A lot KM badges

[Panzertruppen]

Hi guys !

I would like your opinion about this KM badges, i think there are many fake, but i need your opinion. I'm sorry, but i only have these two photos.




Thank you very much,
BR,
Panzer'.

[Norm F]

Hi Panzer',

Looks like they're all from the "remainders bin". The three so-called "Bacquevilles" on the left (Auxiliary Cruiser, S-Boat and Marine Artillery) are controversial at the best of times and these examples all have incorrect or replaced hardware on top of that and are not very collectible in my opinion.

The zinc Schwerin Blockade Breaker has a chance of being real (if one had better photos) but, if so, again the hardware has been completely replaced.

The Minesweeper is the "straight-wave" unknown maker, likely S.H.u.Co., type 5.2.1 in the classification system, but it looks like there's significant damage around the eagle's head and the catch has been replaced.

Nothing there is really worth collecting I'm afraid.

Best regards,
---Norm

[greg1878]

Norm of course is correct
Greg

[BubbaZ]

Hi Norm,
I think that there is a good chance that all of them are fakes. That hardware on French-made badges is comonly seen on Bacqueville's fakes (as the one enclosed), design of Schwerin BR and 'straight-wave' MS look promising but I cannot see any signs of the replacement of the hardware and the hardware on both badges is wrong as you said. Interestingly both BR and MS look like tweens in terms of condition. I think that BR with this type of maker's mark should be dished on the back.
Cheers,
Hubert

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello guys,

I agree with Hubert. I don't think any of these badges stand a chance of being originals with replaced hardware. IMO, all of them are crudely cast fakes. They seem somewhat believable in the small pictures, but when the pictures are enlarged (and even with the loss in resolution) it becomes obvious that these are total fakes. The most telling is the Coastal Artillery Badge, which still shows excess material at the bottom of the wreath, from the casting gateways.

Best regards,
Tom

[Norm F]

Hi Norm,
I think that there is a good chance that all of them are fakes. That hardware on French-made badges is commonly seen on Bacqueville's fakes (as the one enclosed), design of Schwerin BR and 'straight-wave' MS look promising but I cannot see any signs of the replacement of the hardware and the hardware on both badges is wrong as you said. Interestingly both BR and MS look like tweens in terms of condition. I think that BR with this type of maker's mark should be dished on the back.
Cheers,
Hubert

Hi Hubert,

I thought that Blockade Breaker was dished since I thought I could see a rim of the depression in the upper area, but as mentioned before it only "has a chance" of being real depending on better photos, but I agree with you and Tom that that they're all suspect.

You're probably right about the "Bacqueville" badges too but it's hard to feel optimistic about any so-called "French-made" anyway, whether "real" or reproduction. For all we know they could just be a second wave of reproductions by the original fakers.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Tom Yanacek]

The image from Helmut Weitze's site shows the defect much more clearly. This fake is an obvious casting and it also shows excess material from the three casting gateways. This excess material shows exactly where the channels (through which the molten metal was poured) entered the mold cavity. When they removed this fake from the mold, they never bothered to remove this excess material.

[Norm F]

Hello guys,
The most telling is the Coastal Artillery Badge, which still shows excess material at the bottom of the wreath, from the casting gateways.

Best regards,
Tom

Hi Tom,

Excellent observation. The Coastal Artillery has precisely the same excess material and reverse surface markings around the missing top hook as the Weitze badge that Hubert posted. Clearly from the same mold.

What a waste of human effort!

Best regards,
---Norm

Edt: Sorry, you were posting simultaneously so my post is redundant.

[Tom Yanacek]

Here is an enlargement of the other two:

What is the blob of material on the front of this Minesweeper Badge?

[Norm F]

What is the blob of material on the front of this Minesweeper Badge?

Pure crap.

I seem to remember once seeing a cast fake of this type. I'll have to look at my records when I get home.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Jody]

KM Badges

Hello,
For the record, I do not like any of them.

Jody

[Norm F]

I seem to remember once seeing a cast fake of this type. I'll have to look at my records when I get home.

Here's the one other example of this Minesweeper that I didn't like. Colour and texture seems off and although the hardware looks quite convincing, the catch opens to the right whereas all "normal" examples have the catch opening to the left.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

A couple of "normal" ones for comparison.

[BubbaZ]

Hi Norm,
I agree the one from Weitze's looks suspicious for the reasons you've pointed. Let's keep an eye on them, maybe some other examples pop out.
I also enclose two 'normal' badges of this kind from my collection.
Cheers,
Hubert