Organisational Badges HJBadge for distinguished foreigners

[Stan]

This is a small badge with a high price tag. Lots of copies around marked "HA" with enamel border in a choice of brown, green and red. This example is what they should look like.

Stan

[Scott]

And sadly (for me anyway), here's what they shouldn't look like...

[buellmeister]

Scott,

Hope it didn't set you back too much.......

Regards,

Joel

[Scott]

Joel,

I bought it many years ago - pre-internet - and the cost has been 'absorbed' over time. I know now the guy I bought it from is a well known swindler of fake and repro TR items. One of life's many lessons...

Scott

[Stan]

Scott, we've all been there...

I bought what I thought was a very nice "HA" marked piece but returned it because the auction has had failed to point out repaired enameling in their very detailed description. I was sad to return it but thank goodness I did. Phew!!

Stan

[XEN]

With respect I don't agree with sweeping statements like 'this is what they should look like' in connection with this badge. The Distinguished Foreigner falls into the category of badges where much doubt exists as to whether the brown with no MM is indeed the only 'real' version. Collectors believe in this version as it is the only type with anything approaching provenance. For me at least this does not necessarily mean that other colours are bogus. Some collectors talk about the other colours being 1970s UK fakes. Some others talk about them being found on TR period salesmens' sample boards. I believe enough doubt exists for us to be able to view sweeping statements like the one above with caution.

[Stan]

Xen,

Good point, well presented. I do however feel that the "other" styles are post-war and this view is now shared by the majority of collectors. Of course you could still be proved right.

Stan

[Paul R]

I wonder if any American Boy Scouts received this before the war?

[Colin Davie]

I personnally think there are many people involved within this game who know full well the originallity.. or not, as the case may be of these coloured DF, and many other badges. The problem with life time guarantees is that many long timers will not comment on so much of this stuff because they don't want to start a war.

When Eric Queen and Prosper Keaton did that or to be more precise the article on the Army para badge, one can only speculate how many dealers lived to regret that "lifetime guarantee" of theirs, the badges probably bought by them originally in good faith return to haunt.

I asked in the name of history many old time dealers to please just tell me off the record what they knew of these HJ DF coloured badges badges, not one of them told me the colour ones were original.. quite the reverse.

Ken Jasper had a red one, he liked it, but did not argue with popular opinion. The quality is very good, for sure, but so is the quality of the multi coloured HJ membership pins and in many ways these pins remind me of these Distinguished Foreigner badges. Perhaps if someone has both of these HJ colored hybrids they could comment on similarities? Manions sells the coloured ones as copies, which IMO speaks volumes on multi levels

I have, and always will be, disappointed how many long timers in this game avoid these subjects within these forums, I appreciate they don't want to get involved in arguments, but at the end of the day many of our number are reaching an age were what can be told will be lost if they don't speak now. Bill Stump used to always make that point.

Once upon a time I wanted all the colours, fake or not because they looked good and if they were'nt still a couple of hundred bucks each I would have bought them.

I have a nice original, Detlev sold one a couple of years ago for best part of ?1000, the one atop this thread is very nice indeed. Thanks for sharing it.

C

[Stan]

Colin,

The badge which I used to start this thread was the one I bought from DN in 2003 for ?1400/ ?975, which is probably the one you refer to.

I too have an Army Para Badge which Eric and Prosper have discredited. Luckily for me Prosper sold me the one which is shown in the book so I now have an original one in my collection plus a fake in my "mistakes" box which is getting quite full...

Stan

[Colin Davie]

You caused me to recieve the old "Sorry Sold" with that badge Stan, you pest.

Jeez you were quick that day.

C

[Stan]

You caused me to recieve the old "Sorry Sold" with that badge Stan, you pest.

Jeez you were quick that day.

C

Sorry mate

Stan

[Scowen]

I for one have never liked the coloured HJ Foreigners badges....... (Except the brown of course).

Cheers

Don