SAS TROOPER

[rockape560]

hi all,

just seen this on our fav site http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=350335755899 and wondered what your views are.

im no expert on sf but i thought a trooper returned to parent unit after duty with sas,why 4 regts then?

philip

[Luc]

Philip, the seller George has a limitless supply of SF insignia (especially SAS cap badges) and headgear. Apparently he is a tailor which would explain a lot. Most SAS experts that I have spoken to believe his cap badges are replicas.
The beret he is selling is of post-war manufacture:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WORLD-WAR-2-S-...mZ350335751296
If the date letter is R, it means the beret was made either in 1947 or 1948. If it's a B the beret is from 1950 or 1951.
Also when you look at his commando beret you will see a double stitch line on the leather sweatband. I have never seen this on a kangol made beret or from any other manufacturer for that matter and I strongly suspect it is a genuine wartime liner that was put in a post-war beret.

[Unknownsoldier]

Luc, zoom in on the beret you posted there and you can see the stitching outline of the old badge...

Tom

[Luc]

Tom, you are correct. That is another problem that is overlooked in the item description.

[rockape560]

hi guys,

have you noticed anything about the item i put up and the one luc put up.both items are named to arthur smith and 4 regts.wonder what he would say if i asked him why.

philip

[Unknownsoldier]

Originally Posted by Luc

Tom, you are correct. That is another problem that is overlooked in the item description.

The outline just jumped out at me, sadly the beret if it was left untouched would be a nice find....

Tom

[Unknownsoldier]

The commando beret looks like the modern replicas the re-enactment community are using, and the badge on the SS beret is a dodgy one too....

Tom

[tynesideirish]

I'm sick and tired of trying to warn people of the antics of this tailor. All I can say is buyer beware. Makes me angry though that someone can make a very rich living knocking out WW2 insignia and rare post war DZ's with a bit of creative thought and a few sewing machine skills. Somebody else is going to be poorer for £200+.

[Unknownsoldier]

Definitely, especially since this isn't honest misunderstanding, or finding a single thing and not knowing what it is, it's deliberate fraud....

Tom

[grip]

Hi,
I am also at my whits end with this guy,he is lower than a snakes belly. Ebay will never do anything with him as they make a nice commision from his sales! He no longer sends me pics on request and low and behold,his camera is no good for close ups! His Commando beret is a joke,his Ebay history shows that he buys loads of berets,both military and civilian. He doubtless changes the liners from Tankers berets etc and puts them into red or green or beige berets and adds a joke of a badge and hey presto someone is hundreds of pounds lighter. I know the buyer of his last SAS red beret,or at least its his brother I know and he compared it to his Grandads actual 1st SAS beret and said it was rubbish!!! Luckily he is getting a refund so look out for it being re sold.
Regards,Ivan

[rockape560]

hi,

how i wish there was some way to leave a message on his ebay page.
the problem is that if you send him a message saying that his item is very dubious,and thats being kind,there is now way you can be sure that the message will appear at the bottom of his page
its entirely up to him what messages, and what answers he gives,that appears on his page and reporting him to ebay does no good

philip

[grip]

He has sold the badge and wing £311 the SAS beige beret £461,I wonder are the buyers members' on here,I sincerely hope not. You know,THERE IS HELP OUT THERE WITH REGARDS TO THESE ITEMS!!!!! Join a forum or a society,look,feel,search and learn.I cannot believe that someone who is interested in these items has done no homework regarding the manufacture,configuration and date letters before parting with hundreds of pounds for what is a made up item,made to decieve!! The buyer of the badges has a rating of 191 items and 25% of that is with Georgeodude!
Regards,Ivan

[rockape560]

hi ivan,

agree with you entireley.anyone who is willing to pay that amount of money needs to have done some research at least.
if you told the buyer he prob would not listen anyway as he has bought so much from the seller he prob trusts the seller wholeheartly

philip

[Luc]

Originally Posted by grip

The buyer of the badges has a rating of 191 items and 25% of that is with Georgeodude!

That smells like shill bidding.

[airtrooper]

I have been watching the items that this seller has listed over a number of months.

I was keen on his AAC DZ patches but research put me off bidding as I had gleaned enough information that I couldn't be 100% sure that the items were genuine.

It has become obvious that the concensus of opinion amongst the wider collecting community on this forum is that this sellers items are to be treated as being of a dubious nature. (Some forum members have recorded quite precise details in regard to this, pertaining to certain pieces)

The high number of desirable and rare SF items that he comes into ownership of raise questions in itself.

My understanding is that at least one collector who is a member on this forum and at least one person known to a member of this forum has purchased items from this seller.

As an ex Brit Police Officer my feelings are that this person ought to be bought to the attention of the relevant police authority in the area in which he lives.

In my book,his continued actions appear to constitute a continuing deception, over a long period of time.

Perhaps rather than continuing to harp on regarding the injustice of what this person is allegedly doing, someone who has previously not been happy with an item sold to them by this person should stand up and do the decent thing.
That way the relevant authority can then properly investigate his activities where it comes to our favourite hobby.

Let's face it, it wouldn't be too difficut to trace back through the buyers listed on the site and to then investigate each of those items sold as genuine.
As a Police Officer this is the sort of investigation I would have relished.

The definition of deception under UK law - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deception_offences

Alternatively, and in the interest of fairness, perhaps this person should be invited to address the forum members concerns ?!