Gregg78

My only concern is with the cross without swords, as doing a search for L15 on the net highlighted the so called “Floch” copies. Can any members shed light on these please?

Hi all, I know these are faked a lot and would like to know what you think of these please… Without swords - marked “L15”. This is slightly thinner than the one with swords. With swords - unmarked. You can see the nickel plate bubbling on the swastika, presumably it has zinc as its base metal? Cheers, Gregg.

Hi Rob, fantastic collection! It would be good to see a few more in close detail if you get time….I’d be interested in seeing your SA and tropical buckles in closer detail, items I’m thinking of getting for my own collection at some point. Regards, Gregg.

My second new acquisition, again I would like to know what others think. There is a very faint ink stamp on the back of the frog, but it is illegible (hence I haven’t taken a picture of it). The bayonet is marked “42 CTS” and matched numbered “202e”. Is the frog correct? Cheers, Gregg.

Gents, a new acquisition, it looks right to me but would like to know what others think.... Various markings: “D.R.G.M H.R.E. 43 D.R.P.angm. 26” “Patent Ritter” “SHB” The bakelite cup appears to have no markings on it - is that right? Cheers, Gregg.

Hi Bruce, I appreciate the detail in your reply, thank you. I would like to look out for other Victorian badges like these - is there a good reference book that you would recommend on the subject? Regards, Gregg

Gents, these are not my area but I would appreciate your thoughts…I guess from the crown they date from the Victorian era. I picked both the Sgt stripes and crown up for £30, which I didn’t think was much for what appear to be quality made items. The red background on the crown is worn more than on the stripes, suggesting they may not have always been together, however they have both tarnished fairly equally. Are the stripes Victorian too? Would they be for a service or dress tunic? Are they worth the £30 as a set? Cheers, Gregg.

Just one last thing about this badge…. I’ve spotted a feature running along the edge which appears to be a split or crevice in the zinc. I’m guessing this is a fault formed as a result of the manufacturing process? Has this been seen before on period badges and is it accepted that it maybe encountered on some original zinc badges? Thanks again.

Thanks Martin, I’ve seen other zinc Kriegsmarine badges in varying degrees of grey, some light to quite dark, do you know why there is such a variation, is it just down to age or was the bare zinc sometimes treated/washed with a coating to finish them off? The destroyer on my badge appears quite dark in the hand, with some wear to the high points revealing lighter zinc underneath.

Hi to all, I’m new to this forum…I have a few Third Reich awards which I’ve acquired over the years; however, researching them on the net always raises more questions than answers regarding authenticity! In a bit to draw some conclusions I’m keen to know what other members think of the following badge, particularly those who actually own JFS manufactured Destroyer badges. I would also be interested if anyone has any accurate info on manufacturing processes and finishing treatments of such badges. Thanks in advance.