Greetings to all;

   I have to say that after collecting U.S. Militaria for many years, I have found that some of the sellers of these items on ebay.....just a few... are offering more and more reproduction and altered items; and are stating them to be "original wartime production" and  in many cases say that they are "unissued".

  In my opinion many of these items should be stamped...or marked:  B.S.

  U.S. military gun parts are in particular an area in which I have some advanced knowledge; (mainly because I'm so darn old).

   World War Two U.S. equipment and firearms has been of  interest to me all of my life.

   If there were as many "original" World War 2 items actually made during the wartime years of 1941 of 1945 as I've seen on ebay during the last 6 months, and in such "new and unissued" condition;  we'd have had no need to engage the Axis in actual fighting...the only thing necessary would have been to airdrop all the field gear, uniforms and M1 carbine front bands on them we had made - and they would have been smothered to death by the sheer quantity.

   That having been said, I believe that in the areas of which I'm  familiar such as the M1 Carbine....that I am wary about seeing so many early style "Type 1 and 1A" barrel bands that I see being offered as original. The Type II...I have seen perhaps ONE during the last six months that was not a cut-down bayonet-type band originally. Seriously.

  Someone is paying top dollar for them anyway. As originals.

  I see that some are now being stamped with certain manufacturer's codes; which in most cases  make them worth...you guessed it...a lot more than the unstamped front bands (and swivels)  for certain M1 carbines.

  The front bands as originally produced display certain characteristics and have "identity" marks as a result of the production methods in use at the time. I've seen literally hundreds of known originals over the years...way before ebay existed...and I can only surmise that a certain group of sellers on ebay have discovered the easy and almost....ALMOST...undetectable methods that can be used to mass-produce desirable...yet reproduction..firearms components which so many young and eager collectors are willing to pay high amounts for in order to complete their carbine restorations.

  It will be a shame that when that carbine is passed down, or attempted to be sold or traded to a knowledgeable collector that - with near-certainty...it will be eventually known that the front band...or rear flip sight....or buttstock pouch...or even the buttstock; will be found to be an outright reproduction or an alteration of a less-valuable type. There goes all the authenticity and value of that firearm or item. And it leaves YOU...Angry as HE__!

   I learned not to be defrauded after a few "sting jobs" early on, thank goodness.

  When I look at parts for sale that in reality were ONLY made during the WW2 Era, and when such a part appears to have a look that doesn't quite seem right...a stamping is skewed too much, or the "style" of the stamping is wrong...alarms go off, and I pass on the part. No matter how good the price seems to be.

  I recommend  that extreme caution should be used before buying ANY vintage gun part or U.S. web gear item of WW2; especially German Helmets, AMERICAN M1 Helmets, and about anything else that is of wartime vintage and HAS A HIGH VALUE TO Collectors.

  It's all being reproduced today, and is sometimes so close to the originals that it is incredibly difficult to tell the difference unless you get a "hands-on" look at them done by someone with experience in this field.

  It's your money, but learn as much as you are able to about what the original items looked like...smell them (that's right...smell them! New finishes and paints SMELL NEW), touch them, look carefully at every aspect...and ask someone who knows - before you throw away your cash.

  Have a good time collecting history...it's very satisfying and rewarding.

  But NOT History that was made in Taiwan or China 2 months ago; or in a machine shop in Texas recently.

                               Thanks and best of luck.

                                           danww2