CAB question

[GEHRMANN]

Im wondering if anyone can verify that a Coastal Artillery Badge being offered to me is fake,like I think it is.I dont have pics handy,but Im pretty sure it can be dismissed from the description alone!

It is STAMPED "Schwerin Berlin 68" instead of having raised letters,and it has a needle type pin,instead of a wide flat pin'.

All research Ive done shows that this is NOT a correct setup.

The badge itself is die struck,good quality zinc with a little bit of gold left,and has the exact same hinge/pin/catch as one Ive seen on here verified as an original "unknown maker"..Ive attached pics of the one found here.This is not the one I am looking at,but the rear setup is the same,HOWEVER,the one Im looking at is stamped schwerin berlin 68

Is everyone in agreement with me on this,or am I missing something?

I can and wil post pics later tonight,but I need some advice ASAP!
Thank you

[BubbaZ]

Hi,
You are correct.
No round wire pin setups on original Schwerin awards unless replaced/repaired.
And the maker's mark should have raised letters with no exception.
Here is nice example to compare:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...c+schwerin+cab
The one you have posted is original S&L zincer.
Cheers,
Hubert

[GEHRMANN]

thank you for the quick response! its good to know that I was right for once!

Im sure its a blatant fake,but is there a chance that there any known examples of unmarked badges being marked in order to make them SEEM more authentic?

I know,its a long shot.But that badge looks EXACTLY like the one I pictured,including the striking flaw on the right wing (when viewed from the rear) and the two minute cracks at both sides of the bottom of the eagles wing

Anyway,I know its a stretch,but I want it to be a good one!
haha

[GEHRMANN]

these are the pics I received.They arent great,but all I have.The stamping is really faint,and apparently the guy either cleaned the area,or just stamped it!

The name JOHN is scratched into it as well...

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello,

I had to right your pictures as they were giving me a headache when looking at them sideways. This second badge you posted stands a chance of being an original S&L Coastal Atillery Badge, although the remianing gilt on the badge looks a bit off. It's hard to be certain based on these pictures. It sort of looks correct, but it could be a clever cast copy and may even be lead based. The Schwerin marking is obviously spurious and, as Hubert says, the marking would always be in relief (raised up) on a real Schwerin Coastal Artillery Badge. It looks like these fake markings were stamped in and then someone subsequently tried to eradicate them. From the look of the "John" scratched into the back, I'm suspecting that this badge may be soft with a high lead content. If that is the case, then this entire badge would be a fake. I would want to see better pictures of this badge or, better yet, handle it and give it the bend test.

Best regards,
Tom

[GEHRMANN]

I also found THIS...


http://quanonline.com/military/milit...es/acoast1.php


My exact badge.On a "reputable?" reference site?

Im really confused now!

[GEHRMANN]

Thank you,Tom,for doing that.

I have the badge in my posession now,on a trial basis.The guy let me take it for inspection.

It does NOT bend,and the name is scratched very lightly into the surface.I can say with all certainty that it isnt lead,as I repair automotive radiators often and deal with it on an almost daily basis in other aspects of my job.

I KNOW that Schwerin badges arent like this.Why the stamp? Finding the one on the link I posted confuses me even more.
Its exactly like that one.

Scary,because now Im even more convinced its fake!

[Tom Yanacek]

I KNOW that Schwerin badges arent like this.Why the stamp?

Well, the fact that it doesn't bend is a good sign. I'm leaning toward it being an original, just insure that the hinge a catch are separate parts and not part of a clever integral casting. As far as the "Schwerin" marking goes, there have been unscrupulous characters that would take unmarked original badges and stamp a spurious maker mark onto them in hopes of getting more money for the "marked" badge.

Best regards,
Tom

[GEHRMANN]

catch spins independently when lightly twisted with pliers,so its not cast in one piece..and the hinge is definitely a separate piece,almost like a folded over piece of thin sheet metal holding the pin in place?

[GEHRMANN]

Can anyone else comment? I have mixed feelings and I'm getting mixed opinions. I need to know if it is original so I can either make the trade or tell him its a definite fake! Thank you

[Tom Yanacek]

Can anyone else comment? I have mixed feelings and I'm getting mixed opinions. I need to know if it is original so I can either make the trade or tell him its a definite fake! Thank you

Hello,

Not someone else, but I will update my opinion: Based on the pictures and your statements that the metal is not soft and the catch and hinge are separate parts, I am satisfied that the badge is original, but messed with: First, by the addition of a spurious maker marking, secondly, by a subsequent attempt to remove the marking, and, lastly, by the name "John" being scratched on the reverse. This tampering, with an otherwise original badge, has taken away much of the collector value of the piece, IMO. I would not want such a piece unless it was very very cheap (like say $50 cheap).

Best regards,
Tom

[Norm F]

I agree with everything Tom has said. Hard to sell at all in that condition I'm afraid.

Best regards,
---Norm

[GEHRMANN]

Thank you both! Luckily,its a trade deal..I'm trading things that don't interest me in the least. I'm "paying" more than $50,but I collect for the history,and what appeals to me, rather than monetary value,so I'm 100% ok with the deal as long as its original. Between your expert advice and my own ham-handed research,I feel much better about the badge now,and I again thank everyone who replied.

[BubbaZ]

Hi,
I agree with Tom and Norm and enclose for comparison two S&L crimped zinc CABs from my collection for comparison. The second is copper coated.
Cheers,
Hubert