Mysterious badges Poll #1, Balloon Observers badge

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Peter, drop the pics in an e mail to me at:
asummerof44@aol.com
and I will post them upon your behalf.
Cheers, Ade.

[W. C. Stump]

Peter's Badge

Peter sent me scans of his badge. Here they are.

[W. C. Stump]

Close Up

Close Up.

[W. C. Stump]

REVERSE OF pETER'S BADGE

Reverse.

[mcglone1110]

Thanks guys for posting them for me

Could you please advise of the best thing to use for taking photos for show
In the scanned ones it seems that object closer to the glass on the scanner come up at lot brighter and sharper while the objects further away are blurred.Is there a better way to scan objects that aren't flat or flush on the glass
any photos with the web camera don't come up sharp i think because of the pixel size and resolution is not good enough
is there away good links that deal with this matter because I think must be absolutely vital to first impressions
I probably havent done myself any favours here because no photos posted for me really show its true quality
tanks again

[W. C. Stump]

Reverse

Peter sent a clearer scan of the reverse of his badge.

[ben bijker]

lw para badge??

I haven't seen proof of the balloon-observer badge either, but I don't agree that the badge in the pic is a alw para-badge.
The main part of the badge goes from the left-hand upper corner to the right-hand lower corner.

The eagleon the LW para-badge goes from the right-hand upper corner to the left-hand lower corner.

The pics are to vague to identify the badge, but it's either a retired pilot badge (which is hardly likely) OR a retired pilot's badge (which is hardly likely either)

regards,
ben

[ben bijker]

lw para badge??

although the pic is to vague to idebtify the badge i have to disagree with the conclusion that it's a paratrooper badge.
The "main part" of the paratrooper badge is positioned from the upper right to the lower left.
It's pretty clear theat the badge in the picture is the other way around, but the swastika in the picture shows it is no a mirror-image of the original negative.

therefore the badge can only be a balloon observer badge (hardly likely) OR a retired pilot's badge (also hardly likely)

beats me......

Regards,
ben

[ben bijker]

ooops!!

some pictures were posted while I was working on my reply.

The needle and catch and the overall appearance of the badge don't looktoo original....

But, as far as the pictured badge in this thread concerns, it's not a lw para badge....

ben

[Denis]

Hello
Sorry Ben but this is a LW para badge. Even if the photo is fuzzy and the badge shape might be misleading (due to the way it is worn on the recipient's jacket), it reamins a LW para badge. HAve also a look on the Wound badge, it is also "distorted" but this is a WB.
It can't be a Balloon badge since there is no trace of the eagle which should be located at the top of the badge while this eagle is clearly seen on the IAB.
Regards
Denis

[John Mascali]

although the pic is to vague to idebtify the badge i have to disagree with the conclusion that it's a paratrooper badge.
The "main part" of the paratrooper badge is positioned from the upper right to the lower left.
It's pretty clear theat the badge in the picture is the other way around, but the swastika in the picture shows it is no a mirror-image of the original negative.

therefore the badge can only be a balloon observer badge (hardly likely) OR a retired pilot's badge (also hardly likely)

beats me......

Regards,
ben

Ben,

Look again. It is clearly a Luftwaffe paratrooper badge. If it was a Balloon Observer badge there would be a Wehrmacht eagle visible on the top. It also looks nothing like a Retired Pilot badge.

I voted that the badge never existed during WWII.

Respectfully,

John Mascali

[jani_tiainen]

Final Score

It looks like that this topic raises questions all time, but here is the final score:
9% Of believed in this badge (#1 on chart)
49% Believed in specimes (#2 on chart)
42% Did not believe in this badge. (#3 on chart)

Conclusion, over half of us thinks, that somewere could be one or few originals...

[W. C. Stump]

Something To Think About

Something popped up in Germany last week that may or may not be a note worth discovery. Here is an Army Balloon Observer's Badge like no other on today's collecting scene. It looks more like the original Ellmar Lang designed matrix and sure is not a crippled hump back flawed fake of the late 1960's. This is where the pole may just quiver, shake or fall. Could this be one of the "few" original produced badges or a brand new crop of fakes?

[W. C. Stump]

Reverse

Reverse

[W. C. Stump]

Close Up Of The Head Of The Eagle.

Eagle's head.