$157.50? WOOHOO, we have already got a profit[:D] I think I will become an investment consultant. “Forget the stock market… put you money in tank treads.”
Uh…[%-)]…wing_nut, I’m seriously confused…
You just wrote “I don’t care about the who, what, where, when or how. All I know is since doog ggot his, mine is close behind.”–what “profit” are you talking about? Are you saying that the track link up for sale is the link that you have already received in the mail from corvetteload? I’m confused; I don’t get it–did you have an additional link already when you ordered the one from corvetteload? That one sold for 128.00 with 18.78 shipping–same shipping as mine.
The link that’s up for salenow is a hollow-guide horn, and the shipping on it is $30.00–I don’t think that corvetteload was selling two different types, but I may be wrong.
What’s the deal with the “profit”–did you buy the link from corvetteload and then are you NOW selling your PREVIOUS link? [%-)] I’m so confused!
man thats cool. good luck with it.Maybe a nice plaque and wall mount it.
Terry.
What makes it late war is the “notch” or indentation on the guide horn…also, on the reverse, the horn is hollow…although I am not sure, I would think that the measurement would be w/o the pin in place but I’m no expert here…I still think it is really cool that it came with a pin—BONUS!!!
I also seriosuly doubt it is fake…I mean, they are still pulling intact Panthers outta swamps in Eastern Europe…unless these things are fetching thousands of dollars it probablly wouldn’t be worth the trouble to counterfeit them…and I’ll bet they really aren’t that rare anyway—think of all the links that were produced by the Germans—for every tank made there were probably at least thousand links or more produced (spares, on tank, etc…). The amazing thing about anything made of steel in post-war Europe is that it hasn’t been recycled by now, as most of the armor was at the end of the war…
I found some more refs that will help but now my photobucket account refuses to upload scans!!!—I’ll stay on the case…
Here is my late MkIVJ w/ the late pattern “notched tracks”:
If you look REAL hard you might be able to see the notches…note that this tank also carries the “open” horned type (this was an early to mid-war type) and the “solid” horned type for spares on the front hull as well…this was fairly common—the spares being a different make…
No doog all I meant was they are going for more than we paid. I’m not even thinking about selling mine. but nice to see it is technically worth more than we paid. Basic buy low sell high stuff. Only a profit when you actually turn it around and square your posiiton. This is unrealized P/L. (Thank God 17 years as a French Frank trader were not wasted[:D])
Hey If those Panthers are intact then there is a chance it will go into a museum which will be societys gain. Though in private hands there is a chance to see them at airshows Like Thunder over Michigan or armor drive ins.
The more I think about it, the less I think this is something someone would be wanting to fake…that’s why I asked about the pin as the assumption that the width applies only to the link and not the link+pin kept nagging at me. The width is our main identifier as to the dividing line of “early” vs. “later” war period but it goes much beyond that, it’s just the starting point. I think the measurement including the pin confirms that this is authentic in my view.
What solidifies the ID as a “late” ware track link are some of the key features that MR pointed out plus some other items. The solid, notched outer horn is a key one as this came in in late 1944 and was first used on “ice cleat” tracks that had the little triangular facets on the track face that are commonly seen on StuG III Gs and Pz IVs H and J since those were introduced in late 1943. The fact that the base of the horn is hollow doesn’t signify much as all “solid” guide horn tracks from 1942/43 onwards were cast that way and weren’t truly “solid”, we just call them that becuse the open square of the “hollow” guide horns was done away with. The notched style is the initial give away to help place the age but the real distinguishing feature that places this as a “final” style of track though is the pattern on the track face. It’s often referred to as a “lightened” or “light weight” pattern because the track face dropped the ice cleats on a “solid” track face and has those squarish/rectangular depressions in the middle instead. The theory there behind why they are called “lightened” is that it required less steel to cast these while still providing the necessary traction surfaces for the vehicle, thus producing a lighter-weight track link in the process.
The world of Pz III/IV track links is a diverse one for sure and it’s hard to draw clear-cut distinctions as supplies would get used up first before new styles would be seen in the field or coming from the factory…that’s why you can see spare track runs on vehicles that have both solid and hollow guidehorns for example or see hollow guide horn tracks with the triangular ice cleat faces (that one’s been a surprise to see pop up because there are even photos of surrendered vehicles in 1945 fitted with these for example!)…so there are really only some general guidelines to hold to with overlap in between.
At the end of the day, I think you’ve got an authentic “final” war 40cm track link on your hands and have been lucky to get it at the price you did and in that condition. [tup]
LOL! Oh man, was I off-base!
I completely see where you were coming from, wing_nut! I was actually thinking–'Hey! I got mine cheap!" LOL!
Thanks, Manny, for the info and the pic–I’m getting the gist of it now…and yes, I wss thrilled that it came with a track pin! [:P]
And thanks, Bill, for that thorough dissertation on the peculiarities of these tracks. I never really kept up with all that, and it’s both good to know those details, and reassuring to hear that you think it’s a genuine 40 cm late track. I don’t know why, but the whole “late” thing appeals to me for some reason! [;)]
Did I get you right?? You cleaned it!! Don’t you ever watch The Antiques Road Show on PBS!? Antiques should never be cleaned! It reduces the value!!
LOL!
Nope-never saw it!
I appreciate your concern, subfixer, but I never buy to invest–it’s always to keep or build! This baby stay with me to the grave! [xx(]
Actually I once found something real old once a Railroad spike that was used for the tracks that were once installed for the Davis locks at the St. marys falls lock canals from 1914. I found it at work and I still have it (its the old style pot metal cast type not the modern forged steel spikes)
Hello,
From the title I thought you’d purchsed MK’s or Fruils, but WOW! that’s soooo cool, doog. Neat authentication article too!
Thanks for Posting,
Mobious
Psssssst! I was joking, Karl. Geez!
I say have that baby chromed make it into a belt buckel and wear it on your next tour. It’ll give a whole new meaning to the term ‘Heavy Metal’ [swg].
[(-D]
[:I]…[:-^]
LOL! [(-D]
Hmmm…it might scratch up the back of my guitar just a bit though…?
Gotta say, though–it would be monstrously cool to have another one of these suckers chromed!