A militaria dealer that I know that only sells vet aquired American items has this disk. It was aquired along with the vets US uniform and other US items. It has been offered to me but not at a low price. The string has been coated with what looks like wax to waterproof it. I have never seen anything quite like this and need to know if it is genuine and how much might it be worth. Thanks, Mike

Reverse

Front letters.

Reverse lower letters.

Side view from top.

Full view with waxed string. The string also has some of the green stuff on it.

Looks pretty interesting.Wish I knew and have never seen anything like it(maybe a good thing).
Have you tried to get Don Bible's opinion on it?

Mike,

Run, don't walk, away from that dealer and his vet aquired items. This is a well known fantesy fake item. the string has been added and it has been aged but it is not an original item. Any time you see this, or any other, Gestapo disc with an RZM maker number on it you can quickly spot it as a fake.

Here's Dons site:
http://users.adelphia.net/~donbible/

The one shown here is a copy of a fantasy I think. The exact tag is in Dons book, same number 5018, same Dachau and even the RZM number but in the book it appears Zinc..This one is really set up to decieve..

US Vet aquired is not a provenance.

horrible fake,,,

Nicholas Morigi has 'em

Thanks everyone for the replies. I came very close to buying this. The person that has this disk had a very convincing story of how he aquired it. Along with the old waxed string and the overall look I was almost sold. Also I should say that I don't believe that the potential seller knew for sure that the disk was a fake as he was mostly just interested in finding out if this was an original item. Sometimes when you come across something that you believe has a good chance of being a very special item you have to take the gamble and go for it. Luckily I decided to post the item here before buying it which saved me from making a very bad and very expensive bet. Thanks again, Mike

Mike, I have tried for almost 20 years, without success, to learn something about the background of these rectangular pieces marked as the one offered to you.

I have one in my collection very similar to the one you were offered. It is marked AUSCHWITZ. I bought it several years ago against my better judgement for $80, from a documented veteran in California. Although I was almost certain then...and still am...that it is a fake, however the old soldier swore to me by all that is "high and holy" that he took it from a drawer in a private German home in Heidelberg in the Summer of 1945, where he was being billeted.

I confirmed through independent research that the veteran was a former member of the army outfit that he told me he was in, and that they were in that area during the time frame he told me.

I have seen many examples of these pieces in all grades of quality and in various metals, and from several different KZ. If these ever in fact did exist during the period, it is my opinion that they were some type of property marker, and certainly not for identification, as all examples observed from any given camp bear the SAME number.

They are known to have been sold by WW2 Ltd in St. louis as long ago as the 1970s. I have seen them in copper, brass, and pot metal.

Don-
I was wondering how your & Mike582 examples compared?
Are there any differences than the one's that were offered through WW2 Ltd.
Is it correct the Gestapo had some involvment inside the K.Z.systems regarding some issues such as corruption?
Thanks

Dean,
The example that was offered to Mike looks very much like the one I bought from the California veteran several years ago. Both of them appear to be copper and are struck in good detail.
The examples sold for many years by WW2 Ltd in St. Louis are of lesser quality and are usually found in brass or pot metal.
I don't feel qualified to address your question about the part that may have been played by the Geheime Staatspolizei in the KZ system.
Don Bible

I bought one in the 60's for about $3.75 from an ad in the Shotgun News --in copper. Also one of the oval ones with the SS type eagle on it. I have seen a lot of them. IMO they are all fake-el junko.

some people will say anything to convince someone to buy their item,,always buy the item,not the story,,,many years ago,i bought "Hitler's Hat",,man was traveling through town and needed gas money to make it back home,,made for an interesting story and i still have the hat,,,lol,,,

was the man needing gas money a mr goring?