Hi guys,
Recently picked up this silver RK PAB from a fellow collector. It got misstruck in the stamping process, pushing everything to the left as you view it and causing part of the wreath on the left and the tracks on the right to be cut off or deformed. It's not unusual to see these RK PABs being just slightly off kilter, but this is a degree I haven't seen before. I'm amazed that it even passed inspection and got its silver wash and hardware added after such an ugly mistake. To add insult to injury, they didn't even cut out around the cannon.
I know some wouldn't want this in their collection due to the defects and the lack of finish, but to me it has a lot of character and beauty just for those reasons. It had no provenance so I can't say it was ever used, but with no real wear I tend to believe it never made it into a soldier's hands but probably did make it to an outlet or warehouse. Despite the defects, it still shows the fine details that RK managed to maintain until the late stages of the war. I also like the way the finish fades to a milky gray on these zinc badges.
Anyway, hope my photos are good enough to explain what I mean. Feel free to fire back and tell me if you think it's just plain ugly, how much you don't like the eagles on RK gabs, etc. Promise you that it won't hurt my feelings at all!
Dale
Recently picked up this silver RK PAB from a fellow collector. It got misstruck in the stamping process, pushing everything to the left as you view it and causing part of the wreath on the left and the tracks on the right to be cut off or deformed. It's not unusual to see these RK PABs being just slightly off kilter, but this is a degree I haven't seen before. I'm amazed that it even passed inspection and got its silver wash and hardware added after such an ugly mistake. To add insult to injury, they didn't even cut out around the cannon.
I know some wouldn't want this in their collection due to the defects and the lack of finish, but to me it has a lot of character and beauty just for those reasons. It had no provenance so I can't say it was ever used, but with no real wear I tend to believe it never made it into a soldier's hands but probably did make it to an outlet or warehouse. Despite the defects, it still shows the fine details that RK managed to maintain until the late stages of the war. I also like the way the finish fades to a milky gray on these zinc badges.
Anyway, hope my photos are good enough to explain what I mean. Feel free to fire back and tell me if you think it's just plain ugly, how much you don't like the eagles on RK gabs, etc. Promise you that it won't hurt my feelings at all!
Dale
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