I wasn't able to find reproduction VC sandal tube. So I used electrical tape with duck tape. Unfortunately the electrical tape isn't really doing a good job holding the mag together. It's holding it together but its also easy to move back and forth. I may have to just use the green duck tape but I also don't what to ruin the mag or rubber with sticky residue. If anyone knows where I could find reproduction sandal tube let me know. I used a Romanian ak mag with 6 dummy ak rounds to give it that look. I then bought a Chinese type 56 sling and rigged it up the best I could. Some ak rubber ducks have sling mounts and some don't unfortunately this one doesn't. If the rubber duck wasn't Vietnam era i wouldn't feel so bad and I would just use the duck tape.

Very nice.

That's a reproduction.  I have one myself.  The giveaway is the fabric.  If the tan ~ brown part of the cufftitle feels slick and smooth, that's an indicator of a postwar artificial fabric.  That's a super extra rare cufftitle in high demand, and it's been copiously reproduced. The reproductions are really high quality.  Likely others can give you better details to determine its authenticity.  It's still a good looking item, though.         "Real Afrikakorps cuff title (top) and fake Afrikakorps cuff title (bottom). Note the different letter shapes, the merging of the ‘A’ and ‘F’ on the front of the fake, the differences in the cabled bands, and the ‘tartan weave’ on the back of the fake. The real cuff title was authenticated by comparison with examples brought home as war souvenirs by British and Australian soldiers. Photos: Mike Seager Thomas"   From:   https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Real-Afrikakorps-cuff-title-top-and-fake-Afrikakorps-cuff-title-bottom-Note-the_fig12_278783936     A few of my observations about the fake pictured in post #2:  a) elongated f, 2) openings in both "R"s and the "P" look like rectagles instead of squares like the original, 3) letters in the fake appear thinner than in the original & 4) notice the big differences in the letter "S".

I found this apparently homemade pin plate. Any idea what group of pins this would go with?  

Opinions appreciated, many thanks!

Sorry it took so long to answer you question. Artillery observer.      

Thank you Sarge. I'm glad I didn't pay much for it. This one gives me a chance to muck around with it while looking for the real deal I'd appreciate knowing what tipped y'all off. I'm assuming the big tell was the text on the blade. Thx for the input

Did you buy all this?!?? There are some primo items in there, I bet it cost an arm and a leg!

3 TTA 47/52  light jackets, early made from 53 or 54:

I have never heard of this museum before, would love to visit it one day. The book seems to be an excellent reference, thanks for sharing!

Some recent pictures 

"For 40 years, the Cold War dominated the world stage. East and West Germany stood at the frontlines of the global confrontation, symbolized by the infamous Berlin Wall, which separated lovers, friends, families, coworkers, and compatriots.   The Wende Museum in Los Angeles, California, is named after the period of change immediately following the wall's destruction. It was established in 2002 to study the visual and material culture of the former Eastern Bloc, and, with physical and psychic distance, to foster multiple perspectives on this multilayered history that continues to shape our world.   This encyclopedic volume features around 2,000 items from its extraordinary collections. Based on our XL-sized volume, this edition includes a full spectrum of art, archives, and artifacts from socialist East Germany: official symbols and dissident expressions, the spectacular and the routine, the mass-produced and the handmade, the funny and the tragic.   Accompanying these remnants of a now-vanished world are texts from scholars and specialists from across Europe, Canada, and the United States, with themes ranging from the secret police to sexuality, from monuments to mental-mapping. More than 800 pages, featuring around 2,000 objects.   A smaller, more accessible version of our XL-sized volume, the most comprehensive overview of GDR visual and material culture to date.   Several dozen images of everyday life and public events from the most famous GDR photographers.   Special two-language edition featuring texts both in English and German.   From November 18, 2017, visit the Wende Musem at its expanded campus in Culver City’s Armory Building, a site originally created in preparation for World War III but re-designed by Michael Boyd, Christian Kienapfel, and Benedikt Taschen to welcome its 100,000+ collection of artifacts."   Product information Publisher: TASCHEN Publication date: December 13, 2017 Edition: Bilingual Language: ‎English & German Print length: 816 pages ISBN-10 3836571889 ISBN-13 978-3836571883 Item Weight: ‎3.9 pounds Dimensions: 6.93 x 1.97 x 9.76 inches Wende Museum/Justinian Jampol   Sources:   https://www.amazon.com/East-German-Handbook-Justinian-Jampol/dp/3836571889   https://www.boffinsbooks.com.au/books/9783836565202/das-ddr-handbuch-the-east-german-handbook?srsltid=AfmBOop-Sozxb-dtUt7beI5ynIOzMhSN85ONmjmM4f4T8gLhlpWbqGcP   https://www.ebay.fr/itm/363963954193   https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/the-east-german-handbook/9200000079387692/   https://www.instagram.com/p/DMk4VOKsfrD/?img_index=9     Founder of the Wende Museum, Justinian Jampol.   Sources:   [Image] https://artillerymag.com/the-wende-museum/   http://lacmaonfire.blogspot.com/2017/11/wende-museum-preview.html?m=1   https://www.culvercityhistoricalsociety.org/profile-the-wende-museum/   https://culvercitycrossroads.com/2022/03/01/from-the-wende-jampol-offers-history-is-now/   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_(Justin)_Jampol