excellent soldier badge

[1Perazzi]

Just wondering how heavily faked are the excellent soldier badges and does anyone have some ways to spot them? Thanks Mike

[Bill D.]

They are heavily faked, particularly the rarer examples.

I'm sure there are others here with more experience than me with these badges who can offer suggestions about spotting copies.

[Eric Gaumann]

The thing is there's variations of them and ya need to have a grasp of what they look like.
Bearing that in mind look for wear, the enamel and what's underneath it. Also on the reverse the screw and it's attaching as well as the screwplate.
And the color is important as well. Ya want to see a patinaed brass color. The chocolate brown of the new copies is a dead giveaway. Not that I think those were made specifically to deceive.
Mr. Arapetian did a good study of these in his Russian language book 'Breast Badges of the Red Army'.

[1Perazzi]

Thank you both. I need to get the book even if its in Russian. Like everything else gotta study. Thanks again Mike

[Komandir RKKA]

The best book on "Excellent ..." badges is this:

[GREIF]

The best book on "Excellent ..." badges is this:

Excellent book

[Eric Gaumann]

Who's the author, please?

[Komandir RKKA]

the author is Pozdnishev, 2005.

[Komandir RKKA]

The last catalogue on "Excellent ..." badges