joerookery
Well-known member
From Steve McFarland
Shoulder board mystery
- Thread starter joerookery
- Start date
From Steve McFarland
Chip Minx
New member
Would it be possible to get a picture of the reverse with the straps out of the way so we can see if the pins are stuck through the back? Not that this is a yes or no sign of anything, but it can be helpful in an overall assessment.
My first impression is that this is a fantasy piece. One has to be very careful these days regarding officer's boards, as you can purchase reproductions of nearly any cypher or other Auflage that was made. Once they are stuck on a board, it is very hard to tell if they are period pieces or not. The fact that this pair is unworn/unused is worrisome, because there are so many unused tailor shop boards still floating around that have nothing on them and as a collector's item are fairly worthless....that is, until you add some embellishment.
The next flag is the yellow underlay. I've never seen a medical board with anything but black, blue/black, dark blue or a purplish blue backing. The backing was also to be a velvet like material. The rank of Oberstabsarzt, which this is supposed to be portraying, is supposed to have a black cord intertwined with the silver cords for Prussia. It's not there. Finally, the combination of crown and Äskulapstab is something that I have never seen and I doubt existed. What would it be? There were only a handful of cyphered regiments that used his crown. None of them had anything other than a royal cypher below them on a shoulder board.
Regards,
Chip
My first impression is that this is a fantasy piece. One has to be very careful these days regarding officer's boards, as you can purchase reproductions of nearly any cypher or other Auflage that was made. Once they are stuck on a board, it is very hard to tell if they are period pieces or not. The fact that this pair is unworn/unused is worrisome, because there are so many unused tailor shop boards still floating around that have nothing on them and as a collector's item are fairly worthless....that is, until you add some embellishment.
The next flag is the yellow underlay. I've never seen a medical board with anything but black, blue/black, dark blue or a purplish blue backing. The backing was also to be a velvet like material. The rank of Oberstabsarzt, which this is supposed to be portraying, is supposed to have a black cord intertwined with the silver cords for Prussia. It's not there. Finally, the combination of crown and Äskulapstab is something that I have never seen and I doubt existed. What would it be? There were only a handful of cyphered regiments that used his crown. None of them had anything other than a royal cypher below them on a shoulder board.
Regards,
Chip
KAGGR#1
Well-known member
Chip ;
A long time for a reply .
I had forgot the subject
Just ran back across it today .
Early last year I purchased a large part
of the late Walter Eric Hartmann officers
shoulder strap collection .
This pair was part of it .
I saw nothing in the collection that I M O
was wrong or incorrect .
Walt was a very advanced collector in 1970
when I started into I G .
He went back and forth to Germany in the early
years and was buying things for peanut prices .
I saw officers helmets that were brought back
for re-sale to a Col. Stoddard who put out a sale list going for $50.00 each
Shoulder straps would have been next to nothing dollar wise
That in itself don't mean that something might not be incorrect
But at those prices why bother ?
I agree the yellow /gold underlay is a strange / not seen
for medical .
Steve McFarland
A long time for a reply .
I had forgot the subject
Just ran back across it today .
Early last year I purchased a large part
of the late Walter Eric Hartmann officers
shoulder strap collection .
This pair was part of it .
I saw nothing in the collection that I M O
was wrong or incorrect .
Walt was a very advanced collector in 1970
when I started into I G .
He went back and forth to Germany in the early
years and was buying things for peanut prices .
I saw officers helmets that were brought back
for re-sale to a Col. Stoddard who put out a sale list going for $50.00 each
Shoulder straps would have been next to nothing dollar wise
That in itself don't mean that something might not be incorrect
But at those prices why bother ?
I agree the yellow /gold underlay is a strange / not seen
for medical .
Steve McFarland