UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories Medals & Badges of the Third Reich Forum Beyond Trashing the name of Rex Reddick

Of all the 3rd Reich Qualification badges, the Luftwaffe Flak Badge has to be my all time favorite. All early ones, the 1st and 3rd are "ball hinge types," unmarked. The 2nd photo is of an early Assman. JR

Assman

Unmarked "ball hinge"

There is nothing like that big ole "88" !

If I ever get my camera dusted off I will snap a few images of my lone example.

--dj--Joe

I would be interested in knowing if the repros are so blatently obvious that only a real newbie would be screwed.

EDITED FOR INSULTS - Dave

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

JR

Badge is very nice!

But I have a weakness for that white handle
luft!

Ok

Both Lufts!

PVON

JR, Very nice badge and dagger! Thanks for showing it.

Fritziii

One of these days, when I defect to Amerika, I wish to take these pictures as well as JR is. They are really the cat's anus.

Borat

Actually, if you read my first post, there are 3 different Flak badges here and not the same one in the dagger photos. Thanks for the kind words, as always. JR

JR: You are a true connoisseur of workmanship and artistic exellence.

Edited for language and insults - Dave

Manfred, I truly was so sorry to see him called every thing but a Child of God. My goodness he was just trying make a living selling 3rd Reich repos................. Not crystal meth or crack!

Nice badges Jr, very refreshing to see in this, the abyss of T.R. collecting.

I simply asked JR if he can provide information on this forum on the differences between the fake LW badges that Reddick Enterprises is selling (if they are in the catalog) and those beautiful originals that he displayed in his post.

Edited for insults and language. Dave

Joe, I'm not sure what Rex sell in the area of Flak badges, but here is a Brehmer repo that has some very nice detail. JR

B2

B3

B4

Joe:
Here's a pic. out of the latest Reddick catalogue I'm aware of. My appologies for the picture quality but it sucks in the catalogue: Your cost from Reddick is /was $12.

Thanks Jim. As you can see, the fake Brehmer is far more quality of a badge than what is in Rex's catalog.

JR is 100% right. The really good fake badges do not come from Rex-and they are not cheap. If you really want to find out who sells them-you can find out-just look around-ask around at the big shows-you will see. Do you ever see some of the large international dealers and other larger dealers looking at things under the table? Is it a lot of mint badges of the same kind? Hmmm--Sometimes we look but we do not see.

Boy your not kidding Houston.I've had my share of "deals" from these guys, what a bunch of jokers.

No problem JR:
IMO: Reddicks stuff wouldn't fool anyone other than the newest collector. BTW: If you or anyone for that matter wants to see a lot of fakes, some of which are pretty convincing, go onto epier and scroll thru the medals and badges offerings in the WW II German category under collectibles.

Jim, just wondering, what number catalog is that from?
My old one is not dated. It's a # 4 and pretty sure its 10 years old..

JR, do you know who popped out the Brehmer repro? Do you think the advances in technology will affect the quality of the fakes in your fields of interest? Such advances were evident in the fake police arrest warrant discs coming out of the Poland/England connection that Bible wrote about.

I am sure the Child of God is capable of better work than that catalog photo. His alpine badges were multi-piece.

Joe, I'm not sure who did the Brehmer Flak, but it truly does have the quality of an original save for the age and patina. That aspect would be easy to acomplish to further the danger of this repo compared to an original.

Time is a critical factor in the assimilation of these frauds into collections. It happens. Fiftenn or twenty years ago, I don't have the exact date at hand, Globe came out with repro Schi-Fuhrer badges: solid back, full length hinge pin, no markings. I had never seen an original before and wouldn't for several years until I got my first from Firmen Michel at one of the first Baltimore Max Shows. Anyway, I knew the Globe one wasn't orignal because it was around $20. A few years ago , Klaus Patwall's magazine featured an article by Wim Saris on police mountain badges and sure enough the Schi-Fuhrer example was a solid back Globe variety, aged with dark paint in the skis and lettering.A fake had been legitimized it seemed.

JR, do you think technology will result in a perfect copy? How do you think this will effect collections?

Joe, this is an email that I wrote to a Friend just a short time ago when he asked me the same question.

One has to ask himself, what would it take to replicate technology and skill that was used 65 years ago when we live in an age where we can fly a plane at 2000 mph, put a man into space and send an email across the globe in just seconds ? For some reason, any and all of the items made during the era of Nazi Germany can never seem to be reproduced in the exact fashion that they were made many years ago. With a computer, it wouldn't seem to be that difficult to make an exact SS helmet decal today, that perfectly matched those of 1935-1944...............but it is. The same for say a war badge or Honor ring. There is just something about the old way that items were manufactured that we can never go back and do over again. Why is that ? I guess to do so, that the task would have to be accomplished in the same fashion with out modern technology, computers and electronics in order to achieve the same product that was easily made by crafman in Solingen 65 years ago and sold for a few Marks.

I'm sure that "they" are closing the gap on many items, but will total replication of a 3rd Reich item ever be accomplished ? That's the 10K question. JR

G:
The catalogue I took the picture from is dated 1994-1995. I remember requesting a copy of the catalog shortly after I got involed in collecting which was around 2000. I figured this would educate me about the fakes that were available. I do have another catalogue with a field gray officers uniform pictured on the cover. This one is undated but says "CATALOGUE 5" on the cover.*
An interesting point. The first catalogue had a big selection of replacement blades and the second one only has two damascus examples. I attended my first major show which was the SOS in 2002 and spoke to Rex at that time. He told me the all remaining blades he had were on his table ther and he probably wouldn't be getting any more. This was due to the fact that the German forger was insisting he order in lots of 500 and Rex was ending up with a lot of money tied up in inventory.
Jim
*The above badge price is up to $18 so I think we can assume it's later.

Brehmer repro... Christopher Ailsby may be the person to ask as he may be able to provide some insight into this.

Dear Richard, just seen the post. Thanks for the thought that I might have the knoledge on the badge. I have seen them and they are very good. But as my old "Sparring partner" Bill so well put, "Not the cigar". All I can say is a number of great fakes were produced, particularly the flight clasps, maker Osang. A bit of a plug, but I think this is were my old friend "Big R" comese from, the new Luftwaffe book is out. Thanks Richard.

For those of us who appreciate the Luftwaffe Flak badge.
A link.
http://flakbadges.homestead.com/

Take a look at the Luft. flak in the attached thread and please give your thoughts.
http://daggers.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/800097573/...680070034#4680070034

--dj--Joe

We will never know if/when the perfect repro appears unless we actually see it being made. It may actually be here for all we know.

Why? Because if it's perfect then you can't tell it from an original. And if you can't tell it from an original, then it's an original.

Think about it.

I think we are worrying too much about reproductions. Look at the coin market: The Chinese are making (striking or coining) very nice Silver Dollar copies at this time and its in all the numismatic publications and it has NOT affected the price or the collectibility.
In the coin market they just comment and alert everyone to the source and picture the copies with some information as to identification; much as we do here.
So I think we are looking at the repros in the wrong way and should emulate those other hobbies where copies are known.
JMO
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria

Does this mean that the green light should be given to those, both dealers and collectors, selling "repros", unidentified as such?

They already have the green light and no one is stopping for any red light if it ever gets switched on. And any voluntary compliance or 'just say no' polcy has a lousy track record. In order to achieve the objective there would have to be a plan and a policy in place that would eliminate both supply and demand, and you need everyone to agree to it. Fat chance for this to happen.

I can't believe that we're worrying too much about reproductions. It would be ludicrous not to but, definitely an advantage in some eyes.

Richard: I DID NOT say we shouldn't worry about reproductions. I said that our hobby doesn't handle them correctly and offered an example of one in which reproductions are handled period.
We all complain and nit pick, but don't offer a solution or work together to stop them.
IF we feel Rex Reddick is wrong, the answer is simple: band together and make an effort to bring the offending item to the surface and involve everyone to campaign against them.
Reddick never did have any trouble in moving the repro blades. In fact he sold out and couldn't obtain more from his source in Germany. Believe me, he tried and was dissappointed he couldn't.
So, the problem with our collectors is the demand and the fact that there are those who will continue to supply bad items to the collector.
As I remember, Rex didn't ever sell the reproductions as originals nor did he pony up the repros in original fittings. It was those in the hobby that fed them to the collector, just as in the case of the fake medals that were bought up in quantity.
JMO,
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria
PS: I at least brought this to the attention of the collectiing community in a seminar at the MAX Show and there were those dealers who made a scene at the show bashing them, but no credit was ever given that dealer for his stand as I remember! Where was the support then???