Did GB 42 have 2 dies for their GAB?

[Ian Lim]

Dear Members,

Did GB 42 have 2 dies for their GAB? Just like Assmann had 5 different dies for their GABs.

The badge on the LEFT is the accepted version.

The badge on the RIGHT is also marked GB 42 but is different in terms of :

1)size, smaller

2)details, head of eagle is smaller and other little details.

3)on the back, the hinge / catch is different.

[Ian Lim]

back

[Ian Lim]

maker mark

[skip]

Hi Ian,

IMO the one on the right looks like a casting of the left hand one. Especially around the cutouts and MM there is a very soft look to it.

Skip

[Lorenzo Brown]

I agree. A rather poor quality casting.

[Ian Lim]

Dear Skip & Lorenzo,

Thanks for the comments.

does it mean the one on the right is

Is it possible for GB 42 to have cast copies during the war? I remember reading in some of the threads that some of the original badges are also cast copies produced during the war.

[Lorenzo Brown]

Hi Ian. I would say the badge on the right is definitely .

I am not aware of makers casting badges from originals. I think the GB42's were faked. Here is another fake GB42 that was cast from an original. It is a little better quality than the one you show. It is also a little smaller than the original, however the details are lacking and the badge is made from a "potmetal" with a plated silver finish. You can see some bubbling, but notice the "streaking" on the reverse which indicates that some type of oil or water was brushed on the badge before plating it to induce the bubbling effect.

[Lorenzo Brown]

reverse

[Ian Lim]

Thanks for the infor Lorenzo.

Like you mentioned before, this is a rare GAB maker and I guess fakers like to fake this because there are not too many examples around for comparision.

[John T]

The above pictures of the badges size by size are an excellent study in a real piece vs a cast ones...you can make out some interesting differences, such as the larger spacing on the cast piece and the curved swaz.

[hcliffe]

Even side by side I'm having a hard time with this one. I think it is a good copy and would fool many collectors if not sitting right next to a good one. This one worries me quite a bit. Am I alone?

[Ian Lim]

Hi Harry,

The differences are actually very obvious if you have the 2 badges in your hand.

The fake piece is smaller, the head and body and of the eagle is also obviously smaller, if you look at the 2 berries at the 6 o'clock, they are very flat with no details.

The whole badge is different , that is why my initial question was whether GB 42 had 2 dies.

Hope the above helps.