WWI Major Oakleafs made out of Gold

[Dakota]

I came across a collector whom I was able to acquire a couple of items off of today and he had some nice matching Major Oak leafs from WWI. He told me they came off a WWI Tunic of a dentist who in civilian life was quite wealthy. The leafs are actually rather thin which is probably why the design from the front shows through the back so well.

 

I'm not wanting to buy the story but at the same time I'm wanting to purchase these because of the fantastic shape they're in and their unique design being rather thin. Any input?

 

 

D

[Reforger]

If they don't have a gold hallmark, they most likely aren't gold. As much as I can tell they have no hallmark at all, so they are probably made of brass. Maybe gold plated. Would be best to show it to a jeweller if you want to know more about the material.

[Jennings Lane]

Most jewelers or coin dealers can easily test them. It's a simple, non destructive process where the edge of the item is lightly rubbed against something similar to a sharpening stone. Then a drop of acid is applied to the residue line on the stone. If it dissolves, it's not gold. If you determine that it is gold, you use different grades of acid to determine the purity of the gold [10K, 14K etc.] Advanced coin dealers and jewelers use a spectrometer, which can determine the exact makeup of an item. Scratch test kits cost around $35.00 while spectrometers can cost $15,000 or more. Hence, most dealers use the scratch test kits.

 

 

As for 20th century insignia, in most cases, as Reforger mentioned, these items are hallmarked. If someone was paying for gold, they wanted it to be marked.

[Dakota]

If they don't have a gold hallmark, they most likely aren't gold. As much as I can tell they have no hallmark at all, so they are probably made of brass. Maybe gold plated. Would be best to show it to a jeweller if you want to know more about the material.

 

 

Most jewelers or coin dealers can easily test them. It's a simple, non destructive process where the edge of the item is lightly rubbed against something similar to a sharpening stone. Then a drop of acid is applied to the residue line on the stone. If it dissolves, it's not gold. If you determine that it is gold, you use different grades of acid to determine the purity of the gold [10K, 14K etc.] Advanced coin dealers and jewelers use a spectrometer, which can determine the exact makeup of an item. Scratch test kits cost around $35.00 while spectrometers can cost $15,000 or more. Hence, most dealers use the scratch test kits.

 

 

As for 20th century insignia, in most cases, as Reforger mentioned, these items are hallmarked. If someone was paying for gold, they wanted it to be marked.

Thanks for your opinions. I decided to pass on the insignia because I didn't feel comfortable with them.

 

 

D

[nix284]

A friend of mine had a set of Major's Oak Leaves made out of dental gold. From a Dentist in WWII. They were much more crudley made than those appear to be.

[Dave]

They are a decent set of insignia and probably date from WW1, at least from the photos. I wouldn't particularly say they are in any way uncommon; they are just nice pieces that match.

[cbuehler]

They are a decent set of insignia and probably date from WW1, at least from the photos. I wouldn't particularly say they are in any way uncommon; they are just nice pieces that match.

 

Totally agree. They are typical of ww1 era insignia and are quite nice, but they are not gold.

 

CB

[Dakota]

They are a decent set of insignia and probably date from WW1, at least from the photos. I wouldn't particularly say they are in any way uncommon; they are just nice pieces that match.

 

 

 

Totally agree. They are typical of ww1 era insignia and are quite nice, but they are not gold.

 

CB

 

Thanks for confirming that they are a legitimate set of oakleafs. How much do these usually run? I don't know too much on WWI Insignias.

I'll be sure to pick these up if I can next weekend.

D

[cbuehler]

They should be somewhere in the 20 to 30 dollar range for a pair.

 

CB

[Dakota]

They should be somewhere in the 20 to 30 dollar range for a pair.

 

CB

 

Thanks CB

 

D

 

[Shakethetrees]

They're die struck, with the standard jewelry findings you would see on mass produced insignia.

 

All gold of any karat is not necessarily marked as such, as there is no law requiring this. A dentist of anyone else with the ability and equipment to make a set in all likelihood will not have a karat stamp. In the U.S., custom jewelry work is regularly found unmarked. Downstream "pickers" like most of us are should get to know the feel, but, and here's the big BUT, only pay what you're willing to lose.

 

Conversely, I've see a lot of marked, supposedly 14 karat work that is not really gold. An unscrupulous jeweler can either make or buy a stamp, knock out a few sets in brass and heavily gold plate them. A light scratch on a stone with acid sometime does not pickup on this.

 

I've been around the jewelry business for around 35 years and have seen both sides of this more times than I can remember.

 

If you collect metal insignia,it would do well to learn about the findings. What is and is not appropriate for the time period, places of manufacture, and understand the availability of these findings. This is critical, as a lot of fakes drop the ball on this point. If a certain type of insignia should have a certain type of catch, these cant be made one-off. You would have to find some of the right size and material and this could really be a fools errand.