BELT BUCKLE REPLICAS
The demand for belt buckles of the Third Reich has spawned a market for replicas. The German WWII belt buckles are currently being reproduced by countries such as China, India and Pakistan.

The reproductions range from poor quality to excellent. The information provided here will give the collector a taste of how to distinguish real from fake. however, there is no replacement for experience in being able to detect a reproduction. Become familiarized with the item you are collecting. Go to trade shows, visit museums, look in the web, all this in an effort to learn as much as possible about the subject.

This information is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of MilitaryItems.com, a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.

Common misconceptions

Some of the most common statements that are made include; "My father brought the item back from the war" or "The item has been in the family for many years". While that may be the case it does not mean that the item is real. Here are the reasons why: After the war German cities were completly destroyed. If you had a job during the war more than likely the building where you used to work was destroyed by allied bombings or fire. People had to make a living any way they could. One way to do that is to manufacture souvenirs for the GI's. Anything from daggers to combat badges. Items were being produced for the occupation forces. Soon after the swastika was outlawed in Germany the practice stopped there only to be picked up by other countries.

The fact is that reproductions have been around since right after the war. The item may have been manufactured in Germany but not during the war time but shortly thereafter. This item will have a different value than the actual war production collectable.

Late war production or variations

As the war progressed and the tied starting to turn against Germany, the availability of materials became an issue. The production of weapons was priority. Everything else took second place.

Another compounding factor to the dilema was that allied bombers were targeting any building that looked like a factory. In some cases the buildings that were destroyed also damaged the molds used for producing items like belt buckles, combat badges, medals, etc. Workers would repair the machinery and re-make the molds to continue with production. It is conceivable by this point that some variations may exist between the original mold and the one produced after.

In many cases, the items were produced clear to the last months of the war.

Pay Attention to Detail

The biggest factor in determining if an item is authentic or not is to pay attention to detail. In general, the German military collectibles of World War Two are of very high quality construction. Here are some basic examples of the things to look for:

If the belt buckle is supposed to have pebbling, as a rule of thumb it should be very pronounced and defined. Look for the proper positioning of the claws. If the belt buckle was issued and worn, the high point areas should show some wear from rubbing to other items over time. The head of the eagle should be pointing in the proper direction. The beak of the eagle should be the correct shape. The feathers on the eagle should be sharp and well defined. The leaves on the wreath should be well defined.

Buy from a reputable dealer

If you are in the market for a WWII German belt buckle your best bet is to buy the item from a reputable dealer. One that has a money back guarantee on the collectibles he/she sells.