10 Things to Look for When Buying a Soldbuch
Warfare Archives presents:
A guide to what makes a Soldbuch Valuable, and what to look for when buying one.
Soldbuch collecting has become one of the hottest and fastest growing sectors of WWII militaria in the past several years. It is rewarding when you find a great example that you have been looking for, and also addicting. Medals, helmets, guns, and other equipment are very different than collecting documents. Any Soldbuch collector can tell you how it changes your collecting perspective. The Soldbuch was kept with the soldier on the frontlines. It is a personalized record of each soldier’s history that was present during the battles of WWII. You find there is something special about unveiling a soldier’s story. Many were carried by soldiers through years of combat. Every Soldbuch is unique in its own way. They are a record of each soldier’s wages, list of issued equipment and weapons, hospital admissions, awards, vacations, units, etc.
Based on what you are looking for, they can range from as low as $50 to tens of thousands of dollars. Most of what you encounter will be in the $100 to $2500 range. I’d say the average price these days is around $150. Little details can add up to significant differences in price, so it is important for collectors to understand what makes a Soldbuch valuable and what to look for before purchasing. Whether you are a buying you first Soldbuch or your hundredth, I think there is always something to learn.
Here are 10 things you should look for when buying a Soldbuch.
1) Units
Did the Soldier belong to a unit that you are interested in?
One of the most desirable traits for any Soldbuch is the unit that the owner belonged to. A unit would include their military branch, division, and regiment. Collectors buy Soldbücher (plural for Soldbuch) for different reasons, but typically focus on one or more of the following:
Particular battles (e.g., Stalingrad, Monte Cassino, Tobruk, Omaha Beach)
Theater of war (e.g., Eastern Front, Italian Front, North Africa, Normandy)
Military branch (e.g., Luftwaffe, Panzer, SS, Heer, etc.)
Specific units (e.g., 1st SS Panzer Division ‘LSSAH’, Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6, or the ‘Grossdeutschland’ Panzergrenadier Division.)
The connecting element to all of the reasons is the unit. Generally speaking, the more that these reasons overlap – the higher the value. Having a working knowledge of German units that were involved in your area of collecting interest(s) during WWII is valuable for you to have in your repertoire.
For example, if you are interested in collecting Soldbücher to soldiers who saw combat in Stalingrad, then you will want to be able to spot a 44th Infantry ‘Hoch und Deutschmeister’ Division Soldbuch that becomes available. If you are looking at something that becomes available online or on a dealer website, then desirable examples can sell in a matter of minutes. Being familiar with the 44th Inf. Div. (Wehrmacht) will also let you know that other collectors may collect this example for an entirely different reason. After the unit was destroyed in Stalingrad, it was rebuilt and saw heavy combat in Italy (as with several other divisions). The fact that the unit is connected to multiple famous battles and theaters of war makes it more desirable, thus potentially increasing value.
A Soldbuch will generally break down a soldier’s unit down to the company level. In the example above, if you did not know which regiments were part of the 44th Infantry Division - then you could miss a deal that comes your way.
I would encourage you to make a list of units by division and regiment that you are interested in so that you can make an informed decision when an opportunity presents itself. A quick Google search for the battle or unit you are interested in will bring up ample material. Wikipedia pages typically list units that were involved in certain actions, and you can find the regimental breakdown on the Wikipedia pages for each individual division.
In the future, I hope to make some quick-reference unit sheets for the website that are specific to different areas of collecting that you can use for this purpose. Likewise, if you have any references or tips that you would like to share, then please let me know.
The pages specifically intended to list which units a soldier served with are listed on pages 4 and 17. As you can see in examples above, page 4 is divided into four section: A, B, C, and D.
Section A is the originating recruitment office or military district.
Section B is for training units prior to their field unit assignments.
Section C is a list of combat unit assignments.
Section D is for replacement units coinciding with the combat units in section C. These are the unit entries you'll typically see on the equipment pages of the Soldbuch.
For most collecting purposes we look at Section C. When a soldier changed units the previous unit and replacement unit were marked out.
There are rare instances when someone may be looking to collect a certain replacement unit. For example, in the pictures above there is an SS Soldbuch example that shows SS Pz. Gren. Ausb. u E. Btl. 16 - Arnheim. This was the replacement unit for the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division that happened to be stationed in Arnheim at the time of Operation Market Garden. As a result, there were both new replacements and recovering wounded SS veterans from the Italian front that participated in the battle by happenstance! Again, knowing these nuances is helpful.
