German National Sports Badge

[Rommel1933]

This is my German National Sports badge. I have had it in my collection for a long time and figured I would run it by the forum. It appears to be good to me but its always good to get another opinion.

This badge has always been a little odd in appearance. It seems busy...

Any comments would be appreciated..

Thank you, Scott

[Gregorio Torres]

It does not look as a tipical Wernstein one. I had never seen another one like this before. They use to be in bronze and not bronzed as yours, and pin and catch are completly different than in other well known originals.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello Scott,

Sorry, but I believe this to be a reproduction DRL Sports Badge. As Greg says the pin, hinge, and catch setup does not conform to known originals made by Hermann Wernstein.

The link below will show some reproduction DRL Sport Badges being sold as reproductions for $22.50. Although the picture of the reverse is rather small, this repro looks to have the exact same hardware setup as on your badge in question.

http://www.soldat.com/ord%20reich_sports_%20awards.htm

Original DRL Sport Badges were usually struck from bronze or brass, although there are some originals made from iron, white metal, and Kriegsmetall/zinc. From the pictures, I can't tell what yours is made of, but the overall look is very strange. I have indicated some additional concerns in the picture below:

The red arrows indicate some suspicious raised lines that never appear on original badges.

The blue circled areas show what looks like silver paint seepage onto the reverse, from when someone painted the "DRL" on the front to make it look like the "Versehrten" Badge for war-disabled. (A gold badge with silver-finished DRL.) Original Versehrten Sportabzeichen would have a completely silver-finished reverse and on the front, a silver-finished DRL with a gold-finished wreath and swastika.

The green circled area shows a round catchplate, which raises suspicion about the badge as well. Unless the badge is made of zinc, you should never expect to see a catchplate on one of these. Most were struck from good-quality metal, which negates any need for a catchplate. I used to own a original Wernstein DRL Sports Badge in zinc, but I can assure you that this is not one of them.

Best regards,
Tom

[Rommel1933]

Greg and Tom,

thank you for the inputs. I agree with both of you on your assessment. In fact once I looked at the pics closer I see the edge which you pointed to. I never saw that until I looked at this badge from a picture. Ohhh well... Looks like another one into the junk pile

Thank you both again for taking time to help me. It is very appreciated.

Thank you,
Scott

[Tom Yanacek]

I tried to enlarge the picture from the reproduction website:

[Rommel1933]

dang... it looks just like it Tom!

I wonder how long this has been out there. The guy I bought it from said he has had it since the 80's (and I believe him).. what a bummer.

Thank you,
Scott

[Tom Yanacek]

dang... it looks just like it Tom!

I wonder how long this has been out there. The guy I bought it from said he has had it since the 80's (and I believe him).. what a bummer.

Thank you,
Scott

Hi Scott,

Yes, the hardware setup looks the same but not the badge itself. Notice the spacing between "Wernstein" and "Jena" on your badge and compare it to the one shown on the website.

Best regards,
Tom

[Alchemist]

Fake or Original?

What do you guys make of this DRL Badge? I'm considering buying it, but that catch plate worries me. I can't tell if it's zinc or nickel alloy. If it's zinc, then the catchplate is normal, correct? Thanks in advance for your opinions.


http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/3087360...x432000890.jpg

http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/3087360...x527231271.jpg


And this bronze grade DRL badge?


http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/3087340...x616366578.jpg

http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/3087340...x458142988.jpg

[Rommel1933]

I assume these are the best pics you can get? For me I can't see much to make educated decision.

Thank you, Scott