List of Auxiliary Cruiser Badge Manufacturers

[ekrogh]

Excellent research Erik!! Lets see what others have to say, for now, I think your comparison is valid and I would have to say they are by the same maker. The reverse finish is consistent with other tombak badges and the rest of the badge does look tombak which is where we left it in the list above.

So far, it does seem to match your marked MS badge very closely.

The eagle is of course different, and, as you know, reverse hardware was borrowed/used by other makers as has been proven at this point. So, it probably the same maker with a different eagle.

Well done. John

John,

Thank you very much for weighing in on this discussion! I do know what you mean when you say "reverse hardware was borrowed/used by other makers as has been proven at this point". I also own an L/18 tombak U-Boat badge that was discussed awhile back (look at post 15 and beyond): http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41307 .

The L/18 tombak U-Boat is a dead-ringer for a Zimmerman (L/52) tombak: these badges are identical on the obverse. The only difference is the hardware with the two different maker marks.

The one salient characteristic that makes me tend toward believing that my Aux Cruiser is a Mayer is the silver finish on the reverse. I have not seen tombaks by other manufacturers with this reverse finish.

I look forward to others commenting on this topic.

Best Regards,

Erik


(Editor's comment: Since the time of Erik's excellent comparison, further discussion suggests that both his Auxiliary Cruiser and L/18 stamped Minesweeper are Otto Schickle-design products and the MS was stamped L/18 by Mayer for retail in early wartime. For further info see this thread.)

[John R.]

Just to further clarify the discussion of Erik's Auxiliary Cruiser and Minesweeper badges by the same maker:

Erik's Tombak Minesweeper stamped L/18 is an exact match to that shown in the Schickle catalog supplement, complete with the specific filling flaw in the lower left void of the swastika. As discussed in other threads, period publications show Schickle was allowed to sell off his remaining stock in 1940 in Pforzheim under the watchful eye of the LDO so this is a Schickle product presumably stamped by Mayer L/18 after LDO approval. By extension, the rare Auxiliary Cruiser badge is also considered to be a Schickle product.

[John R.]

Japanese Version

Thanks to collector Monsun, here are some scans of the portrait photo of a sailor from the auxiliary cruiser Michel. Note, this badge is without question the Japanese style version.

Also, two of the sterling silver aux badges from his collection. One of the badges was from the German mineship "Doggerbank", later "Charlotte Schliemann".

There is also a nice photo from some crew members of the aux cruiser "Thor" at "Hakone", in front of Mount Fuji.

I think these important images prove quite conclusively that the aux badges in sterling silver are real and ultra rare WW2 items.

My thanks to Monsun for his willingness to share these important photos with the forum. John

[John R.]

photo 2

A nice photo of some crew members of the aux cruiser "Thor" at "Hakone", in front of Mount Fuji.

Sailor on far right has the aux. cruiser badge, hard to tell from the photo, but probably is the Japanese style also due to the location of the photo with Mt. Fuji and the timeline of when the sailors were in Japan.

[John R.]

7.1.3 and 7.1.4

photos 3 and 4

Two of the sterling silver aux badges from his collection. One of the badges was from the German mineship "Doggerbank", later "Charlotte Schliemann".

[Jeff V]

Thanks John! This is one of the best finds I have seen on the forum. A special thanks to Monsun for providing these images! best wishes,
jeff

[Mooyman]

Amanzing badges and photos!!!

Thank so much to John and Monsun!!

Best regards,

Ricardo.

[Martin W]

Thanks John! This is one of the best finds I have seen on the forum. A special thanks to Monsun for providing these images! best wishes,
jeff

I agree.It appears there was also more than one maker of these badges in Japan.Lines of latitude and longitude evident on one badge and absent on the other?

Regards,Martin.

[Mark McShane]

Monsun,

Truely fantastic photo of the crew posing with Mt. Fuji in the background. Well done on having this in your collection.

Regards,

Mark

[John R.]

I agree.It appears there was also more than one maker of these badges in Japan.Lines of latitude and longitude evident on one badge and absent on the other?

Regards,Martin.

According to members of these crews, every sailor was given one. Based on detailed examination by the owner, both badges are identical (same cast) but for the lines. It is his opinion that all the badges were made by the same maker, perhaps the first badges did not have the lines, the rest did. I tend to agree. John

[John R.]

3.1.2

S & L variant in Zinc from the Website of the Bill Shea's Ruptured Duck (a sold piece by the way).

This is the first of these I have ever seen and a real beauty. Reverse hardware matches Juncker and the obverse strike exceedingly clear. John

[John R.]

3.1.2

2

[John R.]

3.1.5

Another S&L variant setup from a past post by sparks.

[John R.]

3.1.5

2

[Martin W]

3.1.4

And another variant setup of the S&L Auxiliary Cruiser.

Regards,Martin.