Lastly, make sure you do not forget to look at page 17. If the soldier was assigned to many different units over the years, then page 17 was used as a continuation of page 4 if there was no more space on page 4 for further entries. If you are a late war collection (1944 and 1945), then the units you are interested in may be on this page.
2) Awards
Look to see if any awards are recorded in the soldier’s Soldbuch.
The awards page is the section that can turn an otherwise average Soldbuch into and extraordinary one. There is a page in each Soldbuch for the purpose of recording awards earned by the owner.
Typically awards can be found on page 22 for Heer and Luftwaffe, page 4 for Kriegsmarine, and page 30 for SS - although this can vary. Just because awards are not listed on these pages does not mean that they are not listed elsewhere. Look for handwriting that says Auszeichnungen at the top of a page and awards should be listed underneath it. Here are some points to remember:
Listed awards can give you some insight to the owner’s experience during the war. For example, you could expect a well-decorated combat veteran to have awards like an Iron Cross 2nd Class (EKII) and Infantry Assault Badge (IAB). If you see something like a War Merit Cross 2nd Class, then the owner more likely had a role supporting combat troops on the front lines.
The more prestigious the awards, the more value it adds to the Soldbuch. This is compounded if the soldier belonged to a desirable unit. A Heer Soldbuch with an EKI entry to a non-famous regiment adds less value to the document than say a Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6 Soldbuch with an EKI entry. The former may add $50 to $100, while the FJR6 example could add hundreds of dollars. Beware - forgers who fake entries know this as well!
Dates of the awards are also important. A soldier receiving the EKII in June of 1944 in Normandy compared to November of 1941 could be more desirable in terms of collectability.
Not all awards were entered in the Soldbuch, but value can only be added if it has been recorded in the Soldbuch or noted elsewhere (e.g., known Ritterkreuztrager, part of a larger grouping with further documentation, or files from the Bundesarchiv). For example, a soldier in active combat could have earned the EKII, but was killed in action and his Soldbuch was taken as a war trophy before it was entered in the Soldbuch. Naturally, entries would only be entered at a time and place where it was not dangerous to do so.
Here are a variety of authentic examples of Soldbuch award pages:
3) Hospital and Urlaub entries
At what times was the Soldier not with his unit?
Do yourself a favor and learn this tip by heart. It has saved me from making financial errors when buying a Soldbuch more times than I can count. There is a reason I have put this one high on the list. If you are new to collecting Soldbücher, then this will take your skillset to the next level.
Even if a soldier served with a unit that you are looking for, that does not mean that they were active in combat with the unit during the time periods you may be interested in. Learn to use the dates on these pages to help you verify that they were.
Example of medical admissions in SS Soldbuch for a member of the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division that fought in Italy.
This is an example of an SS Soldbuch record of military hospital admissions during the war. For this example, let’s say we want to know if this soldier took part in a battle of the Gothic Line in Italy the first week of November 1944.
There are three entries on these pages. Each admission is opened on page 20 and is closed out directly across on page 21. The first entry tells us he was not with his unit from April 11, 1944 to April 26, 1944 for code ‘25’. The second entry says that the soldier was taken away from the front on October 6, 1944 to October 11, 1944 (code ‘12’). The third entry shows that after three days he was back in the military hospital on October 14, 1944 for code ‘22’ and stayed in the hospital until November 21, 1944
If we wanted to buy this Soldbuch for the connection to a battle in early November of 1944, then we would be out of luck with this one. There are other examples where soldiers were in between military hospitals and convalescent training units for years. Make sure that you take a look at these pages before purchasing.
The military hospital entries also give us insights to wounds and other ailments that the soldier experienced. For example, if he had earned a Wound Badge in Black, then we would expect to find something like a code ‘31b’ or ‘31a"‘ (bullet wound) on these pages.
Example of Urlaub entry. This example would tell us this soldier was not with his unit from December 12, 1944 to December 29, 1944.
The last two pages of a Soldbuch were used to record leaves given to the soldier. Sometimes additional pages were added. Similar to the military hospital admission pages, this will tell you days the owner was not with his unit. Each Urlaub is also unit stamped and signed by a commanding officer.
When the unit stamps are clearly visible, you can gain further information about what unit the soldier was with at very specific moments (in this case December of 1944). There are times where I have really needed these Urlaub pages to put a full timeline together for a soldier. Some examples have more entries that others. Early war examples have many more entries than late-war examples - which makes sense when you think about it. It was easier to take soldiers away from the front before 1944. After that, it became much harder both in terms of logistics and manpower needed on the frontlines.
