UBB.threads Forums Uniform & Accessories The Honor Ring Forum Private Purchase SuperFake Gallery

Because my book is taking so freaking long,,and because of more and more of my friends getting ripped off on rings I've decided to show some of the current best of the best superfake private purchase rings..Rings that with some ageing,messing around could pass as original!

Because of time restraints I'll have to do this a little at a time, photos when I have the chance..

Remember, we are talking about copies of good known patterns.
Orignals have histories with fine provenances such as period photos in wear,,direct family and or vet [German or US] acquisitions,,period advertisement,,honest confirmed ground dug.

Lets start with this pattern/design...This is a fairly common skull ring.
Usually marked with silver content of 835.. If your lucky enough to inspect one in hand, also try to get a good photo for your files as there are some very slight varients.
They were well made pieces. Even a worn example you should be able to see that it had good details and was finished well.


*Over the weekend I'll post a photo of an actual original example..

This is a wartime period advertisement for the ring we'll be featuring:

an original. In 835 silver.

inside..I've seen many of these type pattern. so far all the originals have had this look to the inside..
* Any member with a good one that has a solid back?

something interesting. I've had this ring since 1972. A bring back from an Great Uncle,a veteran. Last I looked at it was about 6 months ago. It was fine. Today the band is split!!

G.

would you like me to send you the "R. Dolp" ring? I bought it from Craig and it's pretty close except for the first initial...I wear it most every day.

Mark

Nice ring G. did you see the private purchase ring I tried to post with the oak leaves and acorns on sides? period or copy? thanx, paul

* Mark, Thanks, but this is for private purchase rings. Besides, I think Craig will surely cover that one in his fake section [I hope].

*Mann, On your post I couldn't get the photo to open. Please start a topic on it for some opinions.


* O.K., back to this totenkopf ring...This photo of an original points out in RED lines that are deep on originals. The lines around band go almost completely to the back of band.

In GREEN, a knob that is often left off on some fakes..

In Blue,,there is a slight dip first then a slight upward curl on the leaf/design. Most copies are very flat here, also shallow overall...

Not wanting to waste silver,,on some patterns you'll see wide bands,,but they'll be thin..

Notice on this original a nice thin band,, both sides proportioned/symmetrical as possible to one another.

Later, we'll see some terrible fakes of this exact ring, as well as good fakes, and a sneak peak at a superfake...

O.K. , now for a few different degrees of reproductions..
1st one.. The common eBay horrible fake..
Poor overall quality,,pock marks,,dots,,no detail,,mising knob,,shallow design,,a real POS..

~ next this 2nd example..
Much better. BUT, still wouldn't fool many with a little experience and if you just look hard. The knob is almost there,but flat and mushy,,no definition
Still a shallow design,,loaded with pock marks/faults.. These rings are mostly advertised as 'Ground Dug'. They almost look the part,,but the condition is not from being in the ground,,its from being poorly cast...

Next, I'll search for a photo of a superfake of this pattern..

Well, this is the only photo I've been able to find on the superfake of this pattern so far. I have handled 2. They are of very good quality! I would have liked to buy one for reference but just too dammed expensive and it wouldn't leave me much money for originals if I keep buying the fakes to check out

Gone are the fault lines, pitting, pock marks! *The problems to look out for,,the band is too thick,,knob is on the flat side,,teeth aren't as detailed,,band design is on the shallow side too,.. On one of the superfakes the lines on the back of the band were absent.. The silver on both I've seen looked to be 925,sterling. They don't have that nice dark patina that 800 or 835 get.

Next up ,,maybe the 'Edelweiss' ring,,or,,

O.k.!!! Had a member who wishes to remain anonymous email me a photo of a superfake of this pattern!..

A nice one that they put some sort of ageing chemical on it to darken it..

* notice ~,,flat leaf,,no knob,,flat teeth,,shallow overall detail..

Thanks for the photo!! appreciate it.

O.K. , lets move to another.
This is a well known German WW2 pattern. Many with good provenance, and many period advertisements.
A Luftwaffe eagle ring:

Next, an original..
Some examples will have a gilt panel the eagle is on.
Marked 835, well made, good quality and detail. Remember, this is a small ring,even in worn condition you can still make out the eagles eye!

Another original.This one in its original box. I like to call it an officers version. Humor me ..
Not marked but in hand you can see its a better grade of silver. A more solid ring/design overall and even better detail..

here you can see the band differences:

Both rings are of good quality but in wartime conservation mode both have thin bands:

after this I'll find various degrees of reproductions..

So, lets start off with this copy. No superfake here!.
Appears to be the common 'Sterling' [925]. Left side you can see some Dots and pin holes from bad casting. No detail what so ever!
Just an overall POS that thankfully shouldn't fool anyone:

Here's another. From the auction house we all used to love! This one is really trying.
A little better detail. You can start to see the eagles eye and beak, tail feathers and the swastika is formed better...
Look again at the originals,this is still a far cry from them. Shallow details, pitting and mushy,,just another copy...

O.k. , things are slow so lets move on to another good well known parttern ring that there are now excellent fakes of..

The 'Edelweissring'.. A 'semi' official ring!
Originals can sometimes have excellent provenance.
There were actually award documents made for the ring.
There has been one case where the ring was listed on the awards page of a Soldbuch.
I've seen them listed on death cards also!

Well made, rings. Originals have all so far been a heavy solid silver. Notice the number 1 at the bottom of the flower. These rings were exclusive for members of the 1st Gebirgs Division.

