WW1 German Belt Buckles

[Gildwiller1918]

Here are 2 new belt buckles I recently got in. Top one is the Prussian type and the bottom is for Bavaria. These are the M15 types, the Prussian one has most of the paint still on it, the Bavarian one is mostly gone, but there are traces of the feldgrau paint in some areas. The Prussian types are still readily available, sometimes you can still find them in the original wrapping paper. The other states are much harder to come by, and there are fakes of these circulating as well. 

[Fritz]

I have an almost identical one to the unissued Prussian example. The Bavarian one is nice, it still has much of the zink coating, the greygreen wore off mostly after field use anyway. I have a similar example with the small crown, but it has been cleaned and there is still some light pitting. Bavarian ones in good condition are not easy to find, many have multiple dents or corrosion or both.

[Gildwiller1918]

I also have several other Prussian types that are unissued. This is my first Bavarian buckle, and was quite pleased with it as I got both for the price of one. 

[Fritz]

I'm always pleased when the leather tab is still on, and with a legible date and manufacturer, usually they are missing. There are also private purchase examples, these did not have a leather tab, and were usually not suitable for field service. It is also difficult to find original belt leathers that have not been manipulated, tongues missing, shortened etc.

[Gildwiller1918]

I hear you there, original belts that have not been shortened is tough to find, especially not dry rotted. I have seen a lot of the so called "hate belts" where the buttons and pins have been removed and the belt is being sold as well. So you have a belt that looks like swiss cheese. I have not seen the leather tab attached to a buckle in quite some time, WW2 models are more common. But there are a lot of fakes circulating as well.