Kriegsmarine U-Boat Badge Maker "53"

[Gordon Williamson]

I have been asked before why I don't like these.

Well, apart from the fact that I saw a German dealer offering these, with the Swastika drilled out to take small stones, as replicas of the U-Boat Badge with Diamonds (and why would someone take a genuine badge, screw it up by adding fake stones to the Swastika, then sell it at half what a standard genuine badge would have fetched in the first place), there is this.

Here we have a reverse view of the standard, Zinc badge by Deumer, well known and universally accepted.

[Gordon Williamson]

Here is the "53" badge. Sorry for the quality of these images, rescued from an ancient floppy disc.

[Gordon Williamson]

And here's the same badge, different hinge, but same retaining hook, same crappy ragged finish to the cut out under the submarine - and maker stamped "3" for Deumer.

Now, it sure as heck isn't a Deumer, so if the "3" marked version is bad, what does that say for the chances of a "53"

I thought they were pretty convincing first time I saw them. Easy to see how someone would be taken in by them, but I certainly wouldn't trust a "53" now.

[Martin W]

Despite the retaining hook,which looks postwar to me,the reverse outline of the badge posted directly above would be enough to put me off.Look at the wings of the eagle,absolutely no symmetry at all.

Regards,Martin.