Hey there Leigh and well said. I'm think we both were fortunate, if you're referring to the same John that helped me along. He's very missed. 

It's a bummer to know that some of the items are fake/reproduction. I was very gullible as a kid and believed the folks selling the stuff, not thinking that someone would take advantage of a young kid, but lo and behold... I learned a lot the hard way...until I found a reputable and respected collector who mentored me. I learned a lot from this person.. RIP John..   Leigh     

Still a great gun that would make John Browning proud.

Thanks. I’ve had these forever & really thought (to myself) that the black bullion eagle was either a fake or by some chance a People’s Court eagle. As far as the political one goes, the only two examples I’ve seen (online & in person) were affixed to caps. Vast majority appear to be metal ones. And for the “Italian &/or French”/foreign made one, I really have no idea. I’ve been burned out of my own ignorance or by the right sales pitch with regard to TR items that I stopped wasting my $ on it a very long time ago. Some other time I’ll post a sleeve shield I was assured was original, but you know how that goes. 

Would need to authentic with proven "French made and Italian made" examples to compare.. AND with the RZM tag... No good....   I would have to look at my Political Party uniform books to compare...    Right now, they are just hearsay thoughts: maybe this may be that....Where is the evidence? Period photos sometimes are helpful to either confirm or deny...Sometimes collectors will use these terms if they are either unsure or want to get rid of a fake/copy in a hurry...hence it becomes someone else's problem   Leigh    

I appreciate the candor, that’s why I posted them. Just to clarify, these are three separate purchases(the “Italian/French” one & the HJLW were from the same collector). So you’re not keen on the political cap eagle? How about the “Italian”(or French) made one?

Thanks I do see the notch you are talking about 

It’s called the take down lever. Look at the grooves in the slides on the earlier models. You will see a notch that the take down lever locks in to. Yours does not have that notch. 

The official German armed forces, the Wehrmacht, fell under the control of the state, not the Nazi Party. While the Nazi Party had influence over the military, the RZM's direct authority did not extend to Wehrmacht uniforms and gear. That being said, the eagle with the RZM tag is fake. Bullion birds of a feather often flock together. The HJ flak helper looks good. 

A Dutch KNIL officer who fought at Lombok in 1894. The center Medal is the Lombok Cross, Made of bronze of captured enemy canons.  

Sorry about lumping all of these together, but I figured since I had them out, why not just take a lump sum photo. I’ve only shown the top two to collectors: one wanted the political one badly, while the other really liked the panzer. What’s funny is that the one who wanted the political said he was hesitant on the panzer, and yet the other said he was hesitant on the political. 🤦🏼‍♂️ I was informed by the collector I purchased the third from that it was “most-likely” Italian made panzer eagle but possibly French. The HJ-LW is whatever it is. Oh, & please be sure to rip me for placing the small Velcro pieces (it was for a display I had up years ago).  

Thanks Sarge and Marshall. What is the lever that is missing on mine? It functions fine without it whatever it is.  Mark