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For the Mills men... Real or fake??

I am by no means a Mills man but my vote would be fake. There are just too many good fakes of these around and a piece of cake to age. I would rather know I have a fake than pay the price a real one would fetch while never being sure in my mind if it was original or not. This one does look nice but I still have to go with fake...Dano
 
Hi Brad

I would say fake. I have bought these on the Somme and there are a lot about. They are easy to make and after being buried in the back garden for a couple of years are 'ready for sale'. Unless it was an item put aside 90 years ago then assume 99% of these are fake (same ratio as for trench clubs).

John
 
Hard to tell mate. There is a chance that it may be original. The amount he is asking isn't rediculous either. I think fake ones sell for about a fiver.
 
If the one on sale is a rare item, how come I have one the same, from a dealer on the Somme? The rust is genuine but that's all I think.

These things would have been quickly fabricated in mild steel, which would most likely have rusted away completely after 90 years in the ground. I only bought this one because it was better than an earlier fake I'd bought!

Here's a photo of mine.

John
 

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Hi John,

not easy to tell but i dont think you can get the same guage wire these days that they used in WW1. Same for a lot of things, similar, yes, but not zakly the same. Difficult to tell with the rust.
Probly go for a lot though.

Andy

PS, hope you are well, all ok so far here.
A
 
Here are a couple of my hooks, the larger of the 2 is a repro for sure and made of a thicker wire. The smaller one is much better made according to a metalurgist mate.
The 2nd piccy[sorry about the quality] should show the slight diference in the wire, the L/H hook is slightly thinner. Is it original? Who knows but it could be.

Andy
 

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