JustinG

Hi, this is some interesting information. I would imagine that the British flags would be similar to German In that the specific size would be for a certain ship size. I have a British union jack from the HMS Ariadne which was traded for a few professional baseball caps. I really can't say I have seen a date stamped on a flag before. Anyway, here is a good image of a British Ensign. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/wwii-huge-mint-british-royal-navy-1918458542 These are the typical stamping on a flag like this. I would love to see photos if you pick it up. Best Regards, JustinG

I agree with you hunch. IMHO, this is a heavily messed with fake that has been tried to be artificially aged/damaged. Best Regards, JustinG

Hi, This document is an account of what transpired on the 31st of August 1918. This is an interesting piece. I assume you have roughly translated it, would be curious if this was the actions that helped this soldier get his Silver Star? As for the signature of the Lieutenant Colonel, That I can not help you with. The 128th Infantry was a primarily Wisconsin State unit part of the 32nd Infantry division under the command of Maj.General James Parker. Here is the Wikipedia page for the 128th Infantry Regiment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/128th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) Value is in the eye of the beholder, this is a historical document, nothing special since we can't determine who was the signing officer. I would expect to see a range of $5-10 dollars if you were to have this for sale. Having the details from the wikipedia site and the nickname that the french gave "Les Terribles" the Red arrow and the successes in penetrating the Hindenburg line to this unit, helps with the story and peaks the interest more for perspective buyers. An interesting piece. Best Regards, JustinG

And what was the reason for the cyrillic letter stamping? It reminds me of a movie set prop. It could have been a good one but it looks highly doctored up. I am going to go out on a limb and say NO. This has far too many things that make it suspicious. even if it was a period piece, albeit it has been messed with so much. Can't get over the Cyrillic lettering stamps. * I don't collect SS uniforms, I don't have a wide experience. I have been in the collecting community for several decades though and I am just sharing my observations. My opinions are just that, Mine. Take with it for what you want.* Best Regards, JustinG

Greetings, From what I am seeing, I am not too impressed. There is poor detail on the swords, the wreath and the loop on the RK. This appears to be a non wartime cross. Better pictures would be better but I am a bit skeptical as of the photos you shared with the forum. JustinG

Such wonderful contributions to this thread. Thanks to all those who have shared. Best Regards, JustinG

Congratulations on being published. JustinG

From the Hilfskreuzer S.M.S. Moewe.

Greetings, Well, I did deviate a bit. I purchased a large grouping of Mützenbänder from non-Jutland combatants and I thought I would start a thread showing our collections of S.M.S, K.u.K and imperial time Mützenbänder. I look forward to seeing what tallies you all have in your collections. Here we go:

As said, there are plenty of these awards. Don't feel pressured. Some have higher prices due to their maker. (Godet) is probably one of the highest quality IMHO and fetches a higher premium. Feel free to post and we will help you, no one wants to get burned with a copy or fake. That's why we are here. That being said, If you are just starting, look at the other sites that Rich pointed out. get familiar and a bit more educated. You can also see our recommended seller list to see who has had positive experiences with various dealers, Check out the list of dealers to stay away from too. Best Regards, JustinG

Well, I did a little search, I came up with this. Unfortunately it doesn't show reverse but it shows the obverse nicely. ttps://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ww2-ww1-lot-german-pin-badge-476184717 Here's one for sale with a great view of the pin and box https://www.ebay.com/itm/GERMANY-Kyffhauser-Lighthouse-WWI-Veterans-pin-Medal-1914-German-Decoration-BOX-/284069374175 Best Regards, JustinG

Nice. It is interesting to see how much of a difference there is with the different dye used for these. The scoop from the back, the detail on the legs different. Some of the variations were so obvious, I was expecting you to have on the end a guess which one was period and which one was a fake/forgery. Thanks for sharing. Really interesting how much liberty was allowed to occur between pieces. Best Regards, JustinG

Some of the medal bars shared earlier (ebay fakes) March 25th shared, seem to have been created as fakes. The Swastika has been removed either by photo editing or intentionally by the creator. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. With some of the medal combos I would have been a bit skeptical but there were many shared that I would have been fooled with. Great thread. Thanks for sharing Pierce. Simply Fascinating. JustinG

