04-24-2008, 11:02 PM
Very interesting analysis from alot of people! Thanks to all of you!
Several months ago, I saw an offer on ebay for a Hero star with a booklet. The Big Red flag? Surely you all must have caught it...the serial number on the star matched the serial number of the printed award booklet!!!!! So I decided to have "fun" with the seller and see what was going on. I wrote and she responded, saying that she was selling it for her husband and didn't know anything about these things! The next day, she had taken it off ebay! I told her that she would never be able to sell it to a serious collector unless she was willing to guarentee authenticity or have a COA from Paul McDaniel.
On the German stuff, I saw several Knights Cross oakleaves and oakleaves with swords suspensions coming out of Russia on ebay. One oakleaves cluster looked burned like it was in the oven. I think it was heated so that the seller could stamp L/12 and 800 onto the soft metal. I guess they want you to believe that they ripped them off from a Russian war museum. Some of the real stuff have been ripped off and made their way here.
There are clever people on the other side scheming this very minute to separate YOU from your hard earned (or ill gotten!!) money! You don't know them, yet you might be tempted to bid $$$ on an item sight unseen. I prefer to buy from reputable dealers or reputable collectors because they have done their due diligence and would never purchase a fake for resell...and they guarentee what they sell. Why take the risk yourself? Put the risk on them. You pay more, but you will get the real deal. Ebay is great for low end stuff, but when you get above $XXXX and the seller says "Consignment" , SOLD AS IS, and NO RETURN, compose yourself and say: "I am NOT a sucker, I am NOT a sucker, I am NOT a sucker!!!"
Several months ago, I saw an offer on ebay for a Hero star with a booklet. The Big Red flag? Surely you all must have caught it...the serial number on the star matched the serial number of the printed award booklet!!!!! So I decided to have "fun" with the seller and see what was going on. I wrote and she responded, saying that she was selling it for her husband and didn't know anything about these things! The next day, she had taken it off ebay! I told her that she would never be able to sell it to a serious collector unless she was willing to guarentee authenticity or have a COA from Paul McDaniel.
On the German stuff, I saw several Knights Cross oakleaves and oakleaves with swords suspensions coming out of Russia on ebay. One oakleaves cluster looked burned like it was in the oven. I think it was heated so that the seller could stamp L/12 and 800 onto the soft metal. I guess they want you to believe that they ripped them off from a Russian war museum. Some of the real stuff have been ripped off and made their way here.
There are clever people on the other side scheming this very minute to separate YOU from your hard earned (or ill gotten!!) money! You don't know them, yet you might be tempted to bid $$$ on an item sight unseen. I prefer to buy from reputable dealers or reputable collectors because they have done their due diligence and would never purchase a fake for resell...and they guarentee what they sell. Why take the risk yourself? Put the risk on them. You pay more, but you will get the real deal. Ebay is great for low end stuff, but when you get above $XXXX and the seller says "Consignment" , SOLD AS IS, and NO RETURN, compose yourself and say: "I am NOT a sucker, I am NOT a sucker, I am NOT a sucker!!!"
