U Boat Badge Real or Fake?

[USHistoryseeker]

Just wanted to know if this U Boat badge is real or fake. If real please let me know who the maker is. Thanks in advance to all the experts on this forum.

[USHistoryseeker]

back

-

[Mike Kenny]

Hi,

Not an easy one to be definitive about from the pics.

Gut feeling is that it is a repro trying to be an unmarked tombak Schwerin. Although the main pin looks convincing, the hinge is crude and the roundwire catch appears to be on a catchplate. Catchplates on tombak badges are more often than not a terminally bad sign (ie indicate a repro). I also have problems with some of the obverse detailing, which looks weak in places (eg eagles chest).

Again, hard to be definitive using these pics, but if that's all I had to go by I would pass.

Regards
Mike

[John R.]

Do you own this badge or are you planning to buy it? The material does not look zinc, but it has a catchplate under the catch, but none under the hinge.

Not encouraging as Mike said.

No matter what, not one of the many period pieces that are accepted, so even if it was good, which I doubt, I do not think it would command much collector value.

John

[John R.]

It does have a faint similarity to the RS S-boat badge though, however, the hinge is a problem for your badge and it looks nothing like an RS U-boat badge.

John

[genoa41]

For comparison

[USHistoryseeker]

Thanks

I don't own this badge, a friend of mine does. My friend had doubts about it, so I told him the best way to find out is to ask the experts on this forum. I appreciate all of your help and if you need any additional pictures I will ask my friend to take them.

Thanks again

[John R.]

Five rows of feathers on the wings means fake. Not one of these types has ever been shown to have any provenance--much less quality.

However, as a forum, always open to new discoveries. If such provenance is available, it would be nice to see it. Not one is listed on the list of U-boat badge makers at the top of this forum or in Torpedo Los for example.

All badges in both sources have four rows, not five.

So both U-boat badges show here are fake IMO.

John

[USHistoryseeker]

Photos

-

[USHistoryseeker]

-

-

[USHistoryseeker]

_

_

[mrg]

Sorry to say not what i would expect to see from an original U-Boat award.

[USHistoryseeker]

Thanks

Thanks everyone for your expertise and knowledge. My friend thanks you as well.

Best Regards,
Phillip