4) Identity Photo
Does the Soldbuch have an ID photo?
The identity photo attached inside of the front cover of a Soldbuch has an impact on price. It can make a big difference to open up a Soldbuch and see a photo of the soldier who carried it and who is connected with the history that you are studying. They are all unique and some are better than others (subjective?). Each one tells a story. While it is hard to put a price on how much value a photo adds, it is fair to say that with all other aspects being equal - a Soldbuch with a photo is more desirable than one without a photo.
Example of Afrika Korps Soldbuch to an Oberleutnant that never had an ID photo inserted. This officer became a POW in North Africa before the order requiring pictures was issued for the Heer later in 1943.
On that note, there are wonderful examples without photos. Some had photos removed after the war and others never had an identity photo inserted.
For example, the vast majority of Afrika Korps examples from Rommel’s troops in North Africa will not have an identity photo. Why? The reason is because they surrendered in Tunisia in May of 1943 before there was an order to have ID photos in Soldbücher. It was not until an order dated November 16, 1943 by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) that ID photos were introduced to the Heer, Luftwaffe, and SS examples. The Kriegsmarine had ID photos all the way back to 1941.
While most ID photos are authentic, you need to look out for photos that have been added by forgers to ‘enhance’ a Soldbuch. Authentic examples will have stamps across the photo and Soldbuch. Make sure these stamps line up. This was intentional, because the photos were added for security reasons. I imagine that the Germans wanted to make sure that they were not messed with either.
There will also be a signature of the owner on the photo itself, across both the photo and Soldbuch, or underneath the photo. An easy trick is flipping to page 2 and making sure that the signature makes with the ID photo signature. Another trick is to compare the visual details on the ID photo with information elsewhere in the photo.
You can figure that the photo was probably taken in early 1944 - What rank are they in the photo? How about their facial features? You can look on page 2 to see their eye color, hair color, height, and age. Do these details match up with the photo? Have the mindset that you are making sure this soldier is who it says they are.
Here are some examples of identity pictures found in Soldbücher:
5) Original or Zweitschrift?
Is the Soldbuch a first-issue or was in replaced at some point during the war?
Similar to other collectables, a Soldbuch is more desirable the rarer it is. You can imagine that a soldier that saw years of combat - through the Russian winters, the mud in Italy, etc. - saw their gear deteriorate over time. The paper Soldbuch that they kept in their uniform breast pocket was no different. If the soldiers were surrounded or there was an imminent threat of being captured, then many times they would destroy their Soldbuch so that the contents would not fall into the hands of the Allies. For these reasons, it is very common to see duplicate, known as Zweitschrift or Ersatz, examples issued as replacements. The more time that a soldier spent in direct combat, the harder it is to find an original, first-issue example. It is easier to find a first-issue example the less time a soldier was at the front and further away from the fighting they were. Every Soldbuch is unique, but as a hypothetical let’s say we find two examples that are identical in every way except for one of them is a replacement. If everything else is equal between two examples, then the first-issue example is more valuable than the Zweitschrift.
You will typically see Zweitschrift written on the front cover or page 1 of a Soldbuch if it has been replaced, but this is not always true. You can also look to see if the soldier had any awards or service dated before the Soldbuch was issued. The issue date is always shown on the bottom of page 2.
The reason a first-issue Soldbuch can be more valuable is that it was present at all of the battles, while the Zweitschrift may not have been. For example, you may find a nice piece to a Panzer commander that fought in Normandy. If his replacement Soldbuch was issued in March of 1945, then it was not with the soldier during the Normandy campaign. Another reason that the value can be hurt by a late-war replacement is that the replacement is missing all of the original entries, so it may be harder to research exactly where the soldier was earlier in the war.
I find first-issue examples more desirable, but the nicest and most desirable Soldbücher in my personal collection are Zweitschrift examples. The reason being that many battle-hardened veterans had one, if not multiple, replacements during the war. Do not shy away from an example just because it is a duplicate. But understand that if your duplicate was a first-issue example that it would be even more valuable. Many of the rarest first-issue examples I have seen are still in existence because they were brought back U.S. and British veterans that were taken from POWs or men that were killed in action.
Zweitschrift and Ersatz examples:
6) Provenance & Research
Is there any other information known about the Soldbuch and its original owner?
Grouping with provenance to a Feldwebel in Fallsch.Pz.Gren.Rgt. 2 ‘H.G.’
Remember the phrase “Buy the piece, not the story”. If you’ve ever been to a military show, then you’ve seen a person behind a table trying to sell you a piece by telling you a story about where it came from. Something like “I got this from the son of a veteran who fought in Normandy and picked it up there.” There is no doubt that many items were brought back by veterans during and after the war, but you need to be very careful with stories from sellers. Not that they are necessarily trying to cheat you (some do), but they could have been told something that is not true as well. At the end of the day, who knows what is true. With a little bit of knowledge and research you could find out that the “Normandy captured” Soldbuch was nowhere near France in 1944.
Soldbücher are unique compared to medals, helmets, or other WWII memorabilia because you can buy the piece and discover the story.
Provenance is a record of ownership and earliest known history of something that is used as a guide to authenticity. Soldbuch examples with provenance have more value. For example, say you met a veteran of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division who brought back a Soldbuch that he says he took off of a POW or dead soldier in Normandy. Not only that, but maybe he even has a picture of himself in Normandy with his captured ‘loot’ on display - including the Soldbuch. He sells you the piece directly, you get a copy of the mentioned photo, a photo with the veteran, a copy of his DD-214, and a letter signed by the veteran with his story of where the Soldbuch came from. Now that’s some provenance! You will not find this type of provenance often, but you can still find pieces with a documented or well-known lineage that you can track and record. If the soldier received a high award like the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross or was part of a famous unit, then it may be easier to find information about a soldier or unit during a specific time frame.
Grouping to a soldier in the 16th SS Pz.Gren.Div.
Provenance can also be additional documents and knowledge about the veteran that confirms, or even adds to, the information that is found in the Soldbuch. For example, maybe you see an award entry for an EKI that looks questionable. But say you also have their award document for the EKI and a copy of their personnel file from the German archives verifying that he was awarded the EKI. That kind of verification is valuable.
Quality research also adds value to a Soldbuch. It is time consuming and can be expensive as well. Good research can take hours while great research can take weeks or even months. Do you have the ultra-rare unit history book that sells for $300? Can you pay someone $75/hour to go the German archives and make copies of an officer personnel file for you? Do you own the other $500 of books that have specific unit information about the Soldbuch you are researching? Can you read and translate German, Italian, and/or Russian? Do you have the time to read all of the books, do all of the research, and then write down all of that information in a cohesive manner? The list goes on, but my point is that research is worth a lot. It can also be part of the fun of collecting. From my personal experience, there was one example I purchased for $300 and after my research was offered $2000 for it. I have also purchased an example that I’d say I paid an additional $1000 for the excellent research completed by the previous owner.
7) Nahkampftage!
Does the Soldbuch include a list of close combat days?
Most Soldbücher do not include a Nahkampftage list. In some examples there are additional pages added to the Soldbuch that record close combat days in which the owner fought in hand-to-hand combat against the enemy. The Nahkampftage (‘melee day’) connects a soldier with an exact day and battle. These can also be listed as Sturmtage (‘assault day’). The reason these days were recorded in the Soldbuch is because combat days were criteria for the Infantry Assault badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) and Close Combat Clasp (Nahkampfspange). Assault days, which is an offensive assault day the enemy, also counted towards their list of close combat days. The award criteria:
Infantry Assault Badge - 3 assault days
Close Combat Clasp in Bronze - 15 close combat days (automatically awarded EKII)
Close Combat Clasp in Silver - 30 close combat days (automatically awarded EKI)
Close Combat Clasp in Gold - 50 close combat days (automatically awarded German Cross in Gold)
Although it is less common to find examples with a Nahkampftage list, unfortunately they do not always add much value. For this reason, I have ranked it #7 on the list. This is because most of the examples you will come across with a list of close combat days will be from the Eastern Front. Countless battles, men, and material produced many examples.
If you find an example with close combat days from famous battles on the Western Front, then it is more desirable. The reasons are that there is more collector interest in battles on the Western Front, the majority of collectors live United States and western Europe, and it is easier to find detailed information regarding these battles. Allied countries (excluding the Soviet Union) did a good job keeping records that are easily accessible today. Russia undoubtably has a plethora of Third Reich documents, but to my knowledge it is harder to access than U.S. and western European archives.
Even if a Soldbuch does not include a list of close combat days, this does not mean that the soldier did not fight in hand-to-hand combat. Many soldiers were instructed to destroy these pages along with other information in case capture was imminent. Sometimes near page 22 (awards page) you can see where a page has been torn out. Other times combat days were never recorded in the Soldbuch for various reasons. If these pages included combat actions against partisans, then the soldier would want to destroy this record. Their existence could tie a soldier and unit to war crimes are make them susceptible to reprisals. Examples with partisan actions are very rare for this reason.
Whether the combat days are on the eastern or western front, I personally find it very desirable to find examples that connect a soldier with close combat actions. This is a record showing some of the worst days of someone’s life and ties the Soldbuch and the soldier to a specific action.
8) Rank
What was the military rank of the soldier?
This one is straightforward. The higher a soldier’s rank recorded in the Soldbuch, the more desirable it is. The higher their rank - presumably the more responsibility they were given. Rank is lower on the Top 10 list, because the majority of collectors find criteria like unit and awards more important. Like anything else that is collectable, value is added by how rare something is. It is easier to find an example to a Gefreiter than an Oberleutnant. The only time that rank would move higher on the list is if it is an example that belonged to a General. A Soldbuch to a German General is more desirable to the average collector.
You will find your own preferences over time. My personal preference is to collect examples that belong to combat soldiers that were senior NCOs or officers. I have found that it is easier to research officers as well. It is harder to find specific information for German soldiers that were not officers, unless you get very lucky. On that note, I own plenty of Gefreiter examples.
A soldier’s rank and list of promotions over time can be found on page 1 and page 3 of Soldbücher. On page 1, the most recent rank will be shown at the bottom of the list. Typically, there is a line drawn through the previous rank after a promotion on page 1. Page 3 will show you what day the promotion was given, the unit, and signature/rank of the signing officer.
9) ConditioN
Mint examples can be less valuable!
Each Soldbuch has its condition and character. That’s a good thing!
Mint examples can be less valuable. You heard that right. Unlike most collectables where mint condition is goal, this is not the case with Soldbücher. This one is further down the list and not as important as several of the others - unless there is a big issue where pages are missing, or the contents are illegible. Remember that a Soldbuch was meant to be carried with a soldier at all times. This connection with history is part of the appeal of collecting these documents. You should expect a combat-worn Soldbuch to be ‘salty', meaning that it looks it spent years in the Italian mud, the heat of North Africa, and the brutal Russian winters.
When I see a mint Soldbuch I usually think it is one of three things. It may be a replacement (Zweitschrift/Ersatz) Soldbuch. A Soldbuch issued in March of 1945 has much less wear than an example from 1939 that was carried throughout the war. The second is that the owner may have not seen active combat. Conditions in the trenches were much different than life back in Germany. The third idea that comes to mind when I see a mint example, albeit this is by far the least common reason, is that it could be fake or have forged entries. Mint examples with few entries are often used for forgeries - or the entire book could be fake.
The spine of a Soldbuch is the most common place of deterioration. Over time the books fall apart. If pages are missing as a result, then this can hurt the value. As long as all pages are present, loose pages are common and should not be a deterrence.
Previously in the article I discussed how original issued examples are rarer are generally more valuable than replacements. Active combat units are almost always more valuable than ones that did not see active combat as well. For these reasons mint examples are usually less valuable.
Two of my nicest Soldbuch examples have detached front covers. Others have loose pages. In the future I will write an article about exploring how to put these back together at a museum-quality level - but for now I leave them as-is. You are better off not messing with it, which could end up detracting from the value if it is damaged in a way that makes it unreadable or accelerates its deterioration over time.
When condition does start to detract from value is if any pages are missing or if there is damage that makes the contents illegible. There are examples with bullet and shrapnel holes, soaked in dried blood, covered in mud, and water damaged. The two most common condition issues I see that do detract from value are:
Example of common water damage found in Soldbuch.
Missing pages - Oftentimes this was done purposely by the soldier when they surrendered. Sadly, they tended to take out the pages relating to their units, awards, and personal information. Missing this information detracts from value. Sometimes the front and back covers are missing, which also detracts from value.
Water damage - Some examples that were in the snow, mud, or rain for extended periods of time have become illegible. I have seen several examples that were taken off of dead bodies months (and even years) after they were killed in action. These tend to be hard to read. Other times, for example in the Italian campaign, soldiers had to swim across the Po River to escape the Allied advance in 1945. For this reason, you will see many Italian campaign examples soaked in water. This only hurts that value if you cannot read the contents inside. Other times you will find examples soaked in the blood of the soldier who died with the Soldbuch. It is a solemn reminder to the cost and human toll of war.
