MG Armbadge.

[Paul B]

This example of the armbadge worn by members of MG-Scharfschutzen units has just come into my possession after being in the same collection for the past 15 years:

[Paul B]

The rear of the badge, showing the prong arrangement (one missing on this example) and, in this case, a plain backing plate:

[Paul B]

Finally, a 1917 dated photograph showing the badge in wear on a M1910 tunic:

[Brian S]

I have a set also, came from a guy whose badge was fairly crisp and visible in the photo below;

[Paul B]

Hi Brian

Unfortunately, my badge didn't come with the photo I posted. A matter of days after I finally got my hands on the badge itself (from an old Imperial collector who's now moved on to collect British gallantry and campaign groups, therefore: big wallet required=sale of most of Imperial collection....) I saw the photo on eBay. They do compliment each other quite well, however.

Do I understand from your post that you were lucky enough to get the badge together with a photo of the original recipient wearing it? Very, very nice indeed

All the best

Paul.

[Brian S]

Yes, Paul. Mine is a Juncker marked piece. I have two styles. One came with the photo of the gentleman and the other I bought some years back.

[Paul B]

TWO badges, Brian....that's just greedy!

Seriously, one thing I have noticed is how many variations there are of this particular badge, with slight differences in detail -eg: the foresight on the MG, some detail on the sled-mount, etc. Has anyone come across a backplate marked with a maker other than Juncker?

There was quite a good piece on this badge in the French language "Militaria" magazine a few years ago, but aside from that the reference material available seems to be a bit on the thin side. I've turned down examples in the past which I considered to be fake -believe me, they were very poor indeed- but I would imagine that better fakes are around now which, coupled with the lack of good reference material, is a daunting situation...

Does anyone have any tips on telling real from repro as regards this badge? Secondly, does anyone have an opinion on the embroidered version shown in some references ( I once saw it described as an officer's version...?) I myself am completely in the dark on this last point.

Cheers

Paul.

[Brian S]

Here's the back of the bottom one, I'm 100% confident of this one.


Don't know what to tell you about repros. If it doesn't match one that's 'for sure' it's just an unknown.

[Brian S]

here's the back of the top one, not sure about this one, but it looks good.

[Eric Stahlhut]

Brian & Paul,

If I remember correctly there was a fairly informative thread concerning these badges (2001/2002) but I fear that it has escaped into the 'black hole'.

It had pics showing repro Juncker MG shields.

These are pretty neat! I've always liked'em. Thanks for sharing.

[Paul B]

Hi Eric

I think I recall the thread you mean. I suppose it was inevitable that the Juncker types would be faked....maybe Imperial isn't too different to Third Reich after all .

Nice scans Brian. From my reasonable ammount of experience at looking at and handling original badges, I'd say that the top one you posted looks good as well. As I said, the ones I've seen which I considered fake were very obvious indeed.

All the best

Paul.

[Brian S]

Problem is it's not so obvious anymore. As we get smarter, so do the fakes. I wouldn't be surprised to see fake Hindenburg Crosses. Eric you ever seen even those faked?

[Eric Stahlhut]

Problem is it's not so obvious anymore. As we get smarter, so do the fakes. I wouldn't be surprised to see fake Hindenburg Crosses. Eric you ever seen even those faked?

Nope! But then again, I'm not looking for HCs!

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they were, though. Especially the rare hallmarks (with a few fantasy marks thrown in--(in order to excite or confuse).
I do know that there are people on the Forum that specialize in Hinnies and have mentioned or questioned the authenticity of certain examples.

[Frank Pacheco]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing

[Brian S]

When in doubt I usually go to Juergen Kraus's Die feldgraue Uniformierung des deutschen Heeres 1914-18. In Band 1, there is no mention of an embroidered version, but my German is not perfect by a long shot. As a matter of fact, my badge comes from a Hauptman-Garde Gren Rgt. Nr. 2. So, I'd be very tempted to say NO WAY to embroidered.