U-Boat Badge.

[petopoint]

Hi guys, picked up this Rudy Souval Uboat badge from a Militaria dealer locally I've been going to since I was a kid. This badge was left over from an order he placed with Souval by phone in late sixties, early seventies. He recalls telling Rudolf to ship him only badges that he had as leftovers from the war years.
He may have done as requested but??? I guess he couldn't resist placing his country of origin on the back for ?? Maybe importation purposes.

[petopoint]

Tw

Tw

[BubbaZ]

Hi Pete,
Very nice RS zincer and great story behind! It looks like fully wartime compatible piece
Thanks for showing!
Cheers,
Hubert

[+Kreuzer+]

I agree with Hubert -

[Ludwig]

Looks OK to me.

[Norm F]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for posting this interesting badge with the great story.

Certainly wartime-compatible construction which fits with your friend's request, but I wonder about the finish? It's hard to tell with the artificial light photos but perhaps you can comment more with the badge in hand or take some photos in bright indirect natural light? On the highlights of the sub's hull it looks like there are some areas where the finish is worn off revealing a greyer undercoat? Is the gilding the "paint-like" finish we tend to associate with that era as Souval's "refreshment" practise for his wartime leftovers?

Basically, I'm wondering if it's the same type of gilding you see on this Minesweeper:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...15&postcount=2

Best regards,
---Norm

[petopoint]

Pix.

Thanks Guys, and yes Norm I'll try to get better pix in natural light (overcast today in these parts) within the next couple days as an addendum.
Pete

[Norm F]

In the meantime, here's a side-by-side comparison of Pete's wartime-compatible badge acquired in late 60's or early 70's and Tom Y.'s example with the typical faded-to-grey "wartime-compatible" finish. I wouldn't be surprised if Pete's shows Souval's "freshening" techniques for his wartime leftover badges at that time? I find this kind of stuff fascinating.

Best regards,
---Norm

[petopoint]

New pix.

Here's a couple new pix of this badge in natural light to assist in determining its evolution of Souvals finishing techniques.
Pete

[petopoint]

Two

Two

[Norm F]

Hi Pete,

Just checking regarding the colour handling on your camera. Which of these two versions is closest to the true colour? i.e. was the background really blue-green or was it more blue?

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

Lighting and cameras notwithstanding, here's a comparison of the finish on Alex W.'s circa mid-1960's Souval Spanish Cross to the U-Boat purchased by Pete's acquaintance around the same time. The Spanish Cross is pure post-war production while I'd wager the U-Boat is a wartime produced leftover badge with the same finish applied in the 1960's.

[Norm F]

Another comparison, this time to a '57 gold wound badge.

[petopoint]

Uboat.

Hi Norm,
The actual color of the backdrop is Green or Greenish blue as actually displayed in the second set of pix. (The left photo in comparison shot).
I enjoyed this study set on the comparisons of Souval applied finishes throughout his Wartime and post war phases. Great work up.
Thanks,
Pete