SS Fez Real or Fake

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lilja
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Joined: 03 Mar 2003, 13:57
Location: sweden

SS Fez Real or Fake

#1

Post by lilja » 04 Mar 2003, 08:43

I'm a newbie in the field of collecting uniforms and headgear. So I would like some hints about what to look for in a ss dress fez.

Thanks/ Lilja

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Arminiusder Cherusker1
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Joined: 14 Feb 2003, 15:01
Location: München/Bayern

SS-Fez, Real or Fake?

#2

Post by Arminiusder Cherusker1 » 04 Mar 2003, 18:42

lilja,
first excuse my bad english.
It's not a fake, the members of the 13.Waffen-Gebirgsdivision der Waffen-
SS "HANDSCHAR" had red and fieldgreyfezes instead of the usual SS-
mountain-cap wiith "Edelweiss".
Arminius


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davies435
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Joined: 22 Feb 2003, 02:37
Location: wales u.k

Fez's

#3

Post by davies435 » 04 Mar 2003, 20:11

Lilja,
welcome!
You have picked THE most dangerous SS item to start collecting!
A lot of money is to be made by picking-up a genuine SS cap eagle...............going to turkey and buying a used ex-turkey military Fez (which are nearly identical)........putting he two together and "eBaying" it.
If you get hold of some old tread and use that to sew the two together..................you're on a winner! No test will reveal you're pushing-out a fake. I've seen and handled many many Fez's..........................but only ever seem three I would part with big-bucks for!
Detecting fake helmets is sometimes hard.................fez's are an absolute minefield!

Mike

lilja
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Location: sweden

#4

Post by lilja » 10 Mar 2003, 21:19

thanks davies435 for your reply. it's a tragedy that the market is so over flooded with copies. what's even worse is that more and more dealers trys to push copies for the real thing.

Best/ lilja

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DirtySanchez
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Joined: 06 Nov 2002, 21:40
Location: North America

SS Fez

#5

Post by DirtySanchez » 19 Mar 2003, 06:05

I disagree with the other posts on these SS Fez. The fez was recovered in large numbers from SS clothing storage at Dachau by liberating U.S. troops. They also recovered many black panzer m-43 style caps with trapezoidal insignia. You can buy an original fez from a reputable dealer for a good bargain today. You just should avoid buying rare headgear from an unknown source. The collectors guild usually has both types fez for sale and Peter Whammond is among the best dealers out there. You can also find them usually from Peter Lukacs and Bill Shea both very reputable dealers.
The red (dress) fez sells around 600-900 dollars right now. The grey (field) fez sells between 1000-1400 dollars. The fakes are readily distinguishable if you know what you are buying. The circular weave used by the SS-BW when they constructed these caps made a solid wool tube at the top. The way in which the fez tassle attaches on top through this tube, the type of sweatband and most importantly the presence of ORIGINAL BEVo totenkopf and national eagle are what headgear collectors use to identify an original. BEVo skulls and eagles are well documented in reference books, and the copies do not display the same details etc. as the originals. For a begining SS headgear collector the fez is the easiest to obtain of all SS headgear
DirtySanchez

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Brig
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Location: Iraq

#6

Post by Brig » 27 Mar 2003, 04:23

yes, I once saw two maroon Fez's without insignia, guaranteed for life, sell for 300 bucks for the pair

Jatagan
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Location: USA

#7

Post by Jatagan » 21 Jul 2006, 09:00

hahaha oh yes.

However, come to Bosnia, we have no laws against it.
Altough we do usually wear red fezzes.
The tall SS fez with the emblems cant be beat by any other WW2 headgear.

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Luft300
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Joined: 08 May 2005, 19:21
Location: Wisconsin

#8

Post by Luft300 » 21 Jul 2006, 13:26

What has happened with the Fez is that the insignia has become more valuable and desirable than the Fez itself, therefore, many of them have been stripped of their insignia in order to restore other caps. Without insignia the Fez are relatively inexpensive - who wants them without insignia. Some people have restored reproduction insignia on them and others have tried to sell them that way as original. It's sad but a fact of life. If you cannot handle the heat, get out of the kitchen! You want to be an SS collector? Arm yourself with knowledge before hand and know what you're getting into. There are a number of new threads on this forum from a guy in France who apparently has bought a closet full of bad stuff and now he's learning it the hard way...

Luft300

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Mark in Cleveland, Tn.
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#9

Post by Mark in Cleveland, Tn. » 23 Jul 2006, 20:08

Gee Wiz!!!! I wonder who this guy from France is!!!! :lol:

Okeke
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Joined: 15 Dec 2019, 17:31
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: SS Fez Real or Fake

#10

Post by Okeke » 15 Dec 2019, 17:41

What about this one? Badges are stripped, but I think it looks OK

Adrian

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