BrianH

Gordon, It's a bit difficult to tell for sure, since the whole medal has some sort of greenish overspray on it. There are places on the frame where the silver is showing through as you can see in the pictures. I examined the inside edges of the beaded frame, and it does appear to be of three-piece construction, but it's a little hard to tell since some of the paint got in there and it makes it hard to see the little gap between the iron core and the frame. Also, when I look at the top of the medal, there appears to be a very faint seam between the front and rear frames. This seam extends up into the eyelet, as it should. I can't say for certain if it's a casting or not, but the details are so crisp that I didn't think it was possible that it was a casting. BrianH

Cartouche: Meybauer?

Rear:

I picked up this Zep Pilot badge at the same time as my Prussian Retired Pilot's. It appears to have a Meybauer cartouche on the reverse. The entire catch assembly is missing, but you can see where it was. Please let me know if you think this badge is original or not. If so, how many of these are around? I'd guess they are rarer than a Prussian Pilot Badge, yes? Front: More pics to follow... Thanks, BrianH

Ribbon Detail:

Field and wreath detail:

Eagle:

Crown:

Rear: Pin and hook are missing, unfortunately. Also, there are NO maker marks that I can find on the badge. Also, the eagle is a two-piece construction. It is made of two layers, sandwiched together. Very well done as the layers line up perfectly. BrianH

Hello, I picked up this badge last weekend and need some opinions on originality. I am assuming that this is a fairly rare badge, correct? There couldn't have been TOO many retired pilots when this badge was issued! If anyone can point me to some additional websites that discuss this badge, I'd appreciate it. Please have a look at the pics. Front: More to follow... BrianH

Eyelet and "800" silver hallmark on rear of cross:

1914 Date: 1813 Date: Crown and "FW" on Rear:

Center beading detail:

Rear:

I picked this Grand Cross up last weekend from a museum. It was brought in by a vet a while back, but that's all I know. I know these are HEAVILY faked, but this one looked good enough to my eye that I thought it was worth posting. Let me know what you guys think. If it's real, I'll be doing backflips! Front More pics to follow. BrianH