POLISH ARMBAND...real or fake

[arrestingu]

..just wondered if this is a real one or recognised fake.
thanks
steve

[StefanM]

Honestly, not too sure about the armband. IMO the "W (eagle) P" logo looks very evenly marked considering it was stamped or maybe screen printed on to the material so one would expect to see a more broken uneven printing of the letters and eagle motif. However not impossible.

The whole stamped design on this example armband is almost too perfect aligned in parallel with with the horizontal colour bands. These armbands were stamped and made in haste so this seemingly neat alignment seems contrary to applying the stamp and making up armbands quickly to get them out to the insurgents ASAP. However not impossible.

The name plate looks to me like a grave marker???

The £39 asking price would be a great deal if the armband is original AK.

[Piwo2]

Have you tried shining a black light on it? Post war fabrics and thread glow under the black light, depsite all the aging that appears to done to items.

Piwo

[Adrian Stevenson]

I would agree with Stefan's observations.

I was in the Warsaw Uprising Museum last year and again only two weeks ago. I spent some time looking at the display of armbands there. There were many different styles of construction of these. I would have liked to have photographed them all. But sadly this year I had no camera with me.

I have two photos to show which I took last year, of the armbands worn by two of the most famous commanders. Note how they are made.

Cheers, Ade.

[StefanM]

This is a good example of how I would expect to see the overstamped "W (eagle) P" symbol together with the stitching being uneven etc:

[StefanM]

Another typical example of overstamped AK armband:

[Paul R]

Some were without eagle too.