gold color on kreigs badge

[Michigan]

I have a couple of kreigs badges. one is a minesweepers badge and the other is a highseas fleet. the question i have is the color on the wreath. the minesweep. has a kind of lemon gold color. wile the highseas has a more gold tone to it. is this normal factory deveation? the badges are original I am sure. has any one seen this kind of deveation? thanks

[George Stimson]

The color on different badges can vary quite a bit. There's nothing unusual about it.

[skip]

Yep, I´m all with George.
It all depends on which manufacturer and in which period of the war the badge was made.

Skip

[Adrian]

I agree too, I belive the gold colour also fades with time and how the badge has been kept, ie in a box or exposed to light.

Best regards,
Adrian.

[Lorenzo Brown]

Hi Michigan. I agree that it is not unusual to see different types of gold and silvering finishes on Kriegs badges, the same way Luft badge makers used different finishes on their wreaths and eagles.

I also think that the same makers used different finishes on their badges over time for either economic or aesthetic reasons. For example, I believe that these two Minesweeper badges were made by the same manufacturer. However, the finishes are completely different. On the left badge, the gold wreath finish has absorbed into the zinc leaving a smooth, pale yellow finish. Also the silvering in gone.

On the other badge, the gold color is still vibrant, but it is flaking off to show the unerlying zinc. Also the silvering is is more durable and still on the spout.