Prussian Pilot badge

[Vatjan]

Hi guys, this piece comes from the collection of a friend of mine who doesn't speak english, which is why I am posting it.

I know next to nothing of these badges, but I'm pretty convinced it is a fake, could you guys confirm or deny?

Thanks

Jan

[Vatjan]

And the back

[Schießplatzmeister]

Hello Vatjan:

Although this is not my area of specific interest (there are others here at the Club such as Stogieman with a great deal of experience with these) I can without a doubt state that the badge pictured is a forgery of relatively modern manufacture. It was made via casting. I hope that your friend didn't pay too much for it. You can easily find worse examples, but a great many copies/forgeries are now made which are very difficult to identify as such (i.e. see Medalnet's article regarding electrotype copies at www.medalnet.net). Things are so bad in this area now, that I would assume that 95% or more of ALL badges encountered on the market are undoubtedly copies/forgeries, with the remaining percentage merely of unknown provenance considered to probably be copies. Only with undisputed provenance could one consider a badge as original (or if it undisputably matches known originals). A "Certificate of Authenticity" is usually worthless also!

Best regards,

"SPM"

[Steve K.]

Hello Jan,

It is one of the better castings, but none-the-less a reproduction! Hard to say when it was made for sure, but I think it may be an early reproduction (late 40s to early 50s).

Cheers,

Steve

[Stogieman]

Copy. No doubt, cast. probably bendable....