"Deutsche Luftwaffe" yellow armband --> original?

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hello,

Is there an expert who could tell me if the "Deutsche Luftwaffe" armband on the photo is an original one or fake?

Thank you.
Regards,
Roger Gaemperle

[David Ransome]

Hi,

When I have had these in my collection many years ago the quality, even on the printed ones, was superior to that in your picture. As usual I suppose that it will depend on provenance, 'gut feel' and price - unless someone can give any more useful advice - I personally wouldn't go for the one in the picture!

HTH,

Regards

David

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hi David,

Thank you very much for your message. I found a website where they probably sold an original one with a much better print quality and without the "Wehrmachts" stamp on it which was the reason why I believed that it could be fake.

http://www.militaryautographs.com/p...name=Luft%20Arm

There are two additional ones in this photo without the stamp but with a similar print quality:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~robdebie/me163/clothing08.htm

What do you think about these?

Thank you,
Regards,
Roger

[stephen f. polyak]

Roger,

As you probably know, when it comes to cloth (and many other kinds of) militaria items, particularly German WW2, extreme care must be taken. Your questions and caution are the right approach.



Cloth items are easy to reproduce, are in demand and command relatively high prices. So there are many fakes about. Even knowledgeable, experienced collectors can be fooled.



Your best bet is to find an item that comes from a VERY reliable source. Ideally, this is a veteran or an established dealer or collector with a reputation for honesty. There is no better approach than to compare the details of a known original item with an item you are considering. In most cases, this is easier said than done of course!



Good luck,

Steve

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hi Steve,

Thank you for the advice. I am trying to find a photo of an original one. Unfortunately, wartime photos are not sharp enough to use as comparison and I cannot tell with 100% certainty if an armband offered by a dealer is original. I don't have the Luftwaffe equipment book (e.g. Prodger) but I guess there should be shown an original one in on of these books.

I would be grateful if anyone could either post or due to copyright issues send me a scan of such a page.

Regards,
Roger

[Jon]

I have been collecting Aviation relics for many years now and this looks like a fake to me.

Sorry but i wouldn't buy this.
And if they are selling this then don't touch anything else from them either.

Regards
Jon