Pilot´s badge? - many questions

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear fellow collectors,

Please excuse my questions regarding my pilot´s badge, I am not too experienced with those and this is still my first one. My questions are:

1) This was sold to me as a pilots badge quite some time ago. Strangely enough the wreath seems to be faded dark guilt which would make it a pilot/observer badge. But the back of the wreath is without finish unlike with all pilot/observer badges I have seen so far. Which one of the two is it?

2) The Assmann mark is above the left rivet, shouldn´t it be below that rivet?

3) The rivets seem odd but I think they were just flattened a bit by the owner because the eagle came loose. Chris Boonzaier wrote about this in the Fallschrimjäger-Forum, seems to be quite common with this maker.

4) There seems to be "leftovers" from a strange finish on the eagle. If you look closely you can see it on some feathers, eagle´s head, body and the swastika. This finish has a somewhat golden look to it. Highly unusual, no?

5) Good or bad?

Thank you in advance!

Cheers, Frank

[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0MwBkb*YQopUjwBPSozugbvhlMdEi9dDSCfmq6Q7pjAw9PO2lf ToeANWu0Ylqroy0ZGdFAIUtoqJr1UP38rMLIQ/P1080004.jpg[/img]
[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0MwAAAPsQdJYjwBPSozugbglV!zZNm8rVzL4pA*trs4mvhEQBU Zf1hD0yQK8q9GLYzyXpEsimeOGsekWMZ9*WHA/P1080009.jpg[/img]

[Rich G]

Frank

I have one the same and I'm confident this is an original piece ( by the way on mine the eagle appears to be aluminium, and I think your's is too)

[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0NAD**6kS!!AVTVirf6wmdiC8dvnMjOnRzjZaqo1!Cr3z8NEJJ rMAezG7dDDh6eIVk0uKmgsGTI8zdd*Xsevs8w/Ffa.jpg[/img]
[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0NQAAAAsT7PTOZOtHa7lO7vDj9BtJi3t6CVEhSA5gEGzGk1xr* !dvWTeFoUBgzgo2oCB4RYJXokmg3PpGG!On0g/Ffab.jpg[/img]

In trying to answer your questions:
1)It's definately a pilots badge, not P/O. Either the colour is just patina, or someone may have tried to colour it.
2)The 'A' is in exactly the same place as mine, but as this is stamped it could be anywhere
3)The eagle could have worked loose, the eagle on mine wobbles but is still firmly attached
4)The eagle on mine is rough in places and I think this is down to the casting of the eagle in aluminium.

Notice on the back of the wreath, the are concentric lines where either the wreath, or the die, has been machined.

I'd say you had a good find there!

Hope this has been useful

Regards

Richard

[Frank Heukemes]

Richard,

Thanks for your answer and posting the comparison pictures, I appreciate your help.

No, my eagle if definitely not Aluminium, it is Zink. Question #4 (finish with golden particles on the EAGLE) remains a mystery. Would you have an explanation for that? It is visible in my obverse picture if you look hard. It is no trick of the picture, the badge actually looks like that.

Also, the "golden" wreath is pictured exactly in the color it has. It is neither patina, nor a paint job. It looks like the faded dark gold on most GWL zinc submarine badges. Has anybody ever seen silver finishes go "golden" like that one with age?

I agree that it is a pilot´s badge, otherwise I would have made an incredible deal
Btw, this came from a small dealer in Karlsruhe/Germany, more like a pawn shop.

Cheers, Frank

[Rich G]

Frank

Sorry, I can't help with anymore info on your badge. I have no idea about the golden colouring...

Regards

Richard