Kriegsmarine Destroyer Badge

[pavement74]

Hi. I've been offered this destroyer badge. It was found in a 1940s dump site with other U.S. military items. Does it look authentic?

[Martin W]

IMO it is an original tombak Schwerin.

The condition is poor but from what i can see i think it is a good one.The maker mark and reverse hardware look OK.


Regards,Martin.

[John R.]

Looks good to me also.

What is the story that goes along with it?

John

[pavement74]

Thanks so much for the confirmation!! It was found by a couple metal detecting in an old dump in Pennsylvania. They found ww2 era syringes, buttons, locks, etc. all at one location. Maybe a pow camp? Hospital site? Really strange!!

[BubbaZ]

It does look authentic! No question about it.
Cheers,
Hubert

[Norm F]

I agree, an original Schwerin but corroded over time in the ground. It's interesting to see because there was a previous posting of one with the same colour to the raw Tombak -- I guess that's a patina that occurs under specific environmental conditions. Maybe the one in the other thread was also ground-dug and then cleaned up?

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=688033

Best regards,
---Norm

[pavement74]

You're right. They do look quite similar. That's what it must look like when the gold comes off. What is Tombak?
I just got it tonight. I paid $100.

[John R.]

A brass alloy. You paid exactly what it is worth IMO. John

[Norm F]

A brass alloy.

More specifically, Tombak/tombac is a brass alloy (i.e. copper and zinc) in which the copper content is quite high, i.e. greater than 85%.

Here's the thread on badge materials from the pinned "Other Useful Threads" topic.
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=454572

You'll find a wealth of reading in the pinned threads on a variety of topics.

Best regards,
---Norm