WWI British Insignia Dealer Help...

[Paul B]

Any help or suggestions on this one would be greatly appreciated...

I'm looking to build up small selection of WWI British Army capbadges and brass shoulder titles -nothing too flash, DLI (my personal fetish) MGC, RFA, that kind of thing.

When I first got into militaria when I was at school, this was very much at the basic end of the hobby, and you could get this stuff anywhere. But now, despite various internet searches, I can't come up with the goods.

Can anyone suggest a reputable dealer -preferably online- who offers a good selection of genuine WWI capbadges and shoulder titles?

Many thanks in advance

Paul.

[LeeG]

Hi Paul,
I have a humble collection of WWI British/Commonwealth militaria including a few caps, several badges, and a shoulder flash or two. I have actually found a lot of my best stuff on Ebay, believe it or not.
Just something to note: UK cap badges have been re-struck using original dies for many years now making it very difficult to determine whether a badge is 'authentic' or not. You may want to go in for Canadian badges; I understand that the Canadian govt destroyed its dies after the war. Again Ebay is a good source for Canadian badges.
Hope this helps.
-Lee

[Adam H]

Lee makes a good point about restrikes of British cap badges...these can be very difficult to distinguish from originals. However, Canadian badges have been reproduced as well although these are mainly limited to the rare types. Generally Canadian WWI badges are a safe bet and a nice collection can be put together at modest expense. Be warned however that there are so many varieties and versions of "CEF" badges that it would be virtually impossible to ever have a complete set, especially if one was chasing caps, collars and shoulder titles. I would strongly recommend that new CEF badge collectors quickly chose a "focus" as the sheer abundance and variety of these items can soon become overwhelming.

I can't say I agree that the Canadian government destroyed the dies at the end of the war... CEF badges were manufactured by many different firms, both in Canada and the UK...and even some in the USA. The Canadian government did not even authorize many of the badges, nor did they ever hold the dies to make them. As such many of the original dies are undoubtedly still in existance. The cost of making restrikes when most are available at reasonable prices I think precludes reproducing these for profit.

There are several books available on the subject of WWI Canadian insignia, and others on other areas of Canadian military badges. These vary in reliability but overall offer a good starting point for collectors. I'll be happy to recommend some titles on request.

Cheers!

Adam

[Paul B]

Thanks

Adam and Lee

Many thanks for the replies. Personally I've always found Canadian WWI insignia fascinating -partly because it looks good, and partly due to their impressive comabat record- but I've never actually thought about collecting any. Maybe when I've finished with Imperial German and British WWI....funds (and my other half) permitting!

The issue of restrikes was the one that bothered me most. If I do pursue this, then I think the initial cash I spend will be on reference books rather than badges -Kinpling and King vols 1 and 2 for starters.

Once again, thanks for the response

All the best

Paul.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Paul, there is a dealer from Northern England, possibly Yorkshire, called Peter Taylor. He used to attend the old defunct Nottingham Arms fair and is often at Brimingham Arms fair. He is a big lad with red hair often tired in a plat. He had contributed to/written one or two books about British badges. He often has a good selection of nice original badges for sale. He always has a good selection of officers bronze on offer. I have bought from him, not WW1 which is not my area, but WW2 Brit Airborne insignia.

Sorry I have no contact info for you. I did a quick search on the web but it only pulled up books. I do not know what trade name he might go under? I will hunt around just in case I have his card.

Buying the books first is certainly the way forwards

Cheers, Ade.

[Paul B]

Hi Ade

Thanks for the tip. I've actually got Peter Taylor's book on Allied Special Forces insignia myself (now there's a minefield for the novice collector...!) but never picked up on the fact that he was a dealer as well. I'm often in touch with his publishers, Pen and Sword, so I might ask them to pass my phone/e-mail on to him.

As for book buying being the way ahead...couldn't agree more. If collecting German items has taught me anything, it's that even £50 or £60 on a good book saves you many times more in the long run.

All the best

Paul.

[Paul B]

Cheers Ade!

Another big thankyou to Ade!

I hooked up with Peter Taylor at the Leeds Fair in Pudsey on Saturday and came away with a nice pair of WWI Durham Light Infantry officer's collar bronzes, as well as a Durham/bugle shoulder title of the type introduced during WWI. I could have spent a great deal more, as there was also a nice selection of MGC/Tank Corps material as well.....

Once again, many thanks Ade

All the best

Paul.

[Jim Maclean]

This guy's got a fair selection with some reasonable prices http://freespace.virgin.net/lew.shotton/
I've not tried him myself, so can't vouch for him.
Regards,
Jim

[Paul B]

This guy's got a fair selection with some reasonable prices http://freespace.virgin.net/lew.shotton/
I've not tried him myself, so can't vouch for him.
Regards,
Jim

Cheers Jim!

Quite a good selection, and a website I would never have found in a million years...

All the best

Paul.

[Tony Farrell]

Try Ian Kelly. He's mail order, but I understand he has good reputation.

http://www.kellybadge.co.uk/capbadge.htm

[Paul B]

Cheers, Tony!

I remember dealing with Ian Kelly years ago -he's been around a while, if I remember rightly he took a break from dealing to serve in Bosnia a few years back- in the days when I was into Airborne insignia.

Can't think why I didn't think of him this time round, so many thanks for the link.

All the best

Paul.

[Jim Maclean]

Paul,

Dare I even say it? There is always Ebay, I've bought a fair few British badges but the vast majority there are down and out fakes. British badges have slowed down there considerably over the last year, mainly I think because collectors were fed up with the fakes. If you know what you're looking at though there are still some good deals.
Regards
Jim