TerryB

I purchased a German belt from an antique dealer who told me the same old story of the "hate belt" Yeah, right....... It was buckled with an all white metal Prussian buckle (late war issue) and held three Prussian buttons and several US ones, including some off-the-wall units such as the Chemical corps, Medical Corps, etc. My educated guess is that this was probably one that a doughboy put together using buttons from his buddies as souveniers. At least I bought it thinking that. I rather doubt that Fritz accounted for that many kills in those basically LOC units. DrB

Kev in Deva.....any weird looking Counts lurking about? With that provenance, it is possibly a foreign service helmet which has been "added to" by some former collector, or possibly used as a theatrical piece. Since the plate is that old, long before the restrikers made their greedy appearences, it is probabably authentic and quite rare. The reinforcing strap on the rear looks as though it was an add-on hpwever, since there is no like binding on the peak. Khaki service helmets had no reinforcements of anykind for officers. They were found only on the home service helmets. The helmet furnishings, rosettes, chin-chain and spike appear to be authentic. Whatever it is, the parts alone should be worth someting. TerryB

I am sorry but this looks like a "parts" helmet to me. Material should be dk. blue/black, not the experimental white that was worn by a few selected regiments in the late 1800's Fittings are for a volunteer helmet. The Militia wore brass like their parent regiment, the volunteers wore white metal. It has a reinforcing strap down the back which is for officers, but there is no metal edging on the peak which was also prescribed for officers. The plate itself is suspect as this "stag on a star" was a very popular reproduction a few years ago. If the plate is authentic, it would belong to the 1st Heretfordshire Rifle Volunteers which was formed in 1880. (pg 422, Kipling and King, Vol 1) Presented as a whole, it just doesn't "add up." TerryB

Avitos: The grenades on the second page are collar dogs for the artillery. They have seven points to the flame. The engineer grenades have nine flames. The Wentworth Regt is known as the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Their officers pattern is slightly different from the one you have, with the title "Royal Hamilton Light Infantry" on a scoll. The regiment was at Dieppe. TerryB

Unless you are very, very certain about the badge, or want one to fill a hole somewhere and don't care about it's authenticity, I think you have reached the correct decision. "Real" badges, the WWI's and so forth, now cost megabucks. Thirty years ago, it was different, but now....... TerryB

Everything is being faked....the "better mousetrap" The "J.R. Gaunt" stamp used to be considered genuine. No more. Remember, they moved to Birmingham in the seventies but you still see badges which are obliously made post-move still stamped "J.R.Gaunt, London" Even the Gaunt plate which was proof of authenticity had been removed from the badges of lesser value, such as the St John's Ambulance and being refastened to the phoney ones, like the RN Division or the various cyclist units. This is, of course, an infringement of the Gaunt copywrite, but unfortunately, they have not pursued it in court. I would like to see these weenies sued or jailed. My best advice is that you should consider a proffered badge as a restrike or a phoney unless the seller can prove it authentic. Take a look at eBay. I would venture to say that about 99% of that stuff is spurious. It can just be too damned expensive if you are not careful. I have had "trusted" dealers tell me that a badge was authentic, only to find out later that I had been jerked around. How many "Guards Machine Gun Battalion" or "Royal Naval Division" badges are being offered? Oh God, don't forget about the "authentic Tank Corps!" TerryB

Thicker material used to be a dead give-away. The real ones had a nice "heft" to them that the wannabe's didn't have. Unfortunately, the fakers have caught on to that. Also, the materials used in authentic vice fakes was a give-away. The real ones used gilding metal vice yellow brass. (Gilding metal is a brass alloy with a high content of copper which gives it a reddish hue) The old Victorian stuff also used yellow brass vice gilding metal, but that is a real minefield best left alone. Nowdays. I just can't, in many cases, tell a real one from a fake, nor be able to say WWI vice WWII. Providers of the badges had their own criteria and it is impossible to tell one from the other. Wish there was, but there isn't. There is just no "magic" test available. Badge collecting, that of authentic ones anyway, is about over. Most of the real/good pieces have been squirreled away and the good old days of knowing that one could buy only real ones, sight unseen, has passed thanks to those who are more interested in a quick buck than in perserving history. If you want to collect badges, you will get some real bargains and you will be bitten. It goes with the game. I can only say "good luck" TerryB

