Bärenfänger picture

[lutrebois]

Hello friends,
I picked up this Bärenfänger picture on the www in the Russian Federation. It measures 11.4 X 8.1 Cm. ( a bit bigger then half a postcard). I put it on a white background so the colour (yellowish) stands out. I could not find the same image on the www, but surely it is to be found somewhere. Any opinions (copy, original, reprint, fake, ...) are appreciated!
Thanks
Peter

[lutrebois]

Good morning,
On Ratisbons, a while ago, there was an extensive Bärenfänger-lot up for auction. https://www.ratisbons.com/Auctions-arch ... ecf486f517
In this lot were 2 - 3 pictures, most likely taken in Menden, his birth town, in February 1944 when Bärenfänger was celebrated for recieving the "Schwerter".
The picture I started the thread with, was taken on the same occasion as a comparisson of the pictures suggests.

Regards,
Peter

[lutrebois]

Hello friends,

I answer my own question. The origin "Russian Federation" for WW2 German Photos raises (very often) suspicion. Why would a "Russian Archive" keep images of Ritterkreuzträger? For "educational reasons" some sellers tell you ...
Not only the "Russian Federation" is the provider of these images ...
I found (now for sale on an auction site) a batch of the same "productions" in Germany. I made a small composition of the backs.
The German seller is that far honest that he states: Russian origin, stamped accordingly ....

Look how nice the Russian stamp "terminated" is nicely alligned with the side of each photo and always in the same spot. If a pile of pictures (as old Russian "archives" suggests) were to be stamped, you would see other positions and angles of that stamp. Look how uniformly the pencil was used to write on the back ...
These photos are meticulously faked with the only goal to make money ...
I payed (only) 5€ (+ shipping) for my Bärenfänger. The 4 shown above (and he lists more then those) are listed with starting bid of 20/25 € ...

Take care,
Peter