Heer 100 General Assaults Badge

[Guest valsente]

Hi guys,

I've in my hands a beautiful "100 General Assaults Badge" but I'm not sure if it's real or fake. Could you help em? Thanks

Val

[Stogieman]

Hi Val, almost impossible to judge one of these from photos of this quality. But right off the bat......

Number plate doesn't conform to "textbook" examples

Number box seems "soft" and not as distinctly shaped as it should be

Insert does not fit to wreath the way it should (look at gap at the end of the bayonet & Grenade on the left.

Compare to this "75"

[Stogieman]

Reverse:

(also note the details of the obverse on the 75 as compared to your 100)

[Robin Lumsden]

I've always wondered why the gold on these things usually seems to be 'worn' in the recesses and unworn on the highlights - ie the opposite from what you'd expect. They always look as if they have been lightly painted over with an almost dry gold paintbrush. I'd have expected the gold to be worn the other way round. The numbered 75 and 100 tank ones are often the same.

[Stogieman]

Hi Robin, the "wear pattern" has naught to do with actual wear & use, but rather to a chemical reaction between the gilding and the zinc "kriegs-metal" base material. The term loosely associated with the phenomenon most often by collectors is "absorbed"..... However in reality, it is just the opposite.

[Mike K]

Hi Valsente,

I think your 100 GAB is a fair quality repro. The hinge and catch are not correct (compare carefully to Rick's 75 GAB image) and there appears to be casting "flash" down the entire reverse left hand side of the badge.

Robin, I can only agrre with Rick in that the dark streaking is not wear, is is the finish turning colour (for whateber reason). My own JFS 75 GAB has only one tiny spot where the plating is chipped and the zinc basemetal is exposed, but the gold finish (a relatively thick plating) is dark streaked like Ricks. The plating is basically still 100% present, even in the darker streaked areas.

Regards

Mike K

[Stogieman]

I'll try to resize some additional photos of authentic badges for examples. Once upon a time, I owned 4 of these at once! I always balked at the (real) 100's I found in Germany. Some sellers wanted the equivalent of an RK price!

These are very tough badges to judge and collectors should use extreme caution when purchasing one!

[Jacques]

Hi VAL,

I think too that your is a repro. The class IV numbered GAB must look like exactly to Stogiemann one. As mentionned Mike, many details of your one do not match with the originals (Catch ,pin form, figures, rivets, Maker's mark , eagle details, wreath, color).

[Stogieman]

Hallo Jacques, superb example!

[Robin Lumsden]

Jacques.

That badge is a real killer!

[Jacques]

Thanks

the badge has been in my collection for several years, and it will stay jumping , with its hollow comrade

jacques