There is really no positive way to establish when a badge was manufactured when it comes to those which did not change patterns during the wars. A Kings Crown is a Kings Crown, unfortunately. Sometimes the pattern changes slightly between wars or a new regiment is introduced that didn't exist before. Sometimes the regimental title changes or spellings (Example: Bedforshire to Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, the spelling of Welsh reverting to Welch, etc. Some badges changed not at all. Plastic ones were strictly WWII. As stated before, some regiments didn't exist as such in WWI but I have see a "genuine World War One parachute Regiment" badge flogged on eBay. Same with Armored Corps, no such animal in WWI. Your best bet is to try to get ahold of Gaylor's book entitled "Military Badge Collecting" Is is about the best around, although it to has some errors. No "reference" book is infalliable, but his is pretty close. TerryB

Answer to Post #5: Yes Mint or high quality restrikes...tough one. Remember that some badges were cast, not die struck, for various reasons, including where the unit was posted. (India, Middle East, etc) Double rings for split pins were the first type of fastener, sliders were introduced early in WWI when the requirement for badges grew a thousand fold. Original rings were braised, not soldered. That may be one give away. Sliders are easier to attach than rings, so the fakers are more likely to use this type of attachment. Sliders were also braised, not soldered. To further confuse the issue, many badges have had their original attachments on the back removed and then a new attachment added. That, in and of itself, does not negate the value of the badge, unless you are a purist. Most bronze officer badges featured tabs which could be folded to hold the badge in the cap. I have not yet, although doubtless they exist, see a fake one of these. I have an original RFC badge of this type, complete with "Gaunt" plate in the rear which was obtained 30 years ago before our crafty entrepreneurs started offering fakes. Weight was another way of telling a restrike from an authentic one. (At least in the old days) The real ones just seemed to have a "heft" that the newer ones don't have. Flexation or "the Bends" was another test, although the newer ones have aged and do not "give" like they used to. Original badges were inflexable. Check the older bimetal ones for "sweat holes" which were a feature to allow heat to escape when adding the different metal to the original die. Some of the newer fakes do not feature this. These are only some suggestions and not the alpha and omega of identification. The really well made fakes are almost if not truely impossible to tell from the original ones. That is why so many collectors have given up in fustration. No discernable provenence, no customer. The fakers have hoisted themselves on their own petard. TerryB

I sincerely believe that most US helmets sold as WWII surplus at astronomical prices are, for the most part, fakes. Look at the US eBay and notice all the "genuine, WWII para helmets (or red cross marked Medics") for example. Fakey, fakey....(notice that none of them are from Fort Buffalo Chip, South Dakota, circa 1979 although Lord knows enough of them never left the states.) I would never, never buy a US helmet on eBay unless I personally knew the dealer and he was willing to fully endorse its authenticity and stake his reputation on that. TerryB

Duhhhh...... How do I add pictures? Thanks, TerryB

I have in my possession two sleeve badges. Both portray a WWI tank in profile or 4/5th profile, one being in brass and the other in white metal. Both are facing the right, which means they would go on the right arm. I have read somewhere, but have no photographic evidence, that the brass one was issued to British troops serving in Egypt in the 1930's. I have no idea what the white metal one is for. Both are approximately 2 3/4 inches or 65mm long, larger than the cloth arm badge worn by those serving in tanks. My "best guess" is that the white metal, or the brass one was either worn by those who had not attended a formal tank course in WWI, but were "ojt" or was worn as a secondary badge, either on battlebress or for more formal occasions. This question was posed on another forum and I had no answers posted. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks TerryB