Original Knight's Cross

Hello,I was at an estate sale today and the man who owned everything showed me a supposed original knights cross. It had stamped on it an '800' and a '4' near the top edge. It also weights approximately 33 grams. It looks old, but I am also aware that people can make great copies, and the western allied soldiers may have had some made for their collections in old German factories immediately following the war. Without paperwork, how can I identify an original and not be fooled by a fake? I need some expert opinions on this, please help. Thanks guys.

 

lots and lots of research.......post some good quality pictures if you can, ...details and close-ups

maybe RRCOLLECTOR will be along soon to help you out

 

Do you carry a gram scale with you normally?

 

A picture might help if possible

 

What happened to this guy?

 

He probably thought Nelson was going to bully him

 

Ha ha!

 

Thanks guys, I don't normally carry around a gram scale with me ( at least, not since high school ) and I can't post pictures since I haven't bought it yet. The guy is only asking 4500.00, however the silver edges are darkened through the years. He told me it weights approximately 33 grams. I did some research and found that the knights cross weighs about 29 grams without the neck clip that the ribbon goes through. I also have some measurements of original ribbons. Basically, I'm still not sure if there is an aspect that would definitely give away a high quality fake. Does anyone know how much the clip alone would weigh? Or perhaps the entire thing? Am I too focused on the weight? Possibly. What concerns me also is the number '4' stamp that is about a centimeter to the right of the '800' stamp on the top of the reverse side edge. Could it be a manufacturer's mark? Te dealer gave me some story about buying it from a Canadian veterans in the 70s, who got it from a Luftwaffe veteran. Without paperwork however, I need to do a lot more research. Wll certainly post pics if I end up buying it for all to see! Who here wouldn't love to have an original knights cross? Damn.

 

I will try to take some pics next time I see this guy.

 

You need to be extremely careful when purchasing such a piece. If you do not know the dealer and there's no documentation or other providence that accompany this Knight's Cross, then caveat emptor, my friend.

There are currently enough fake German WWII decorations on the market to sink the Bismarck. -Some copies are very poorly made, while others can sometimes fool even experienced collectors.

According to what I've read, German orders and badges are being re-manufactured -if that's the right word- by a couple of the original firms and, in some cases, using the original tool and die sets. (Does anyone have any information on this subject?)

In my opinion, there's no substitute for buying from a reputable dealer. There's also no substitute for learning about the subject yourself.

When buying militaria, although you might occasionally make a real find for little money, as a general rule, I would say that if the item in question looks too good to be true, it probably is.