J Temple-West

BSW..(Br?der Schneider AG Wien)

W. Deumer.

JMME & Sohn..

GWL..(Gebr?der Wegerhoff L?denscheid) This mark can be found with and without the flaw in the ring. The mark on the right shows this flaw at the 9 o' clock position..

C.E Juncker. Top left..... Pre-war only. Top right... Pre/late war. Bottom......Late war.

I thought that having a quick and easy reference guide to the maker marks used on Luftwaffe badges would be useful... So, here it is. There are a few missing, which I'll add as soon as I get the time to photograph them. As mentioned, this is a general guide to Luftwaffe badge markings... Not all manufacturers produced the complete series of badges, so, for example, BSW produced pilot/para badges and clasps but is not known for making observers badges.. G.H Osang produced para/ground assault badges and clasps but is not known to have made any of the qualification badges, so, seeing these particular marks on the type of badge that we know they didn't make should be a 'red flag'. Each maker's original mark, like the badge, has its own characteristics...Study the original and it should help in cutting down the odds of picking up a fake.. 1st up... Assmann marks. Top left.... Pre /Early War. Top right.. Mid/Late war Bottom..... Double mark.. Mostly found on early pieces made in aluminium.

Observer badge. Maker: GWL (Gebr?der Wegerhoff in L?denscheid)

2nd pattern Observers badge. Maker: F.W Assmann.

Ok, got it now, C.... Hope you don't mind me clearing that up.. I tend to look at things a little too closely, probably been in this hobby a little too long and have become a cynical old $~~##*.. Not sure if that's a good thing, or bad. :food-smiley-004:

Hi Chris, I'm afraid I don't quite understand.. The Combined Pilot/Observer badge in the showcase is obviously a standard type and has none of the characteristics of the badge you show in the scan.. Do they display the standard badge in place of the 'diamonds' due to its rarity, or...has someone done a swap!!

Hi Don, Nice late 'Assmann'... @Tony..As you can see from Don's example, the long tailed rule is no indicator of real or fake.. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fakes, I only wish there were..

Hi Chris, Perhaps you could give us some background on this particular piece.. Presentation or jeweller's copy?

Reverse..

Early Buntmetal example by the "Unknown" maker..

Only a small collection of KM trade patches in my collection. This will be the first time they've seen the light of day in many a long year.. If anyone wants to see larger pix of a particular item, let me know.

3rd..Bronze.

2nd class..Silver.

Here are the award documents for the Mk series.. 1st class in gold.

Thank's for that, Tony.. All that history locked away in a draw..Pity!

Standard award Document (urkunde) for the KvK 2nd class, with swords.

Typical award document..

Very nice, Don. Also, compliments on the excellent photographic work..

case..

Typical (early) case..

Reverse..