Fingerprint on badge

[Lorenzo Brown]

Here is a scan of a badge I have that has a fingerprint on the back. Some of you may have encountered the same thing on a few of your badges. At first glance you might think it was put there by the previous owner, or by the greasy paws of a MAX dealer who was eating a pastrami sandwich while handling the badge.

But on close inspection you might see that the print is permanently imbedded in the badge and appears where the finish has faded down to expose the print.

In this case, the print belongs to a Schwerin badge worker who had handled the badge right before the finish was applied. The natural oils from his thumb were left on the badge, so the finish did not adhere as well....thereby leaving his permanent print on the badge as the finish wore off over time. Kinda neat!.
http://lbmilitaria.homestead.com/fil...hwerinzinc.jpg

Or, maybe HE was eating a greasy schnitzel while working with the badge. Still a neat historical thing.

[Jos L C]

Hi Lorenzo,
Who knows ?
I watched your badge carefully and my guess is that it is a fingerprint left by the one who applied a new gold finish to the wreath.
I think the goldpaint isn't the original,I've seen many Navybadges painted with this kind of paint,some of them having the paint for many years.
A lot of collectors (and even dealers) are painting the wreath of the badge when there's no paint left on it.
The paint used is on a aceton base,like nailpolish remover.
Working with nailpolish remover can cause very tough fingerprints on the badge like it is burned in the metal.
It's just my experience with Navy badges,the paintingjob is still done these days.
Just my observation...

Regards,
Jos.

[Prosper Keating]

That is rather touching, isn't it? A very human link with history. Thanks for showing it. When I was a kid, I used to collect ancient clay pipes on the banks of the Thames in London. There were thousands of fragments of pipes, always near old pubs, dating back to the 17th century. Smokers would buy a pipe, ready-filled with tobacco, with their ale and on finishing would often chuck it in the river. Well, I still have a misshapen 17th century pipe bowl with about two inches of stem. The maker probably had a mobile kiln beside the pub. This was clearly a reject that collapsed during the firing process so he - or she - pulled it out and chucked it away, leaving finger and thumbprints in the half-hardened hot clay.

PK