Unqualified Gunner Badge Comments?

[stogieman]

Here's a controversial badge that's in a friends collection. He has sent me these photos and I invite any/all comments and observations. Thanks!

[stogieman]

Reverse

Of interest to me, besides the maker mark, are the rivets. Note the dimples!

[Joseph D'Errico]

HI Rick,

Not even close to an original. I have owned three and sold them all. Maybe the new owners will post a pic. Or I can with their permission. Once you see the pics their will not be the slightest doubt.

Best,
JD

[Philippe DB]

Hi Rick,

Certainly a strange looking eagle but I like it a lot. Curious to see what the consensus will be on this one

KR
Philippe

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Rick,

The wreath as far as shape and leaves go, looks GWL to me, right down to the slightly misshaped swastika.
But the bird....that would be the THIRD type bird I see on a supposedly original GWL air gunner (qualified or not)!
The rivets also do not look typical GWL to me. I base my opinions on air gunner badges by GWL (regular ones).

Cheers, Frank

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hi Rick,

Here is a link to one of the pieces that I sold. Hope this helps as the differences are obvious. Also all three examples that I have sold had the same format.

http://www.reichauctions.com/thumbna...thumbnail2.htm

Best
JD

[Frank Heukemes]

Ok, I tried to bring the two a bit closer to each other to make my point. IMO this is all about different eagle and different rivets. Apart from that it seems the badge shapes are very much the same, even the maker mark.

[Frank Heukemes]

reverses

[Frank Heukemes]

maker marks

[W. C. Stump]

How Many Known Manufactures Produced The Unqualified Air Gunner's Badge? I Have Only Seen One Maker Of These Badges And It Was Prodced By Deumer, Ludenshied.

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Bill,

There are other ones, Assmann is another sure one.

Cheers, Frank

[Frank Heukemes]

To confuse this a bit, here is a GWL air gunner with a Deumer eagle and setup, but with a GWL wreath! Real?

Cheers, Frank

[Frank Heukemes]

reverse

[Joseph D'Errico]

Hello Frank,

yes, you just could not resist and post that mutt badge

But the original badge posted by Rick may show some similarities ;

- The eagle looks like a goose

- Rivets are incorrect

- Finish is not what was used on the GWL gunner's.

-Look closely at the "G" in the maker mark

The badge Rick posted is IMHO a repo. I have seen five examples all the same and owned three. The one I posted pics of was the lesser of the three, in terms of condition.

Best,
JD

[Frank Heukemes]

Dear Joe,


We cannot compare the finish, we are talking two entirely different badges here, finish wise!

I took a hard look at the G in GWL and it is the same. It takes some imagination to "neutralize" the different lighting/shadow effects in your mind/eyes.

Cheers, Frank