joe1997 Posted June 16, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 16, 2015 Hi guys Just starting out a small udt/seal collection and wondered if there are any tell tale signs of fakes I need to be aware of when it comes to collecting udt/seal items. Thanks all the best Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@HI Posted June 16, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 16, 2015 You need to be more specific, uniforms, patches, gear, helmets, and what era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1997 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted June 16, 2015 Yes sorry I was mainly talking about uniform,Patches and gear from the Vietnam war era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B229 Posted June 16, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 16, 2015 You can assume that 99.99% of what you encounter that claims to be "Vietnam War SEAL" is fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1997 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted June 16, 2015 Really wow I semi expected it though. I suppose just buying through main militaria dealers and forums such as this narrows the risk of getting fake items ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@HI Posted June 16, 2015 Share #6 Posted June 16, 2015 I know very little about Vietnam era SEAL stuff but in general with most of Militaria collecting it's best to research all aspects of your area of interest and ask more experienced collectors ( not dealers trying to sell something) before you start putting money into it. Buy or borrow some books on the subject, look at some know original items as well as fakes and once you feel comfortable start buying. Just my $0.02 worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted June 16, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 16, 2015 Yeah, buying through this forum and through reputable dealers narrows the risk of fake items a lot, and means you might be able to return it if you find out it is a fake. If anybody on here knowingly sells a fake as an original they may end up banned. Still, the majority of stuff SEAL stuff will be fake, and if it's not, it'll cost a lot. Remember , if it's to good to be true, it probably is. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1997 Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted June 16, 2015 Thanks for the information gents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted June 17, 2015 Share #9 Posted June 17, 2015 I actively collect UDT and other Navy special operations items. Mainly WWII, but I have some VN era as well. If I run across a named item or group, I will typically find a way to acquire it. I only have 5 or 6 such items in my collection. UDT material is very scarce, and legitimate VN SEAL material is even harder to find than WWII UDT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted June 17, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 17, 2015 I actively collect UDT and other Navy special operations items. Mainly WWII, but I have some VN era as well. If I run across a named item or group, I will typically find a way to acquire it. I only have 5 or 6 such items in my collection. UDT material is very scarce, and legitimate VN SEAL material is even harder to find than WWII UDT Andy is correct .I have collected for 40ish years and see very little of the material or veterans from WW2-KOREA-VIET NAM. I came across this jacket at a show and about had a stroke.I cant believe it wasnt snapped up on set up as typically two major insignia dealers are there setting tables before they open to the rest of the table holders. I even hesitated and figured it would be gone and waited til late Saturday afternoon to purchase it.Just guess it was meant to go home with me.This year the guy had a well worn hbt cap with Lt. Bar on it.Not named but he said it came with a navy jacket he sold me last year.....maybe its his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted June 17, 2015 Share #11 Posted June 17, 2015 http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/220795-latest-navy-deck-jacket-udt/?fromsearch=1 UDT deck jacket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadet Posted June 17, 2015 Share #12 Posted June 17, 2015 Great jacket! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave peifer Posted June 17, 2015 Share #13 Posted June 17, 2015 also,i might add..........in later post vietnam seal groups a lot of the gear,especially dive gear is civilian bought items.be very carefull,i only buy seal items/groups when i can trace provenance........dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 17, 2015 Share #14 Posted June 17, 2015 Buy from garage sales, families and retirees or buy from the guy who does who does buy from them: it's all about provenance. For instance, if someone offers you some sort of commercial chest rig and says it was used by a SEAL, that's much different than if the chest rig comes with uniforms named to a SEAL. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted June 17, 2015 Share #15 Posted June 17, 2015 Great jacket! Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skir Posted June 17, 2015 Share #16 Posted June 17, 2015 All good advice. The number one thing I would advise is to study the structure of the Team and time period of the item You are looking at. Once You understand the structure, common sense speaks volumes when trying to decide if an item is real,fake or just a put together. As with all things, modern Team stuff can be all over the board. More civilian gear than USGI tenfold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted June 17, 2015 Share #17 Posted June 17, 2015 The forum would be a good place to look for this stuff and is safer. I've found one small UDT group this way. Another time I found a UDT item was by absolute accident from an unknowing seller on ebay. They were a set of WWII Navy dog tags and I didn't even realize they were UDT related until months after I bought them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovmilinsig Posted June 18, 2015 Share #18 Posted June 18, 2015 Congrats on a great jacket!!! Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1997 Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share #19 Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks for all the feedback guys provenance is key with these items. so hopefully ill find a few bits and pieces by hanging around here. As I mainly collect military watches my main aim is to acquire a udt/seal dive watch at some point who knows I might get lucky Thanks Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1997 Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share #20 Posted June 18, 2015 Also forgot to ad fantastic find with that jacket. Cheers Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted June 19, 2015 Share #21 Posted June 19, 2015 Okay, I will be the other side of the coin. If you are going to collect original UDT items, whether from WWII through current, the main thing to remember is this stuff is very highly collected and is very expensive. Unless you have unlimited funds I would really reconsider what you want and give your self a strict budget. SEAL & UDT items are just as rare and expensive as Special Forces SOG items. In my personal opinion they are actually much rarer then SOG items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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