Belgic Plate on Ebay

[Neibelungen]

Relic GR Waterloo cap plate on ebay at the moment.

Not your typical die stamping currently widely available and with an element of 'semi-legitimate' provenancing.

Pretty certain it's an aged electroform produced in the 80's, given it's undersize for those plates, has a grained back typical of some electroforming and I made it for a re-enactment unit.

£1500 isn't bad mark-up for something going for £10 at the time.


(For the mods, hope this isn't stepping over the line, but felt my opinion was deserved. Delete if neccessary)

Waiting for a rear view of two 'officer's buttons' but certain their pewter gastings made for greycoats at the same time.

Have to love the 'if you can't pass it off as an original, pass it off as a relic approach now. !! '

[vigilans]

Good spotting....weed them out I say.........
Is this good then?
Cheap for 9,000 pounds!!!!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Original-...item45ff675711

Here's the link to the dodgy one...read the provenance...quite persuasive!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Waterloo-...item231a24c6a0

[Neibelungen]

That shako went through a different dealer a few years back, without plate or cords, so it's definately not an officer's one. Rear shape will also indicate that.

It's most likely a pageant piece or early museum copy piece as some of the construction techniques are right (peak and lining) but it's constructed around a gossamer or pasted card body which comes in with early victorian type hat making.

[41st]

I was under the impression that Officer's plates of the period were sewn on through four holes in the plate.

[Neibelungen]

Most officer's plates have a pair of soldered copper or iron loops to the back E/W. Very few have footed or loop and stem modern type mounts and are always later additions or repairs. The few I've inspected with wires are repairs or the remains of one side breaking.
The surviving orginal officers caps amost all have mounting holes in them.

O/R's were sewn as most of the relic fragment finds seem to confirm.

Either a lack of holes or remains of loop soldering are pretty good indicator of reproductions. A few laughable ones have no means of attaching to the hat at all.

One thing you often see is the gilding all across the back of a plate. Even early to mid victorian plates are generally not that profligate with the gilding, especially when you don't see any of the rear. Mercury gilding is spread on like butter, hence the front and the 'creep' round the edges.

[41st]

Thanks for the confirmation on which type was sewn on.

[Peter Brydon]

From the advert for the plate ( not the complete helmet ) we are told the seller is......" Dave Phillips is an executive board director with the UACC"
Anyone know what the UACC is ?

P.B.

[Neibelungen]

Universal Autograph Collectors Club

http://uacc.org/

Kind of like a trade body for autograph collectors and dealers who self regulate and educate some sides of the industry.

Given how bad faking is in militaria, all you need is a pen and tracing paper for an autograph, so not a bad thing to have in itself.