot with practise. On the SS buckles the catch is bent to one side and the RODO is in small neat letters, on the fakes you find large letters (known as a fat boy fake) and the belt catch dos not look right, also the lack of a large pin head and normal prongs, not short blunt ones. Compare the pictures and you will see what I mean
Ben , nice to meet you ,
it`s terrific that you can share this info with us , where else could you find this level of expertise . Your knowledge gives us confidence ! Jeez i`m glad i found this forum !
Hi Alan and welcome to the forum, I am hoping to help beginners really learn the basics on what to look for, the pitfalls and fakes and hopefully pass on as much as I can and encourage guys to collect buckles, this hobby has such diversity it is unreal and best of all affordable
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