Comments on Gold Wound Badge

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello Wound Badge collectors,
I would welcome any and all comments about this Gold Would Badge. I picked this piece up yesterday for $10. because the seller said it was fake. I bought it because I think it is probably a good one. I have an identical specimen in Silver, that has been in my collection for 20 years. This Gold Wound Badge is made of a good quality base metal, and it is a heavy piece, weighing almost 38 grams. In looking at the reverse, my initial thoughts are of an unmarked early quality '30', but it looks different in several ways. For one thing, the hinge and catch are usually closer to the edges of the badge on a '30'. Also, the hinge is a little different looking from the side on a '30', and the peened over hinge pin is larger on the '30'. The '30's' usually have those concentric circular finishing marks on the reverse surface. This piece has finishing marks as well, but they have only a slight curve to them and run generally across the badge from one side to the other. I could not get these marks to show in the photos.
Thanks & best regards! Tom Yanacek

[Tom Yanacek]

Here is the reverse:

[Tom Yanacek]

Hinge, pin, and catch:

[Tom Yanacek]

Hinge end:

[Tom Yanacek]

Catch end:

[Philippe DB]

Hi Tom,


That indeed a strange one. My first thought also was an unmarked "30" but for the reasons you mentioned it clearly isn't.

Personnally I'm not to keen on it. This should be a buntmetall badge but the material underneath the finish doesn't look like buntmetall, 38 grams is also extremely heavy, but hé strange things happened, the pin looks a little fat as does the catch.

Don't know what to think of it, that's one of these badges you just have to handle to make up your mind.

I'm confident Chris will be able to help us out here.

KR
Philippe

[Frank Heukemes]

My thoughts:

-Original 30 badge
-SILVER class, with silver plating present but darkened
-the "gold" is PAINT. That is whys the Tombak does not come through but the dull silver.

[Tom Yanacek]

Hello Philippe and Frank,

Thanks for your comments about this badge. I too am hoping to hear from Chris Varveris on this one. I think this badge is a good one, I just am not certain that it is an unmarked '30'. I am not concerned about the weight of this piece as these early Wound Badges are extremely heavy, and this one is not made of lead. Frank, I tend to agree with you that under the gold finish this badge is a tarnished, silver-plated one. So whether this was somehow upgraded to a Gold one in the field or whether this was a post-war application, I really am not certain at this point. The gold finish on this badge, although heavily worn, looks to be more than just a thin coating of paint, although I can be totally wrong about this. Regardless of the determination on the gold finish, I think $10. was a great deal on this badge.
Best regards! Tom