Hey all, would like feedback on my rail eagle. I think it’s bad, but is interesting for a few reasons, and as yet I have not spotted another original/suspect fake with the same rear. Also, compared to some of the fakes the quality is pretty good, but no expert.

I obtained this about 12 years ago on ebay for 199 bucks. It was already in a nice sealed-up display case so no chance for rear pics. That should have been the first warning bell I suppose. I was not aware these were being reproduced (at the time), and di not even ask anyway….

The description indicated it came from a "vet who removed it from a damaged building", and it was listed as a *wall eagle*. I emphasize this as it may influence your opinions. This thread has some indication that building eagles used a cone rather than the threaded bolt used on rail cars:

Railroad Eagle question - Page 3 - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

The item is supposed to be damaged/partly melted, and the right wing had been cracked, and then epoxied back on. Its hard to tell what is soot, and what may be black paint. The fire damage is real, but not clear if this was all an attempt to add character and help hide the fake to raise the price. I found an example that claims to be an original black rail eagle, which seems rare in itself:

German "Deutsche Reichsbahn" Railroad Eagle in Black

Given it was only 199 bones (albeit 1999 bones), and it came with a display case I can use for my daggers I could have done worse I suppose. Believe it or not, I never opened the case until today. It has hung in my office for 12 years, in all its mystery…..While I did not care for what I found, it was fun and almost worth the money for the excitement value alone on this rainy day in LA..

For now, this is what i started with… Pics after opening in next post.

Thanks for looking.

Attached Images

	in_case.jpg (89.9 KB)
	finished_nice.JPG (211.2 KB)