Silver Wound Badge, 30

[Methius]

Hello everyone!

Here my last entry, a Silver Wound Badge marked 30.

I have 3 question about it, please help me to clarify.

1) Comparing to other german badge types, this is quite heavy in weight. Is it normal?

2) Why there are traces of gold color around the swastika, on the front edge and the pin?

3) The seller told me it was made in tombak, but could it be also zinc?

Thank you!

[Hans N]

Hi Methius,

first of all welcome to the forum!

1. It is made of tombak (a brass alloy with around a minimum of 70% copper) and that is a heavy alloy. Especially when the badge is massive like yours.

2. the gold color as you describe it actually the tombak exposed under the silver finish.

3. No zink is a porous metal that very often looses is finish and thus gives the badges a very grayish tone. There are zink 30 badges but the design is no the same in terms of the hardware which are intergrated to the badge it self. In some cases however there are zink badges that has a primer beneath the final finish which can be mistaken for a massive tombak by an unexperianced collector or dealer

[Tom Yanacek]

Nice badge.

Best regards,
Tom

[Shaver]

Hello,

a nice WB from Hauptmünzamt Wien with the rare "swordneedle".

Regards Shaver

[Methius]

1. It is made of tombak (a brass alloy with around a minimum of 70% copper) and that is a heavy alloy. Especially when the badge is massive like yours.

2. the gold color as you describe it actually the tombak exposed under the silver finish.

3. No zink is a porous metal that very often looses is finish and thus gives the badges a very grayish tone. There are zink 30 badges but the design is no the same in terms of the hardware which are intergrated to the badge it self. In some cases however there are zink badges that has a primer beneath the final finish which can be mistaken for a massive tombak by an unexperianced collector or dealer

Thank you very much!!

[Thomas Durante]

Hi Methius,

Welcome to the WAF forum!

Nice original wound badge in silver by Haupmunzampt. They are relatively common, however, always good quality and the ones with wider pin like yours are very desirable. Nice example.

Hans answered all your questions perfectly, well done Hans.

Tom

[Arctic War]

Hi Methius,

Welcome to the WAF forum

I myself am not the biggest fan of the Haupmunzampt badges, but still a nice and desirable Silver Wound Badge you got there!

Kind regards,

AW

[Methius]

Thank you all for kind judgments and welcomes

If you take it alone, maybe it's not the most fascinating badge although always well designed...in my opinion, this badge gives his best as part of triptych with EK I and Infantrie Sturmabzeichen.