Pilot Badge

[dntlss]

Hey guys, been a while since Ive been here,hope everyone is doing well,i had a question/advice to ask, in the next few months i am going to purchase a WW1 pilot badge (or observer),my main area of expertise is WW2 so I'm not too knowledgeable in WW1 awards, I'm sure that like WW2 there are millions and trillions of fakes,what I'm not looking for is after i buy it to hear from someone....

A) these are the ones that Walt Disney had made for his cousin Hans that never brought a plane down during the war.

B) these are the ones that Hitler had made in 1938 for pilots that sold theirs for whisky after the war.

Kidding aside I'm not looking to buy a bunch of books since this is going to be a one of a kind thing,i love WW1 but again I'm mainly a WW2 guy and in that department i have 100s of reference books, Maerz, Weber,Wittman, Johnson,Garlasco,you name it i have it.

What I'm looking for is maybe someone you guys know that is a trusted source for WW1 stuff? i know our regular guys dont sell this stuff much,i also know Turk has quite a bit but it most of it good or what? anyhow thank you for any input and for your time,much appreciated.

[otter76]

The Imperial Estand is a good source though you do not see flight badges often.
When getting into dealers, they do appear in Emedals, Weitze, Ratisbon, Baldes, Scholz with premium prices. Non is absolutely 100% free of dubious items, but that is what we are here for. Always ask before bidding or hitting the buy now option. I am open to receiving PMs for my humble opinion about them. I do collect a small few of them. Regards, Alex

[dntlss]

Thank you Alex,yeah I'm a old hand when buying these things (WW2 mainly)and always either ask or i try to do some research, this forum has helped me out tremendously over the years, a lot of knowledgeable folks like yourself,i am mainly a lurker but love to see what others have and to read interesting threads,those are never in short supply,lol, ill definitely keep you in mind when it comes to buying one of these badges if i need to ask some questions.

[Forssmann]

B) these are the ones that Hitler had made in 1938 for pilots that sold theirs for whisky after the war.

Unfortunately, these are the most common. Called a wearers copy, jeweler copy, etc. and depending on who you ask, still considered "original." Many dealers also don't differentiate between an awarded badge and a wearers copy.
Griffin militaria has one right now (linked below) though I personally don't know if it's an awarded piece or 1930's replacement, they dont specify. Thats the lowest price I've seen one in a long while. Please buy it before I do and have to explain to my wife where the money went.

https://griffinmilitaria.com/product...y-pilot-badge/

[phild]

I think that you have been given some great advice so far on your question.

If obtaining a true wartime example is your prime goal, I would recommend that you consider the classic CE Juncker 800 crescent marked type. I know other types were also made prior to 1919 but with many of them it can be impossible to say when their manufacturing stopped or even changed materials. I have strong doubts if the Juncker badges described above were made post war.