Blockade Breaker Badge

[ww2germanhelmet]

Good morning fellows. I just received this BBB and I would like to be sure it's original. I have a fairly high level of paranoia on the badges of all types. I have reviewed a number of threads and think maybe this is a Meybauer badge. Thanks in advance for your opinions on this one.

I can take more photos of specific parts if necessary.
Cheers!

[ww2germanhelmet]

more pictures

[ww2germanhelmet]

close up of the Eagle

[Hans Kondor]

I don't recognise this catch, but maybe a Meybauer?

[AndyC]

Isnt the pin very thick?
The catch looks also strange


Andy

[Norm F]

Hi WW2germanhelmet,

That's a very interesting and puzzling badge! Like you say, at first glance it looks like a zinc Meybauer but there are features that defy a quick classification.

The hinge and pin are typical late Meybauer but the catch is different and the use of the oval base plates is not typical of Meybauer either.

The obverse designs for Meybauer and S&L are virtually identical but the cutouts differ and the cutouts on this one are more Meybauer-like (lacking the S&L cutout behind the ship's funnel, although again slightly different in the details). Some of the obverse details look more S&L-like.

So for now, although I tend towards Meybauer I don't think we can say whether the maker was Meybauer or S&L or perhaps some cooperation between the two?

Thanks for posting this puzzler.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello guys,

I believe the badge is a good one and I used to own one just like it, except that mine was de-nazified. Here are the pictures:

Best regards,
Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Also found this example while searching the forum:

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

I was scratching my head too on this one when Dave emailed it to me, so glad I am not alone.

I like the look of the hinge, pin and catch, they seem meybauer-like to me. But I don't recall Meybauer using these plates under their hardware. Seems more Deumer-like in that regard. Interesting.

Tom

[Tom Yanacek]

Here is the discussion thread when I first posted my example:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=151269

[ww2germanhelmet]

Thanks guys for all the information.

Dave

[Norm F]

Hello guys,

I believe the badge is a good one and I used to own one just like it, except that mine was de-nazified. Here are the pictures:

Best regards,
Tom

Hi Tom,

Thanks for posting those. It's very interesting to there are several examples with the same base plates. S&L, Juncker and Souval used similar long oval base plates but like Tom D. I haven't yet seen them on a Meybauer.

Is the catch on yours made of the same distinctive wire used on the catch on WW2germanhelmet's example? I hadn't seen this unusual wire used before -- sort of like a wedding band with a curved outer surface but a flat inner circumferance.

It would be nice if we could find any other Meybauer product (or other maker for that matter) with a similar catch and base plate.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Tom Yanacek]

Hi Tom,

Is the catch on yours made of the same distinctive wire used on the catch on WW2germanhelmet's example? I hadn't seen this unusual wire used before -- sort of like a wedding band with a curved outer surface but a flat inner circumferance.

Best regards,
---Norm

Hi Norm,

Yes, the catch is identical. It's half-round wire stock like what Deumer used on their EK1s: The outer surface is rounded while the inner surface is flat. Hopefully, this picture will show it more clearly. You should be able to see that it is the same half-round stock.

Best regards,
Tom

[Norm F]

Hi Norm,

Yes, the catch is identical. It's half-round wire stock like what Deumer used on their EK1s: The outer surface is rounded while the inner surface is flat. Hopefully, this picture will show it more clearly. You should be able to see that it is the same half-round stock.

Best regards,
Tom

Hi Tom,

Very interesting.

Here are two threads with the Meybauer zinc Blockade Breaker (and other Meybauer-attributed badges).

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...bauer+blockade

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...bauer+blockade

You can see the very slight differences in the cutout margins around the eagle's head and around the swastika.

Maybe the badge in this thread isn't a Meybauer, but rather a zinc Deumer? Maybe that could explain the obverse design also resembling S&L and the hardware differences? Maybe dies for S&L, Meybauer and this "Deumer-like setup" badge came from the same source?

Here's the catch on the Deumer EK1 for comparison (without catch plate of course).

Best regards,
---Norm

[Tom Yanacek]

Maybe the badge in this thread isn't a Meybauer, but rather a zinc Deumer? Maybe that could explain the obverse design also resembling S&L and the hardware differences? Maybe dies for S&L, Meybauer and this "Deumer-like setup" badge came from the same source?

Hi Norm,

My thoughts exactly. That is why my 2006 discussion thread (linked in post #10) was titled, Deumer Blockade Runner Badge?

Best regards,
Tom