It detects all the metal present. The key is to develop a baseline for period badges. You will note above that the 57ers have a lot of odd compounds as well as the fakes.
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pseudo-expert -
Metals go into paints, hence my question. Do any of the low % unusual metals also correspond to a certain grade (of course finishes changed with manufacturer and with time period)?Regards
Mike
Evaluate the item, not the story and not the seller's reputation!
If you PM/contact me without the courtesy of using your first name, please don't be offended if I politely ignore you!Comment
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Sorry it has taken so long to get back with you on this but life has gotten in the way. I was hoping to gain access to an XRF gun to reexamine some badges but no luck. I believe when we talk about period badges we need to define them as wartime issue and wartime private purchase. The steel badges have always been considered wartime issue which is in line with other things going on then. By late 1916 German bullet projectiles and casings were made of a majority of steel with traces of copper/zink for malleability. I have examples that I have recovered from the Verdun battlefields. The high content copper/zink badges were probably private purchase pieces that would not rust in the trenches.
I'd like to hear other's thoughts on this theory.pseudo-expertComment
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