Here's a well worn original example:

Here's another original.This one in very good condition.. There will be slight variants,,nothing major different. Again, notice the number one...
More later.

Great info Gaspare, even if one dosnt collect rings its very useful and interesting!,thanks for your time to post,,,,,,,

Yeh Gaspare, its nice info.
Many thx !!!

Many thanks guys....
*Please, if any members have a original of a ring and have a very good copy or even photos of a good copy please post them here...

Here is the 'superfake' of the Edilw ring! This is a scary good fake! One of the best fakes out there.. I had the chance to see the copy in hand. When you look closely at it ,especially around by the # 1 you can see its a little flat and mushy. Overall not as deep. The backlground design/pebbling also is not right.
The auction photos are usually played with and darkened as the silver used in the ring is probably 'Sterling' [925] and you can see the difference from the 800 or 835 of the original..

This photo from eBay is from a seller who admits its a good copy of an original and its sold as a fake! But it has already started showing up as original so be careful!

Gaspare, many thanks for this thread and the knowledge and effort that have gone into it.

Regards, --dj--Joe

,,,your welcome guys,,my pleasure..

Going back a ring to the Luft...
Here's the new 'superfake'.. It is a better copy..The eye and beak look pretty good,,the swastika is formed better...

BUT, the details still aren't there ,,,yet. The claws aren't really there,,border design still poor. It appears to be sterling,and too thick of a band..
So, they are still trying to get over on us ,,and we just got to be ever diligent in exposing the faults!

Here is one from a vet group I bought several years ago.Were these worn by SS troops or anyone who felt like it? It's marked 835 inside the band.

the mark

PS. I believe the above is an original example.

~ the ring that opened the topic!

Nutmeg,,from these photos I believe your example is a good one..

Sure,SS soldiers could have wore it.. Actually, anyone with the cash could buy and wear such a ring.. Money was hard to come by pre war and wartime so it wasn't bought as a goof or to waste..
Most were bought by the soldiers themselves. Many were bought by wifes or other family members for a soldier as a present.
These skull rings were popular with SS, Panzer and the HJ,,,and really there are photos of all the 4 main branches of service [Heer,Luft.,KM,SS] wearing skull rings..
Also in many of the period magazines for the armed services and para-military organizations you'll occasionally find advertisements for such pieces...

The victors of the war [the Allies] were also fond of these rings and took many back home to wear and/or show off to friends and family,,,
I can hear it now,,," I took this off a SS General myself!"

Like every SA dagger and Youth knife is an SS dagger!

Next,,,something weird,,
*'Superfake ground dug!'*

I'll get something together I've just seen and post soon........

First, the ring..This is a Zinc example. They came in Silver also,and brass with silver wash and a weird alloy pot metal..

A popular and well known pattern..Often offered with 'Gems' in the eyes [Glass]..
This pattern as seen always has that distinctive nose,,fine lines between the head and crossed bones,,and cranial fissures [crack in head at top]..


If you look closely around the rims of the eyes on this zinc example above you'll see 2 maybe 3 dots.. These dots were used to peen over the 'Gem' eyes to keep them in place..

Here's a period advertisement,,,this one offered with Gems in the eyes..

*In a couple of days we'll see some good fakes and a really good Ground Dug fake..

O.K. , we're going to see now 2 fakes of the 'Ground dug' kind.
This ring is difficult to reproduce well in good condition forum. Originals were usually a weird alloy and later moving on to zinc late war..Whatever its time period of production during the war its always a ring with good detail, thin band, finished off fairly well.

So whats been appearing is 'ground dug' fakes.. The scam is that they were found at Stalingrad digs, Kharkov, Demjansk digs etc. They are so decrepid,so worn,eaten up they are almost impossible to distinguish from originals.

This 'dug' example was sold a few times. The seller takes a break for 6 months or so then starts to sell again. This fake is let down by its missing details and shallow detail. Unless it a few dollars its best to avoid rings that look like this:

Here's another of this pattern supposedly from Stalingrad. It is a fake. Missing / poor details hid by false ageing, drops of acid etc..

also let down by its thick band,,,this thing is a mess. BUT still can fetch upwards of $200.! on a good day on eBay!!
Stay away,save your money.............

Thanks for taking the time, showing all the very nice good rings and the fakes Gaspare.

Here you buy only the dealer's story (and a bit material).
I's the first fake ground dug of this kind I ever have seen.

Imo the "heavily corroded holes" (the one above and two down ) have more or less the same cut out shape and size, treated with acid .
Originaly corroded it would be more irrigular in this grade of corrosion, but then it would disattrrack the ring.
This last one is really an interesting fake.

Very interesting!
We all learn from your knowledge!
Thanks G.!

Ground dug fakes appeared as soon as the Soviet Union broke up! Early 1990s there were still plenty of origials coming up from the ground. By the mid / late 1990s you were seeing more fake dug rings than originals! Now I'd hardly trust any unless I dug them myself, or they had some sort of provenence from someone I trust.

I have a small section in my 'Fakes, Frauds and Postwar' chapter of my book for 'Ground Dug' fakes...

Here are a few test shots..
This is a typical bad reproduction from a few years ago.

Now, this is the SAME ring..

I made a ageing solution from chemicals found in my gararge....
This is the same ring after one treatment..
Took all of 5 min. total... It can be dipped again and again for a more aged, ground dug effect..
You can even put a drop of battery acid on it and it'd look like one of the Stalingrad rings..
*Be suspicious of ANY ground dug ring: