Fake zinc wound badge? Opinions welcome

[Mark S.]

In discussion with a collecting friend it was mentioned that zinc wound badges that have a inscribed line above the hinge could be fake.

The line looks like it could be from having the hinge sawed out, but if this is the case, why dont all have it? Seems as if it is either there or it isnt. I have a silver 65 marked wound badge in zinc, and it shows no traces of this mark.

I see this type of badge frequently on major dealers pages, and although I am not discounting my friends information, I would like to hear others opinions and thoughts on this matter.

[rkoy]

hello mark
on the wound badge site they say the same thing, all wb # 65 with that above the hinge are fake. i dont know where they got the info but,they know more than me about wb. rodney

[Mark S.]

I wrote Javier and asked him to reply to this post. He may be on to to something, and if its a fact, then its the best kept secret out there.

I trust his knowledge as well, but I would like to hear what others think, as I have a feeling a lot of these badges are in peoples collections.

[Javier D. Garcia]

Hi Mark,

I´ve been studing the "65´s" for a long time and there´s a big difference between an original and the fakes (when you know what to look for)
I´ll give you a list of points to check when you get a badge from this maker:
- The "line" above the hinge.
- The pin is rounded at the end, not sharp as it must be.
- The pin and hinge use to be rusted.
- The finish in the badge looks like painted, in special the pin.
- This badges use to be in mid to bad condition, showing rust.
- The catch looks "bigger" than the originals.

Well, I hope all this help.

Regards.

Javier.

[Mark S.]

Thanks Javier!

Is your website down? I get "page cannot be displayed" through my favorites shortcut and the link in your profile.

[Javier D. Garcia]

Hi Mark,

I´ve no idea what hapend with my page but the host it´s also down, so we´ve to wait and see what hapened.
I hope you find the info. above helpfull.

Javier.

[Chrvip68]

Hello,

About the line that have some WB's above the hinge are the one's when they have cast in hinge.
This happens because the round point of the pin "pushes" hard the body of the badge and the height of the hinge is low,with the result the line.I think the problem isn't the hinge itself but the shape of the pin.

Now,that doesn't mean that all the badges that have the "line" are fakes.

Other makers like the late "30's" with cast in hinge and catch,some has the inscribed line above the hinge.

Javier he has done an extended research and study to this maker.
I just want to add some points that the originals have:

About the markings when these are found above
the catch the "5" must be a little below.
On the front the wreath and the "fat" and crisp berries are unique characteristic for this maker.
About the finish,all that badges(originals) that i have examine has the coarse-grained finish and you can understand this when you start rubbing you finger on the badge.
Last,none of them has rusted hinge and catch.

Hope that this was some kind of help.

[Javier D. Garcia]

It looks like nobody is interested in this topic.
I´d like to hear the opinion from some of the senior members here or dealers that use to be around here, please!

Whe are talking about a new fake in the market that no one knew till now!

Javier.
German Wound Badges

[Sebastian Bianchi]

Just for the record, I am very interested in this topic. I have never seen these fakes either, nor have I seen one with the slit live and in color. I do have two of these at home, from good sources, and I’ll scan them and place the picture on this thread.

Seba

[rkoy]

hello javier and chris
i am very interested in this thread, i have emaied you several times with questions on wb. also i emailed you about this very same thing an a gold wb on jamie cross site, so dont get discouraged were just waitng to see what else comes up!!!!! rodney

[Rene Chavez]

Gentlemen, here is a Gold Wound "65" Badge that I purchase from Jamie Cross. It does not show the line above the hinge. Any opinions?

Rene

[Javier D. Garcia]

Thanks!

To Rene: Just check the points I mentionated in my post above. Then compare your badge and the one pictured in the first post... Do you need more explanations?
But in the other hand, your badge is interesting because the pic´s looks a bit different from the "65´s" standarts. Could you please email me better pics?

To Rodney: Thanks for your e-mails

In our page you can find a good article about the "65´s" under the WWII section.
(We´re always looking for new documentation to let the page grow up so please send us your pics. Thank you.)

Javier.

German Wound Badges

[ 10 October 2001: Message edited by: Javier D. Garcia ]

[Paul Massucci]

Ok,for those interested, here are some pics of a silver grade zinc
usually thought to be of the earlier type. It meets the criteria given on Javier's and Chris' site

[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0KgBFVB0OVyQR8fX0TVxERYpjmy8m6iRDo1KIRZZ*k*dftZKVr xf6vuRIBnw5jxSrAVlli6Q5qNI/65swbft.jpg[/img]



[img]http://communities.msn.com/_Secure/0KwAgVEIORSydSkdVcUsJmFgyFeHxJyQpO*m4TXbo0mcIjmlSn yu8WGNpe5gp1*Esvducc1sQPBg/65swbbk2.jpg[/img]

[Mark S.]

Nothing better than a post that turns into a learning experience! Thanks to everyone who has replied.

Javier made me aware of this 'cut mark' some time ago, and I was curious as to who else was aware of it, especially when I see these badges for sale at major dealers sites.

Also, on another point, it seems like there are alot of variations in the way 65 is marked on the badges I see around. For instance, Gailen David has two 65 marked badges for sale, and neither has a mark comparable to the ones seen here. No implications or judgements implied, but it might be worth checking out. I would be curious to know just how many different type of marks these have.
http://www.gdmmilitaria.com./

For reference purposes, here is the front of the gold WB I showed in the intitial post:



And pictures of another 65 wound badge I have, silver class. These seems to fall into the parameters Javier outlined previously.

[Warren O]

I have both the silver and gold 65 badges the silver is perfect and in its maroon box,its mark is center of the badge. The gold is marked just above the catch. Both pins are pointed but I have noticed a slight difference in the placement of the hinge and catch. The center marked silver's hinge and catch are closer to the top and bottom edges of the badge by a couple of millimeters. The 65 mark also seems to be better quality on the center placed mark. Both are 44mm x 36mm.
Warren