Hi guys,
For those guys that are familiar with the Juncker (Porsche) PABs & IABs, there is a cut at the top of the eagle's head when viewed from the reverse. I have always wondered why there was a cut in that area, what it was for, was it intentional or not, etc. After finally landing my first Juncker PAB about a month ago, I was intriqued even further with this cut, that can also be found on Juncker IABs too. Then it finally dawned on me a few days ago after seeing some pictures that Phil sent me showing the cut from different angles. The best part is, the answer for this cut is VERY simple!
The cut in the head was made when Juncker cut the slot out of the middle of the hinge for the pin! That would mean the hinge was installed on the badge FIRST, then the slot was cut out of the middle by a saw, which also cut a groove in the top of the eagles head. This also makes perfect sense because it is consistent with how Juncker produced its many Luftwaffe badges, where you see grooves above the barrel hinges where they cut out the middle section AFTER the barrel was soldered to the wreath. These grooves above the hinges on their Luftwaffe awards is a big characteristic to look for when determining originality of Juncker LW badges. This was to make sure the outer barrels lined up with eachother so the pin and hingepin wouldn't bind when opening and closing. I can image that soldering 1 big barrel on a LW badge was easier than soldering 2 smaller ones and trying to align them perfectly with eachother. You might be able to say the same thing with the small PAB hinge. The PAB hinge is pretty small and flimsy, it would be harder and not as safe for the worker to cut the hinge BEFORE it was added to the badge. With it soldered to the badge, the entire badge could be held while the worker trimmed out the middle.
I measured the cut of the hinge with my calipers and then the cut on the head and they are an EXACT MATCH in width!
So, in essence, you have the following evidence for the PAB hinge:
1. Juncker has a precedent of attaching the hinge first, then cutting out the center, just like on their luft badges.
2. The head cut is the EXACT same size as the cut in the hinge.
3. The head cut lines up with the hinge cut EXACTLY.
4. It is a simple explanation for the head cut. (what else could the cut be for??)
5. It also reinforces the link the Porsche PAB & IAB to Juncker.
Here are a few pictures of the head cut that I am talking about on a few badges. Then, the 5th shot is my Juncker PAB looking from the top into the hinge showing how they align, and a final few shots of a Juncker LW Para badge showing the grooves cut above the hinge.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Tom
For those guys that are familiar with the Juncker (Porsche) PABs & IABs, there is a cut at the top of the eagle's head when viewed from the reverse. I have always wondered why there was a cut in that area, what it was for, was it intentional or not, etc. After finally landing my first Juncker PAB about a month ago, I was intriqued even further with this cut, that can also be found on Juncker IABs too. Then it finally dawned on me a few days ago after seeing some pictures that Phil sent me showing the cut from different angles. The best part is, the answer for this cut is VERY simple!
The cut in the head was made when Juncker cut the slot out of the middle of the hinge for the pin! That would mean the hinge was installed on the badge FIRST, then the slot was cut out of the middle by a saw, which also cut a groove in the top of the eagles head. This also makes perfect sense because it is consistent with how Juncker produced its many Luftwaffe badges, where you see grooves above the barrel hinges where they cut out the middle section AFTER the barrel was soldered to the wreath. These grooves above the hinges on their Luftwaffe awards is a big characteristic to look for when determining originality of Juncker LW badges. This was to make sure the outer barrels lined up with eachother so the pin and hingepin wouldn't bind when opening and closing. I can image that soldering 1 big barrel on a LW badge was easier than soldering 2 smaller ones and trying to align them perfectly with eachother. You might be able to say the same thing with the small PAB hinge. The PAB hinge is pretty small and flimsy, it would be harder and not as safe for the worker to cut the hinge BEFORE it was added to the badge. With it soldered to the badge, the entire badge could be held while the worker trimmed out the middle.
I measured the cut of the hinge with my calipers and then the cut on the head and they are an EXACT MATCH in width!
So, in essence, you have the following evidence for the PAB hinge:
1. Juncker has a precedent of attaching the hinge first, then cutting out the center, just like on their luft badges.
2. The head cut is the EXACT same size as the cut in the hinge.
3. The head cut lines up with the hinge cut EXACTLY.
4. It is a simple explanation for the head cut. (what else could the cut be for??)
5. It also reinforces the link the Porsche PAB & IAB to Juncker.
Here are a few pictures of the head cut that I am talking about on a few badges. Then, the 5th shot is my Juncker PAB looking from the top into the hinge showing how they align, and a final few shots of a Juncker LW Para badge showing the grooves cut above the hinge.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Tom
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