Cased Gold Wound Badge MM(30)

[nellyp51]

Hi all

I have found a cased gold wound badge mm30, and as usual would like opinions before I go ahead and buy this award.

Currently I have a cased silver wound badge mm11 and would like to upgrade to a nice gold wound badge for display.

Also I would appreciate opinions on the case, is this the correct case for this wound badge?. And does it appear to be correct period for this award?.

This is a dealer I ahve now brought a few items off and will continue to buy from as he appears to have just about everythnig that I am after at the moment.

I loved cased awards and think they give the award that little bit more beauty and prestige.

All comments are welcome, and I respect any opinions toward this item.

One more quetion, would anyone be able to give me an idea of what I should pay for this gold wound badge in Euro. I think it is a fair price but I would like to know what the experts would price this award at.

Regards.

Trent.

[nellyp51]

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[Richard]

Trent, the case appears OK but the badge is questionable. The catch looks unlike anything I've seen on a 30 badge and the MM is also one I have not seen on genuine 30 badges. The MM is usually engraved on the reverse and is in the center of the badge not at the base near the catch. Can't say I've ever seen a genuine one with a raised 30. Also on the 30's I've seen, the 3 has a rounded top and not a flat one as on the badge seen here. There is a lack of detail and sharpness on the obverse. The porous/pebbled appearance on surfaces of the badge that should be smooth (back, helmet) make me wonder if this is a cast copy. I would have strong reservations on this one.
Richard V

[Mike Kenny]

Hi Trent,

The case looks genuine, although it may be for an earlier badge. The badge itself looks to be a genuine ZINCER (with correct hinge/pin/catch and raised marking), but I don't recall seeing one with such a great gilt finish on it. The gilt finish also looks a bit "rough" (texture-wise) on the obverse. Personally I question if might be a respray - but that's only from the images and in the hand the finish might be fine and just an effect of micro-bubbling.

Regards
Mike K

[Richard]

Mike, did this maker use this type mark with the flat top 3? I was unaware of this if they did. Should the late zink badges also have the "swirl pattern" for which these badges were noted or would this be subdued on the later badges?
Richard V

[Mike Kenny]

Hi Richard,

The flat-topped 3 is correct for the zincers. The obverse is the same as the tombac 30s (the measurements are very similar but the weights very different as you'd expect) but a different reverse die was used, probably associated with the change to cast-in hinge/catch. Hence, no swirl pattern on these zincers at all.

Most of these I've seen (including my own) have almost no finish remaining, except the pin which is made from a different metal (steel on my example, so the finish has "held" with time).

Regards
Mike K

[nellyp51]

Mike & Richard

Cheers for your comments, maybe I will shop around and see what else Clauss has to offer with his gold wound badges, this is not the only one on the site he has about six cased variations, so I might post them as I go along to see what the general feel of the forum is towards the award.

Mike I can certinly see what you say about a possible respray with this one. Is holding the award in hand the only way to be able to tell this?, I guess so.

Hope all is well down your part of Perth, would be good to catch up for a beer, if the wives let us at some stage.

Clauss has a cased gold mm11, I might post pics of that to se what you both think.

Regards

Trent

[Richard]

Trent, when it comes to wound badges, I will defer to Mike. He is much more expert at these than I am. It appears the only real concern with the badge would be a possible respray of the gold color.
Richard V