Schwerin Destroyer analysis

[John R.]

It seems like we have spent a lot of time on "is it real" threads. Maybe this will be of help and interest to the forum as a whole. The purpose is to initiate a discussion on the Schwerin destroyer badge, tombak first.

1. I have posted Lorenzo's badge, and it is an example of an early version with the Type 1 true "c" catch.

2. Next is an image of the Type 2 "C", more verticle. longer base, the differences are clear I think. I do believe these two catches existed in all the tombak badges, and the type 2 was also used in zink.

3. Next are a series of almost mint Schwerin destroyer badges for study.

4. I have compared two good badges, the left is the Schwerin , the right Steinhauer & Luck (#4),
to look for differences. I have pointed out what I think is a die flaw to the left, there may be more to sharper eyes. Items also distinctive to the Schwerin badge are the lookout's nest, bridge arrangement, starboard hatch, gun layout among others.

5. Last is a fake.

Well, the point of the thread is for us to really take a look at this badge, determine all the die flaws we can see and any other aspects that this badge has that can help us identify it in future comparisons to new reproductions arriving on the scene.

We will look at the reverse later as well as zinc destroyer version once we have the obverse of this badge taken care of.

John

[John R.]

Sb Dd

Type 2 Schwerin catch, destroyer.

[John R.]

Sb Dd

1

[John R.]

Sb Dd

2

[John R.]

Sb Dd

3

[John R.]

SB--S/L comparison

Comparison of Schwerin destroyer badge and Steinhauer & Luck (#4)

[John R.]

fake dd

Fake schwerin destroyer

[John R.]

OK, what I would like to see is if we can point out anything about the obverse of this badge that helps to identify it as SB without even looking at the reverse letters. I have included the maker's mark of course, but what about any other structural details, die flaws, changes to the badge as time went on?

Hope this thread increases our knowledge of this great badge.


John

[Jeff V]

hi John, great idea! Some things that stand out to me right away are the:
1- flat appearing leaves on the schwerin wreath
2- uncut forward turret gun barrel
3- do all of the schwerin's have the flattening to the hull at the deck line, from about the midpoint back? Just looked at mine and it has it. Has anyone seen this feature on another makers destroyer?

best wishes,
jeff

[John R.]

Good points.

1. It does look like the deck is flattened from the mid-point back

2. It does look like all of them have an uncut out (bad english) gun.

Maybe somebody else can put this in a better way.

3. Not sure about the leaves looking flat. Lets look into that a little more with other opinions.

[John R.]

Sb Dd

Also looks to me like a die flaw here. Not so apparent on some badges.

[Jeff V]

Here is a picture of mine. Can you point out what you are looking at? I do not see anything.
jeff

[John R.]

I think these are die flaws, looking for opinions.

[Peter J.]

Hi John,

What do you believe are the major differencies on the obverse, when the buntmetall Schw. with round c-catch is compared to the buntmetall Schw. with shaped c-catch?

KR
Peter

[Mark S.]

what is SB DD with a S and L etc? this is getting very confusing. Are we talking about the badge or the maker?

Some of these acronyms are getting hard to track. In the last few years I have seen a multitude of new abbreviations some seem to be a mix match of the german and english spellings, while others are the make it up as you go along type. I think as a community we will do ourselves a favor with some type of standardised descriptions. Dont forget, people doing searches will never find the thread with obscure acronyms.

Anyway, as far as the die flaw, personally I dont see it. If it is part of the design, is it really a flaw?

Also, isnt there two distinct types of tombac Schwerin destroyer badges that go beyond the catch style?

Great work nonetheless..I have some destroyer badge research I did a few years ago, I will see if I can dig it up. Pay attention to the waves splashes on the bow, every make has small differences.