As I was the one that started the thread on the flag forum I will chime in. I am not trying to make waves or start a fight, just on the eternal "quest for truth".
Here is the moved link:
Flag The photos are fine, they show more than enough detail to make me question the flag.
The presence of grommets on this type of flag is quite unusual as was mentioned, as is the complete lack of edge re-enforcement stitching. There is also no maker marking or size indicators. The edge sewing is very sloppy.
The size seems skinnier than the standard dimensions encountered. The Iron Cross seems in the wrong position.
I have not seen another repro like this, but then I don't look often at older reproductions. Many pieces made in the 1960s can exhibit honest age, foxing, and wear that will fool collectors. What concerns me more is the lack of Originals that I have seen like this.
If the flag was bought from a vet or not is irrelevant. We see lots of items that vets picked up "along the way" after the war that were never near Germany. Kids trade daddy's souvenirs. Vet's memories fade. These items blur together. Vets for the most part really don't care about the souvenirs they gathered to pay that much attention. Some items were even made up to be sold to veterans in occupied countries.
Now, playing Devil's advocate, this may be a foreign made example that was used in an occupied country. But I have seen nothing that points conclusively to that either.( I have seen foreign made ones and they too had maker markings from Italy, Czechoslovakia, etc.) A flag made like this would shred pretty quickly if flown outdoors.
In my opinion, if this flag were real, it would have been scooped up at that price, which is about 1/2 of the going rate.
Sorry, but that's how I see it.
Jerry
