S.H.u.Co. destroyer badge opinions please

[fdodge]

This is the last of my KM badges that I'll be letting go and I wanted to have it checked out first. The obverse is really nice with a bit of wear to the eagle. The reverse has it's issues.

Thanks in advance.
Frank

[fdodge]

Hardware.....

[fdodge]

......

[fdodge]

Maker mark.....

[fdodge]

And eagle.

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Frank,

An original SHuCo, no doubt about it. Looks like it has a repaired catch though IMO.

The hinge looks good, but its interesting to see gold finish around its base and on the sides of it, since the reverse wasn't finish on these.

The badge looks to be a Variant #2 in Sascha's Kriegs book, but yet the cutouts around the bridge superstructure seem more to match Variant #3. Maybe this is a transitional piece, where they used the flashing trimmer from Variant #3??

Tom

[Norm F]

Hi Frank,

Not quite sure what to make of this one. It's not the so-called "round-S" fake that's most likely made from the Dekora die, but as Tom says the cutout around the lower gun is similar to that version. That cutout is quite unusual but I have seen that cutout on another example (attached here). It's also the same cutout unfortunately that appears on the Staegemeir fakes so that ugly spectre also rears its head.

But also the eagle's head has a uniquely different cutout, and the swastika detail is poor compared with the usual ones.

Finally, the catch is also atypical and the amount of solder is similar to the "round-S" versions, although that may just be due to a repair like Tom said.

So it's not surprising Tom described it as "transitional" between the accepted S.H.u.Co. and the presumably post-war "round-S" versions.

Where that leaves it I really couldn't say at this point. Is the round-wire main pin ferrous (i.e. does it attract to a magnet)?

Best regards,
---Norm

[fdodge]

The pin does attract to a magnet.

[Norm F]

The pin does attract to a magnet.

I think that's a good sign. So maybe just a slightly atypical and repaired original?

Best regards,
---Norm