The Wonder of Wound Badges, '39 & '57.

[ChrisKelly]

Second World War Wounded badges and their post-war re-issues...  Let's start with the silver one...

 

Images 6 & 7 are my small collection. Image 8 shows a close-up of the badge in images 6 & 7, on the top row...  A tombak badge hallmarked "15".  The cases are reproductions. All three of the 1939 versions are tombak.

 

Edited November 24 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

A close-up of the silver wound badge in the previous post, top row.  This type is generally associated with Hauptmünzamt Wien, and later versions, usually struck in zinc, are hallmarked "30".  

 

Third image: The mint in 1940.

 

Fourth image: The mint in 2021.

 

Source (Photographs):

https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Hauptmünzamt

 

 

 

A selection of black wounded badges in my collection.  Top row shows tombak versions, bottom row shows steel versions in various states of wear.  The 1957 version is in a reproduction case.

 

Image 3 shows the hallmark "L/58" on the wound badge, bottom row, extreme right.

 

Image 4 is a stickpin, 1939 version.

 

 

 

Black wounded badges in tombak.  The bottom row shows badges stripped of their black paint, and possibly used by their original recipients as gold versions.

 

Edited November 24 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

A rare find...  A 1957 wound badge in gold.

 

 

Modern reproductions in all grades, some good, some not so good.

 

Edited November 24 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

The hallmark of Rudolf Souval of Vienna, L22.  These badges, along with those hallmarked "R.S.", have caused collectors to question their "authenticity".  Souval's firm continued to mint Third Reich awards after the War.

 

 

Souval's shop in Vienna in 2003.

 

Source:

 

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/orders-decorations-third-reich/souval-fans-421973/

 

Edited November 24 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

It's unusual that the post-1941 silver wound badges show such amazing resilience to wear.  Many Third Reich badges and medals made from zinc immediately fall prey to corrosive and destructive "zinc pest", something most of the "fine zinc" silver wounded badges do not exhibit.

 

Sources:

 

https://tradeinmilitary.nz/product/wwii-german-silver-wound-badge/

 

https://www.coins4all.co.uk/products/germany-ww2-silver-wound-badge

 

Edited November 24 by ChrisKelly

[ChrisKelly]

ZINC/OXIDATION/CORROSION

 

"Zinc pest (from German Zinkpest), also known as zinc rot and zamak rot, is a destructive, intercrystalline corrosion process of zinc alloys containing lead impurities. While impurities of the alloy are the primary cause of the problem, environmental conditions such as high humidity (greater than 65%) may accelerate the process.

 

It was first discovered to be a problem in 1923, and primarily affects die-cast zinc articles that were manufactured during the 1920s through 1950s. The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929 using 99.99% pure zinc metal to avoid the problem, and articles made after 1960 are usually considered free of the risk of zinc pest since the use of purer materials and more controlled manufacturing conditions make zinc pest degradation unlikely.

 

Affected objects may show surface irregularities such as small cracks and fractures, blisters or pitting. Over time, the material slowly expands, cracking, buckling and warping in an irreversible process that makes the object exceedingly brittle and prone to fracture, and can eventually shatter the object, destroying it altogether. Due to the expansion process, attached normal material may also be damaged. The occurrence and severity of zinc pest in articles made of susceptible zinc alloys depends both on the concentration of lead impurities in the metal and on the storage conditions of the article in the ensuing decades. Zinc pest is dreaded by collectors of vintage die-cast model trains, toys, or radios, because rare or otherwise valuable items can inescapably be rendered worthless as the process of zinc pest destroys them. 

 

Since the 1940s, some model railroad hobbyists have claimed, with varying degrees of success, that a method of "pickling" zinc alloy parts by soaking them in vinegar or oxalic acid solution for several minutes before painting and assembling them could prevent or delay the effects of zinc pest."

 

Sources:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest

 

https://www.worldmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/320675-kriegsverdienstmedaille/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChrisKelly]

To my knowledge, these are the only two reference books out there, solely dedicated to the Wound Badge.  Really, there's not much to either one, but worth a perusal (not a purchase).

[GreyC]

As far as I know a book is in the making by someone from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ordenskunde.

GreyC