Rare Make of U-Boat Badge

[Gordon Williamson]

One of the rare makers of U-Boat badge is Hymmen & Co. Occasional zinkers turn up with the L/53 mark. Tombak examples are very hard to find.

[Gordon Williamson]

Reverse.

I was lucky enought to get the L/53 marked Tombak miniature from Robert Noss last year which, even though tiny, has identifyable design traits same as the full size.

[all1knew]

Nice U-Boat Badge

Gordon,

As always you present the nicest of items. What a great find.

Thanks.

William Kramer

[Lorenzo Brown]

Very unique design. Eagle cross-hatching down through the leg feathers; sloping backside of bridge...AND...NO propellor! Nice badge, Gordon.

[Gordon Williamson]

Very unique design. Eagle cross-hatching down through the leg feathers; sloping backside of bridge...AND...NO propellor! Nice badge, Gordon.

Yes, a very striking design. Just like the Frank & Reif fake is a very close copy of the Schwerin badge, there are copies which replicate the Hymmen type with no prop (ironically often with the Schwerin mark). Originals however, especially in fire-gilded tombak , are rare. The mini also has the same keel plate extending out towards the stern, and no propellor.

The more I see of other manufacturers tombak badges the less impressive the Schwerin design becomes.

Here's the late-war zinker version of the Hymmen badge.

[skip]

Gordon, just how tiny is this?
Can you show us a pic next to a normal size UBoot badge.
Thanks.

Skip

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Skip,

The badge Gordon shows is the regular size badge. He just mentions he also got a miniature with similar features (16mm, I guess).

[Paul Massucci]

Hi Gordon,

beautiful badge, thanks for sharing

[Gordon Williamson]

I don't have the full size badge in hand yet, but here's the Hymenn mini alongside a regular U-Boat badge.

[Gordon Williamson]

Minis are a pig to photograph. They look great under the naked eye, but blow them up big enough to see all the detail and they don't look quite so nice. Note though, the long extended keel plate at the stern, sloped back to the conning tower, lack of propellor, no cut away around the eagles neck and the large head on the eagle, just like "big brother".

[Gordon Williamson]

L/53 mark on reverse

[Philippe DB]

Hi Gordon,

Really amazing to see how well they managed to get all those typical L/53 design features in to that mini.

I'm certainly lack experience when it comes down to mini's but I can't recall ever to have seen one that so closely copies his big brother. A little jewell IMO.

Gordon do you have other U-boat mini's that you can link to there big brothers. When I look e.g at PAB mini's it's always that same "Wernstein" design I seem to encounter.

KR
Philippe

[Gordon Williamson]

Hi Gordon,

Really amazing to see how well they managed to get all those typical L/53 design features in to that mini.

I'm certainly lack experience when it comes down to mini's but I can't recall ever to have seen one that so closely copies his big brother. A little jewell IMO.

Gordon do you have other U-boat mini's that you can link to there big brothers. When I look e.g at PAB mini's it's always that same "Wernstein" design I seem to encounter.

KR
Philippe

Very difficult to tie down minis to specific makers if they are not marked. The Hymmen would have been identifiable due to its very distinct characteristics.

This one has the shield shaped chest found on full size fo badges and the deck gun is also similar, just a square block with a horizontal bar on top.

[Gordon Williamson]

This one bears a slight resemblance to the Zimmermann/Schickle type.

I'd guess there are probably just as many different makers of the miniatures as of the full size badges. (At least 20+)

[Gordon Williamson]

[QUOTE=Gordon Williamson]This one bears a slight resemblance to the Zimmermann/Schickle type.

QUOTE]

Here is the original catalogue illustration of the Zimmermann/Schickle type mini. Looks quite like the one in the previous post, but I wouldn't swear to it.