Kriegsmarine Another 30s imperial u-boat badge?

[paul w]

I believe this hollow back badge badge is made by Steinhauer and Luck due to the die characteristics and pin/hinge set up.I know they made these badges in the 1930s but also that they continued after ww2 and possibly up to the present date? Is there a way of telling in what period an S&L badge such as this was made?Any opinions much appreciated,

Paul

[paul w]

Back.

[paul w]

Hinge

[paul w]

Catch.

[Guest Rick Research]

Yes, that is the Steinhauer-made 1930s version. Worn almost universally from the 1930s through WW2.

January 1939 S & L catalog:

[attachmentid=59060]

[Mike K]

Hi,

Paul, is the catch a partial repair/replacement? It looks like there is a gold coloured wide & thin section under a silver catch?

My concern with this type of hinge/pin and thin wide catch (as the "baseplate" suggests to me) is that this hardware is KNOWN from S&L 50s/60s examples.

Regards

Mike

[paul w]

Thanks for the comments Rick and Mike,though I'm a little bit torn now as to what to think.Mike,the catch looks as though it is original to the badge,no repairs.All the hardware,pin,hinge and catch originally had gold paint or gilt on them.Most of this has now worn off the pin and catch revealing white metal.Whats the consensus then guys,is this pre or post WW2,and is there a sure way of knowing?Any help with this one will be greatly appreciated,

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

I've always been happy with mine as a Kriegsmarine era piece:

[attachmentid=59176][attachmentid=59177]

Of course, in all the 1930s-40s photos of this type being worn, no way to tell what the reverse looked like.

What different types of reverses are there?

[Mike K]

Hi,

Rick, Paul, I am NOT making any definitive statements about the exact periods these S&L U-boats were made. The detail and finish on both looks very good to me. I have raised the hardware only as a questionmark because of some study on WW1 Marine WBs - where this hardware first came to my attention when I found examples being sold by a dealer openly as 50s/60s replacements (by S&L). I'm attaching a pic of a similar example (imo definitely post-45 from worn dies) but please keep in mind that I've seen smaller pics of examples with MUCH nicer finish.

I know that similar hardware was in use in the (probably) 20s as I've seen some Balkenkreuz and SchlesienAdler with this sort of hinge and needle pin. Like most collectors, I don't know exactly how many hardware variations S&L used for various badges (although I would not date these U-boat examples as WW2 produced). It's always possible that S&L re-introduced a 20s (or ?30s) style hinge/pin/catch combination in the 50s/60s.

Paul, re the finish on your catch, I can only relate a personal experience. I have in my collection a WW1 Marine Gold WB that I eventually determined to be one of the post-45 examples. What threw me for a long time was the fact that the "U" hinge and needle pin had been replaced by a genuine WW1 wide folded hinge and "normal" diameter round pin. The whole thing had then been repainted to hide the neat solder job at the base of the hinge and then re-aged/polished! The catch appears to be the same as Rick's example though. Here's a link to that badge;

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1483&hl=wound

Note that I have not stripped the gold re-paint from this tombak badge but underneath I can see a good quality lighter gold colour ?plated finish.

Regards

Mike

[paul w]

Thanks for posting the phots Rick,it seems to me that my badge is definately S&L,and I agree,it would be nice to see comparisons between the 30s and 50s/60s badges.Mike thanks for that informed post.I see what you mean about the hardware,I've had a real good look at the back of the badge and it seems as though the finish on the pin etc is original and fits in with the rest of the badge so I don't think its been replaced.The pin/hinge assembly appears on both pre and post WW2 badges so its a little hard to judge the period of manufacture purely by that alone.It is a nicely finished badge and I'm inclined to keep hold of it at the moment until I can gain further info regarding S&L badges.Thanks for all the input guys its really appreciated,if anyone else can throw light on this particular make of badge I'd be obliged,

Paul