Not often seen Destroyer

[Jan Arne S]

Hi Guys !
A maker we not se so often on KM Destroyer Badge .
L/15 Otto Schickel , Pforsheim .

Jan Arne

[Norm F]

Always a pleasure to see this badge. Previously owned by Gordon Williamson, this is the only example to have shown up on the forums so far, and it was posted "in pieces" previously by Tim Ball in this thread. It also appears in the database thread along with Jan Arne's other fine Destroyer specimens.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Jan Arne S]

Hi Guys !
Sorry ! Forgot that I had sent pics to John , and that he had posted them on WAF Forum .
Hope that non "take any damage" to se them once more .

Jan Arne

[Tim B.]

Sometimes I'm sorry to have passed on this one but, happy to see it has such a nice home!

Tim

[Norm F]

Hi Guys,

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but since we're talking here about an early Tombak Schickle KM badge, thought I'd also post this "probable Schickle" tombak Minesweeper that I'd previously shown on GCA.

As you know, Mayer took over Schickle's stock so it's impossible to be sure which pieces if any were actually produced by Mayer vs. Schickle, which is why that Destroyer when found without a marking is called the Schickle/Mayer-type badge. There's no question that Jan Arne's was made by Schickle since it has the marking and matches the Schickle catalogue image, but a lot (if not all) of the unmarked versions were likely Schickle as well.

When it comes to this Minesweeper you see the same hinge block/pin system as the L/15 Destroyer and the same finish and wear, but combined with the curved stamped metal catch that is typical to some Schickle marked wound badges.

As well, you can see the exact match of the obverse to the Schickle wartime catalog image, right down to the characteristic swastika flaw. Of course the rare L/18 stamped tombak Minesweepers also have this flaw, but those badges could have been Shickles later marked by Mayer for the private purchase market -- we just don't know.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

Some more comparisons. First, the hinge/main pin system that matches the Schickle marked Spanish Crosses and second, the curved stamped metal catch that matches the Schickle marked wound badges.

(It was a much more usual practise for a maker to mark higher orders and wound badges than combat badges, so it's often useful to compare to the other orders.)

[Tim B.]

Very informative Norm!

KM has come a long way in the last decade thanks to the dedication put forth by a lot of you guys! Nicely done.

Tim