Unmarked Destroyers Badge

[martin3]

Hello all,

I'm browsing through a box with awards right now that have to be sold.
Most of it seems to be repro, some of them I am not 100% convinced.

I would like to hear your opinions on this unmarked destroyers badge.
I did spent an hour search throughout the database, but I did not find a match with the hardware.
(Usualy not a good sign...)
Material seems tombak to me.

Hope to hear from you.

Thanks for your time.

Martin



(Excuse the pics quality: artifical light.)

[aran]

seems to be a repro to me. paint is very sloppy thats what done it for me was the paint.

regards

aran....

[Nordmark]

I like it...




Daniel

[Norm F]

Hi Martin,

This is a very interesting looking badge. It looks very nice and detailed with a lovely finish, and the badge itself is a spitting image of a GWL (Gebrüder Wegerhoff, Lüdenscheid) but unmarked and with totally different hardware.

Although it looks buntmetal, with that hinge and an 'embedded' round wire catch it could also be zinc and you can't tell because the finish is so good.

I'd be very interested in the opinions of the senior collectors here.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Mike Kenny]

I don't know about being a senior collector (I'm not even 50 yet!) but I also like the looks of this one and believe it's almost certainly a zincer based on the hardware. The detail looks good, as does the aging. It has retained it's finish very well. Sometimes zinc badges first received a copper coating/plating, which helped the finish adhere (and be retained) much better than without the plating. This may be such an example.

Regards
Mike

[Norm F]

So are we calling this a nice mint zinc unmarked GWL?
Here's another example on GMIC which shows its zinc base metal clearly:
http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=12576&st=0&p=121309&hl=Destroy er&fromsearch=1******entry121309

Best regards,
---Norm

[Martin W]

I like the look of this badge also.The reverse hardware looks period to me as does the finish.
Could be an early example in zinc,and as Mike mentioned it has probably been coated,before the final finish was applied.

Regards,Martin.

[Alex K.]

In my opinion it´s a good original Tombak Destroyer Badge, here is one for comparison, in my opinion these are not made of Zinc, nevertheless what the pin system would indicate. I had it in the hand and it doesn´t feel "zincish" Also a direct applied catch is not typical for Zinc then for Tombak badges. These badges have a nice Silver Boat and a nice gold wreath (on my showed piece the wreath was cleaned so it´s not so nice than in the badge in the first post)

[Norm F]

Come to think of it, now that I look at the one posted in GMIC magnified, you can see the tombak-coloured surface showing through on the ship as well as the wreath. Hmm. Looks like tombak, but on the other hand, if it was coated in copper alloy before gilding and washing that would look like that too. Similar to some EK1's in which a magnetic core is coated in the copper coloured metal before painting black.

And the catch doesn't r/o zinc since it could be inset in a well as had been done by others.

Seems the only way to know for sure is cut into one!

Best regards,
---Norm

[martin3]

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for extended reactions.
Indeed a match with the one Alex shows and I am glad to see a same one as I did not find one after a thourough search.
As I said: my first feeling was good, but when I didn't find a hardware match I kinda lost the happy feeling.

The reason I thought it was a tombak badge and not a zincer is a simple one: I am not good with recognizing metal but zinc totally sounds different than for instance tombac.
Zinc sounds matt while tombak sounds very clear.

I will spell out the reactions and follow the links you provided.
I do appreciate it very much you all took the time to inform me.

Best regards,
Martin

[aran]

seems to be a repro to me. paint is very sloppy thats what done it for me was the paint.

regards

aran....

i stand corrected have never seen one like this
sorry bout that

regards

aran....