JustinG

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

I find this particularly interesting as it is a very common Jewish name. It is a reminder that many German/Austro-Hungarian people of jewish decent fought during WW1 for the Central powers. Thanks for sharing. JustinG

Another fine document. Thanks for sharing. Great clarity of Lazarett hospital. Very interesting to see if the hospital has remained a hospital to this day? Thanks for sharing. Best Regards, JustinG

Soviet style buttons. Quite common. Likely came from a hat such as a budenovka. Nice that two of three have interesting maker or design marks to the reverse. Best Regards, JustinG

Quite the document for an award winning pig, In really good condition. Thanks for sharing. Best Regards, JustinG

The reverse side is always the best to show and rule if a period piece. Look forward to the pictures. something like this. Best regards, JustinG

Greetings, I wanted to share this incredible production. Narrated by Nicolas Jellicoe (Grandson to Admiral John Jellicoe, British fleet commander at the Battle of Jutland) Well done, unbiased and very interesting to watch. This is an incredible production, well worth the watch.

Thank you for sharing the news of his passing. Very sad. He did have an incredible helmet collection. Best Regards, JustinG

So I have almost completed this collection. I am just missing two more. Here is a lovely set i picked up. This is a huge lot, these ribbons don't come up too often.

Greetings all, Well as I was able to wrap up and complete my Kriegsmarine Zerstörer collection. I have decided to take on a new area of collecting. I am going to collect the ships and perhaps the units tallies that took part in the Battle of Jutland. A monumental task and a very difficult one I believe, however I believe that with enough time, luck and money, this too can be achieved. I have some tallies on the way. I am looking forward to sharing them with you all. SMS Friedrich der Grosse SMS Ostfriesland SMS Thueringen SMS Oldenburg SMS Posen SMS Nassau SMS Deutschland SMS Hannover SMS Schlesien SMS Muenchen It is interesting to point out that umlauts or the ß symbol were not used with imperial tallies, so if the word had an umlaut like München or say Großer Kurfürst it would be spelled fully out as Grosser Kurfuerst. I know many of you probably understand that however, there hasn't been an imperial Mützenband posting yet. So. I am leading the way on this forum. All the best, JustinG