leftent said:
Very nice Badger! Could those marks have been made by the rifle rubbing on a saddle or something while being carried in a rifle bucket? (Scabbard)
That's possible my friend ........
It's definitely not a natural wood marking, but what caused it may be lost to time. It's fun to dream and hypothesize about it....
I did the same thing as you in medals. The groups I posted here, plus a "Waterloo" medal to a man who charged with the Inniskilling Dragoons on that day in 1815, are all I have left. I used to heavily collect Victorian military medals back in the late sixties and early seventies, involving material revolving around British military campaigns such as the "Charge of the Light Brigade, Battle of Waterloo etc. These medals were named (impressed stamped) on the rims with the soldier's name and unit. The value of the medal was often dependent upon the unit they belonged to and their rank. Over a period of a few years as the selling prices began to rise dramatically, more and more fakery started to creep into the hobby, to the point that it was very difficult to trust the authenticity of any item, except by examining the provenance in great detail. I noticed on eBay the other day, someone who sells modem reproductions of India Mutiny medals "already aged" with a patina to make them virtually indistinguishable from the 1857 true pieces.
In my opinion, I see the collecting of these old milsurps following exactly the same pattern. Much of the high quality material has already been acquired by older collectors, particularly in the U.S. where German Mausers are a good example. We're now seeing a lot more of them being "created" from parts in basements, stuck on gun tables and being offered as "all original" vet bring backs. Fake Waffenamt code stamps have been prevalent for a few years (or more) now. So, I think it's just a matter of time until this same trend works it's way into the British and U.S. markings of milsurps, particularly as their prices rise to the levels of the German items, thereby making fakery for profit more lucrative. At the last gun show I went to, I saw at least two clear examples of fakes (one Longbranch) being passed off as "all original". I've also seen several questionable examples advertised on CGN, which makes it even more difficult to judge simply from pics, unless one is offered the CGN a 3 day evaluation and return option.
The old adage "Caveat Emptor" applies but, I also think there's strength in community. By that I mean, this CGN community is full if experts in various types of firearms, who unselfishly share their knowledge with "newbies' all the time. I know that I have on many occasions sent pics of items to CGN members that I was considering buying, who had a much better working knowledge and experience on a specific genre than I possess. By doing so, I was helping to potentially avoid getting caught with a fake that might have fooled me during the beginning stages of my collecting. I've never found anyone here who refused to spend a few minutes and give me their educated and considered private opinion on some item being offered for sale.
Regards,
Badger