In great condition. Nice catch. JustinG

Don't know. Here is a site that you can have one custom made. A photograph is worth a thousand words, in this case, it seems to run $135 from this place. https://dodguidons.com/products/armor-guidon-regulation.html Sorry, wish I could help more. JustinG

Well done Pierce for nailing that award down and posting an example of it. Lovely photographs, thanks for posting Richard. Best Regards. JustinG

Greetings, I had wondered how many post war commemorative medals you were all aware of and what your thoughts are on these medals. Some are very pretty: I really like the design of the Normandy June 6th 1944 medal. The Battle of Britain is also very pretty with the reverse showing St. Paul's Cathedral surviving in a field of smoke. What is your take on these awards. These are the only versions I have seen. Are there other post war campaign or vet association medals I am unaware of? Lets see what you have. Best Regards, JustinG

So my Normandy Medal has a stamped number. I believe these were issued. My guess was that these were pieces that had to be verified that you were indeed part of the operational forces to qualify for such a medal. Now, I think that this could have been a medal released for an anniversary or for some other reason. Frankly, I haven't found too much out there. They seem to sell pretty quickly when they are on the market. https://www.emedals.com/a-battle-of-britain-commemorative-medal Here is one for the Battle of Britain. Here is one for the Normandy campaign https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/wellingtonauctions/catalogue-id-wellin10002/lot-b0120719-6116-497e-9697-a8ba00a991aa Really interesting. I am having a hard time figuring out when these were produced. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Wikipedia for the France 1944 medal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_a_liberated_France Best Regards, JustinG

Well, that's what I was trying to figure out. I posted this on GMIC a few years ago. Really never got to the bottom of this. The Normandy Medal has stamped numbers in the side. One member posted a large index of Commonwealth medals. http://honours.homestead.com/comindex.html I haven't heard or seen too many other medals like this. I was hoping to see what others here might have seen.. So here is the original post on GMIC. I would love to see others examples. https://gmic.co.uk/topic/35242-for-your-consideration/?tab=comments#comment-329854 Best Regards, JustinG

Being so close to the end of the war, it seems like this might have been done officially or perhaps unofficially? Nice three document set though. Thanks for sharing. JustinG

I am sorry, But I still must be missing something. In the photo starting off, the soldier is wearing a Steel helmet and so you can't see a Division or wappen on a Pickelhaube as for distinction that could place this particular soldier to this particular unit. The belt buckle is also obscured so to see if it has a different layout is impossible (IMHO) to determine. The soldier shoulder flashes are pretty much covered. So, was this photograph marked on the reverse to a specific unit or location? I am just asking because I am trying to get better at recognizing the differences in uniforms of the Imperial German Army. Thanks again. Best Regards, JustinG

Greetings, A nice tribute and interesting piece. I appreciate the time you did on your research. The photo of the lady was inside the flask but how did you come to exactly pin the photo of the soldier? I couldn't make out even the shoulder boards to say that this was even a possibility for this to be. I did not see that in the presentation. Best Regards, JustinG

Its a "Sam Browne Belt" with a Chinese star. Here's what my references are https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-communist-china-chinese-army-512173653 Best Regards, JustinG

Well, you or someone else has done a bit of research into this. I would say that this would have been taken while in service while serving in the Northwest Frontier Provence (modern day Pakistan) Hence the Turbin hat being worn. This is an extremely well preserved photograph from this period. Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, I don't know if anything else could be added. You have seemed to source the British Military records quite extensively. Perhaps figuring out what commendations he would have earned? The Aiguillette on the shoulder is likely a golden color as per the regulations found on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiguillette#United_Kingdom Great photo and great bit of research. Cheers, JustinG

Unfortunately, at this point, I am going to say not a period piece. At least not Kriegsmarine. Notice the zig zag (sawtooth) appearance on the reverse. This is from the Jacquard loom which was how these were constructed. Many forgeries just have the single stitch and not this sort of saw tooth pattern. This photo from another thread shows the various constructed material and their appearance. The reverse is the key. Take a close look at the reverse. If it is just a single even line, then that is not a good sign of being a (WW2) tally. Best regards, JustinG