RK Minesweeper badge

[stong]

Hi everyone,
I just got a RK Minesweeper badge and I checked
several references and looks OK except I have
some concerns on the maker mark lettering which
I compare to Lorenzo Brown's website. Also I
noticed the number of wavelines below the
explosion is 9 instead of 8 on other references.
Is it some kind of variation of RK badges?
Thanks in advance.
Sihong

[stong]

front pic

front

[stong]

back

back

[stong]

maker mark

maker mark

[stong]

front

front

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Sihong,

Good job on the number of the waves! You are right, my (zink) RK Minesweeper also has only 8 waves unlike your 9 and has exactly the same mark as Lorenzo´s which is different from yours.
Having said that, I still believe your badge is also good, hinge, pin and catch and other features are absolutely correct. Appearance of the badge is genuine. Probably indeed two dies.

It would be interesting to find out if the lack of detail on your wreathband is wear or maybe a mistake in that die, because normally that wreathband has the usual detail, perting the band into three portions.

Cheers, Frank H.

[George Stimson]

Frank,

How common was it for a war badge manufacturer to have more than one set of dies for a particular badge?

George

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

An excellent observation on the number of waves! I think your badge is genuine - as Frank says, everything else is as it should be for an RK Minesweeper.

I do not believe two dies are required however. My tombak example only has 8 waves, but I can seen on your it is the uppermost "wave" (a straight line actually) that is the extra one. Your example is a zinc badge, which to me always implies later production. I suggest that the RK Minesweeper dies were reworked at some stage and the extra line was added by on the die by joining up the two waves adjacent to the base of the waterspout - all the other features of the waves are the same. The negative depression/incision in the die produces the positive feature seen on your badge. To tie down when the die reworking may have occurred, you'd have to examine many RK Minesweeper badges to see if there is any indication of a die flaw developing in that area, whether the 9 waves are only restricted to zinc examples or some tombak examples also have the nine waves, etc. If the dies have been reworked at one time, you may find other subtle differences as well. Good post!

Regards
Mike K

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear George,

I have absolutely no idea or any proof or reference to make an educated comment about this. Probably not too many had more than one, but apparently some had. I just believe Sihong´s badge to be fine from the way it looks here in the pictures and the only explanation in comparison to the more common 8 waves example would be another die. Or a fake...but it looks too good and genuinely worn for that IMO. It also is 100% correct in the hinge/pin/catch department, which is not so easily faked 100%.

P.S.: just read Mike´s post, who has even another explanation. But it is not just the wave, it is also the maker´s mark which usually has not the "flattened down" looking letters, but very precise thinner edgy ones.

Cheers, Frank H.

[stong]

.

Thanks for the precious inputs. I also have some
measurements for this badge:
26.3gm 44.5mm x 54.7mm
I don't know if the measurements are within
RK badge's spec.

Dear Munich, I also checked Lillegutt's website
RK badges. They all have 8 waves only...
I inspect the wreathband closely and it's very
hard to tell if it is worn or just flat because
there is still some gold paint on it.
The maker mark is not worn, it is just flat which
I also can not see on other RK minesweeper badges.

Thanks again for all members' inputs.
Best Regards.
Sihong

[Lorenzo Brown]

I think your badge looks good to me. I have seen "RK" marks in stylized script (such as on yours and mine), and in straight script. I have also seen the marks placed higher or lower on the badge. Most of the marks I have seen, both stylized and straight script , have periods after the letters, as does yours. Mine is one of the very few I have seen with no periods, and Frank apparantly has one like that also.

[Tim B.]

Sihong,

I have both tombak and zinc Minesweeper badges marked by Rudolf Karneth. My tombak has the eight waves and the zinc has nine.

On measurements, the weight on my zinc badge is only 21.8 grams, while the tombak weighs 24.9 grams. It is interesting that your zinc badge weighs more than my tombak.
Tim

[Kecon]

Hi Stong

I have an identical twinn to your badge. Nine waves and flat top letters. Mine has a bit more of the original finish but the weight is only 21.6 grams. Could you have misread your scales? Another zinc R.K. I have has nine waves but the letters are rounded and set a little higher. This one is kind of neat in that it has the name EHRICH scratched on the reverse of the ploom. It weighs 22.4 grams. Unfortunately is has very little finish and a bit of "zinc pest". My tombak R.K. weighs abt. 25 grams. It is neat in that it has been curved or vaulted by the receipent in a nice shape. Unlike other curved ones I've owned, this one has no plier marks. How did he do that? Anyway, it has eight waves and the letters are set very high on the plum. Most of these tombak types I've seen have the high letters.

Enjoy the badge. Its real IMO.

Ken

[stong]

Thanks all for the comments and measurements.
I re-calibrated my scale ..
but it's still the same reading.. 26.3gm
More measurements:
Thickness at wreath: 2.8mm
Thichness at plume: 3.8mm
I also found out needle and catch are
magnetic. Would it be the reason???

Hi Tim and Ken, do you have photos of your
"9-waves"?
Thanks.
Best Regards.
Sihong

[Tim B.]

My zinc R.K. Minesweeper

Sihong,

Here's mine.
Front: