Imperial Service Pin

[Cam_S]

Hello,

I picked up this Imperial Service Pin a while back with an auction lot of other WW1 Canadian Service Pins. Have not come across this one before and it has none of the standard stuff like a number on the back or a mis-use warning.

If someone could let me know what date this is from, the criteria for issue and who it was awarded to, would be great.

Thanks for Any help,
Cam

[Tony Farrell]

Here you go:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...+Service+Badge

Interestingly, yours appears to be stamped out. The example illustrated in the link is the solid-struck type. I'll have to get a reverse shot of it.

[Cam_S]

Imperial Service Pin

Hello Tony,

Thanks for the help.

Just a few more questions. I Also have one of the solid struck silver ones but it is tarnished and with no time to properly clean it I decided not to show it.

First question is was there a special theater to go to such a the north west frontier? Or was it every soldier got one for going overseas from the Territorials. Also did they give them to WW1 Soldiers? You hint at these being faked. Why would a pin such as this be faked?

Finally how much is something like this worth? I am guessing not very much.

Thanks again for the help,
Cam

[Tony Farrell]

The badges were issued to soldiers of the Territorial Force who had volunteered to serve overseas 'should it be necessary' to do so. Not everyone in the TF was obliged to do so at the time, so this was a badge that marked those out as being prepared to do their bit if called upon by the Regular Army. Once the Great War kicked off, the badges pretty much became redundant, as the TF was fully mobilised.

I'm not certain that these badges are being faked, but (like everything else these days) I wouldn't be at all surprised. Why fake Princess Mary's Christmas tins? Well... they do. Why fake Victory Medals (struck in their millions)... 'cause they can - and there's plenty of ignorant muppets out there with surplus cash that will buy them! Supply & demand ol' fruit. Supply & demand.

These badges tend to go for anything between £5-10. It's a shame they weren't officially numbered, as many other badges - such as those for war workers - were. It would be interesting to see just how many manufacturing variations of this badge exist - but that smacks of those Third Reich types with their pin & hinge obsession, so maybe not, eh?

[Cam_S]

Thanks

Hello Tony,

Thanks for all of the help.

Cam