S&l ??

[Flemming]

The reverse sure looks bronze to me...could it be that the front has been polished at one point?

Also the front has a strange tone to it, not exactly what I would expect from a gold version.

/Flemming

[Leroy]

The reverse DOES look bronze, except in those areas where you can see the "shadow" (for want of a better word) where the swords used to be. In the sunlight, those area are as bright as the front. You're right about the "tone". It's almost a very slight reddish tint in the light.

I've had this badge for at least 30 years and the front finish has remained pretty much the same all that time. Just guessing, but would a polish job have toned back down by now? I really don't know.

[Leroy]

Here's a photo in natural light.

[Flemming]

.I've had this badge for at least 30 years and the front finish has remained pretty much the same all that time. Just guessing, but would a polish job have toned back down by now? I really don't know.

If it was polished and not lacqured afterwards or something like that, I would suspect it would change appereance over time.

This is really strange.

/Flemming

[Leroy]

And here (I think) is the type of bronze GAB Bob mentioned. This one is not from a vet, but from a show years ago, and I think it's real, but am not sure (these GAB's are not my field at all). Bronze finish fading on the front, but a bit stronger on the reverse.

[Leroy]

Reverse

[Brian S]

Sal, to me the SC in Gold without Swords is just one of those anomolies that I cannot explain. I have several General Assault badges in bronze, which are also direct bringbacks. Either mistakes were left in the factories and ended up with souvenir hunters or there was post-war finishing and assembly of awards, for those same souvenir hunters. In either instance, they are of interest and will, perhaps, someday be solidly explained.

Of course, this is just speculation and I cannot add any further factual information to this discussion.

Bob hritz

Going back to your post about these lunch mats being bespeckled with badges by factory employees, is it reasonable to expect factory employees all knew the basis for the awards and the exact versions of these awards, especially in post April 1945? I would think not. So now you have an employee trying to put together a "complete" board for an occupation officer looking to throw cigarettes at Nazi awards. Why wouldn't the employee cut off the swords of a gold SK to "finish" a board? The employee hadn't a clue as he'd seen bronze and silver ohne swerten why not assume the gold SK was no different? It's a herring or a mistake by someone who really just didn't know and "created" the third example without swords to complete the board.

[Christian J]

Very interesting thread.

I photographed all of the boards...

Here is the RK board..

Mr. B, in your photo we can see another board that isn't offered by Barry Turk. You wouldn't have a photograph of this one aswell?
Were there more boards than these five?

[Dave-B]

It seems I have deleted some photos. I believe there were two other boards, one with political awards HJ etc and this one...

[Peter J.]

Dave, do both KVK RK's have ribbed suspension loops?

cheers
Peter

[Leroy]

Are these the elusive S&L KVK RK's?

Almost look like silvered zink?

[Dave-B]

The RK with swords has a ribbed loop and the w/o has a smooth loop.Yes both are silvered zink.

[Dave-B]

Also out of interest, in the lot that I got my RKs/Swords etc was also a silvered zink RK des KVK (I didn't buy it).

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

Robin (or Warlord), do you guys have a picture of the boards you guys say "definately date to 1945-1946 period"?

Thanks

Tom

[Leroy]

Found that other photo from the IWM that Robin mentioned earlier. It's in one of Johnson's dagger books. The O&S have the elongated swords. The ribbons on the RK's appear to have been cut for display.