I was unable to find any exciting new groupings to showcase this month. Instead, I will talk about the two German WWII Panzer Assault Badges that I recently acquired. These are popular items for collectors but unfortunately have been widely copied and circulated throughout the United States.
These are the two badges I recently acquired. The one on the left came from the Bottle Show at the Tulsa Flea Market. The one on the right was purchased from a friend at the Missouri Valley Arms Show held at the Kansas City International Airport
Collector References and Resources
Now there are several ways one can learn to tell the difference between originals and the many copies in circulation. The first is experience that comes from decades of collecting. Fortunately, today there are better ways. One is from reference books. A great example is The German Panzer Assault Badge of WWII by Philippe De Bock.
Phillipe is from the Netherlands and speaks very good English. I have met him several times at shows in Europe and the U.S. His goal is to provide information that collectors can use to educate themselves to make better buying decisions.
German WWII Panzer Assault Badges
Here are the photos of both badges followed by the pictures of their cousins taken from the book
The second badge is unmarked, so it is harder to identify – It was found on pages 448-449
The first badge is an example made by Rudolph Karneth whose factory was located at Gablonz on der Neisse and features the initials R. K. on the back of the badge. The second badge is unmarked but can be attributed to Frank & Reif, Stuttgart.