10) Watch out for Fakes
A word of caution about fake entries.
The awards section is the most faked section I have seen in a Soldbuch, followed by forgery of famous units and the addition of photos inside the front cover. It is better to be safe than sorry. Here are a few quick points when assessing entries:
Is it written with a fountain pen or ballpoint pen?
It is a post-war addition if it is written with a ballpoint pen, because the ballpoint pen was not used in Germany until after WWII. This one is too easy, but you will find it from time to time as more collections come onto the market. Old collections may have examples that were faked decades ago. There are also instances where soldiers added these entries themselves after the war when applying for veteran benefits.
Does the award entry have a unit stamp and officer signature?
Each entry (or set of entries if written at the same time) should be stamped by the awarding unit and signed by an officer. Although there are rare instances where this is not the case, you should be skeptical if stamps and signatures are not present for the entry.
Some forgers will write the award between two authentic entries. If an award is written and ‘squeezed’ in between two other awards, then proceed with caution. Many collectors, and even reputable dealers, sell the ‘squeezed’ in award entries as forged these days.
Is the listed award or unit too good to be true?
Let’s say that you have a Soldbuch to a 45-year-old that wears glasses and spent the war with a train repair unit. You turn to his award page and see he earned the Close Combat Clasp in Gold and an Anti-Partisan Badge in Silver. Not only that, but you see at the end of the war he was assigned to one of the most desirable fighting units. There is a very high chance these entries are fake. The big giveaway is that the rare entries do not make sense with the rest of the Soldbuch. This is of course done to enhance and try to add value to average and below-average examples. In recent years, forgers have gotten better at adding believable entries like an EKI to above-average examples- but the payoff for them is not very high. Nice examples are already valuable without fake entries and they run the risk of losing value with point #5 below. Many of the popular units are well documented and with a bit of research you can find if the entry is a forgery. The money for forgerers is in adding entries to otherwise inexpensive examples.
Is the entry questionable?
Even if entries are not fake but have the appearance that they could be (and there is no other provenance to confirm the entry), then this can significantly hurt the value. I’d say that Soldbuch collectors are getting particularly smart about this. For example, if you take a gamble and buy a Soldbuch with a questionable entry - others will question that entry as well. This hurts the value if you ever try to sell the piece in the future and limits your potential market of buyers. Remember that a Soldbuch is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
Example awards page that should question! Be careful of fake entries.
Here is an example of an awards page that you should question. The award for the Wound Badge in Black looks legitimate to me. It shows that it was awarded by the Oberstabsarzt u. Cherarzt of the Res. Lazarett in Modlin, proper signature, and corresponding stamp. In this example it is safe to say that the Wound Badge in Black entry is correct. I also see entries verifying this in the medical admission section of the Soldbuch.
Underneath the Wound Badge in Black entry are several awards, including the Wound Badge in Silver, EKII, EKI, and Close Combat Clasp in Bronze. There are a few things you should notice here:
There are no stamps with the awards under the wound badge. That is alarming.
Award dates are not conservative. If awards are entered at different times, then the earliest awards should be near the top of the page. In this example, there is a Would Badge in Silver dated May 5, 1945 above and EKII entry dated November 17, 1944.
Awards seem to have all been entered at the same time (May 1945).
The handwriting seems to be of poor quality.
Even with all of the points made above, there are collectors who are adamant that this is correct and others that are adamant that those awards were added post-war. Again, go back to Rule #4 in this section. Just the fact that it is questionable hurts the value.
Very desirable units are added to Soldbücher from time to time to enhance their value. You need to learn how the entire Soldbuch flows together from the points above. A forger can add units, but the rest of the Soldbuch can help to tell you if the entry is authentic or not. Look at other dates and stamps in the Soldbuch. Does it make sense or is something out of place? Sometimes what will be out of place is that the entry that would have exposed the forgery has been marked out. This should be a red flag for you to run away (again, go back to Rule #4 regarding fake entries).
Collecting Soldbücher is a very fulfilling hobby and each example you find is different from the last. Always be cautious like anything else. Whenever there is money to be made, there is someone who will try and take advantage. Make sure that you connect with other collectors as well. Having a community of knowledgeable collectors around you will not only help you avoid purchasing mistakes, but also make the hobby more fun.
