Large brass or GM Rifle Bbrigade badge ?

[Alan Y]

Hello all,

I have come across a large Rifle Brigade badge in brass or gilding metal which I cannot identify. It measures just over 2 ¾ inches [70mm] high and just over 2 inches [52mm] wide. It feels quite a strong badge with good detail front and back, the lugs are quite thick and do not bend easily. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance – Alan Y.

RB 1.jpg RB 2.JPG RB 3.JPG

Hello Alan,

You may find this thread of interest:

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ad.php?t=13862

Cheers, mate,

Peter.

Alan,

Are you certain your badge is g/m? I have had many a badge that has appeared to be g/m, which turned out to be w/m in need of a good clean.

PJ

[Charlie585]

Hi Alan,

The badge you show is a Rifle Brigade pouch badge. They are much copied and are usually White Metal. Yours could just be in need of a good clean.

I have what I consider to be an original although it has been commented that the Loops on these badges preclude them from being pouch badges, not an opinion that I agree with.

They images below show the badge in its intended use.

Regards

Ry

[Charlie585]

Here is my example for comparison.

Along with another RB badge (Helmet Plate) that I received today.

Ry

Very nice new acquisitions, Ry.

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Alan,

Here is an example of w/m posing as g/m under layers of grime:

Norfolk Cap Badge (1).jpg

The slider is of course not w/m, but this helps to show how close to the g/m colour, w/m can become.

PJ

[Charlie585]

Peter,

I landed what looked like a very nice blackened brass DLI badge a while back.

I was disappointed to learn upon cleaning it that it was actually no more than a very dirty WM example.

I'm getting into the habit of giving my new acquisitions the Lemon juice treatment now, pleased with the results so far.

Ry

[Alan Y]

Thanks Peter and Ry for your rapid replies.

Firstly, Peter – Thanks for the link which I’ve looked at, and the badge I have corresponds to yours exactly in its dimensions, pattern etc, the only difference I can see is possibly the lugs are slightly higher on the one I have, but even then, noticeably the LH side lug as looked at on the image, the RH one is slightly lower.
I’m almost certain it is GM or brass but it is a pale yellow coloured brass rather than a deeper, golden brass colour, I would imagine if it was white metal, the highlights would show though a more silver colour than they actually do on the badge I have.
There doesn’t appear to be any patination on the front of the badge, and only moderate patination on the back, but it does look to have some age, which might correspond to a badge which could have been made in the 1990’s, as Matti suggests. I don’t think it is old enough to have acquired the type of coloration like that on your Norfolk badge.
The lugs do not appear to have large feet, or at least they are not visible below the braze, and they are of a quite heavy gauge copper.
Ry – Thanks for the images of the pouch and pouch badges, as Peter says, very nice examples. I don’t think my badge would come up as white metal if polished or cleaned. It’s been offered to me for sale, so I cannot really do much with it unless I buy it.
It feels like a heavy badge, and has a good thickness to it, was the copy that Matti refers to a lighter weight and in white metal ?

Thanks again for the response – Regards Alan Y

Originally Posted by Alan Y

...was the copy that Matti refers to a lighter weight and in white metal ?

Alan,

Unable to assist with regard to the weight of Matti's badge, but I presume his was w/m, as there is no mention of g/m in either of his posts.

Hopefully he will pick up this thread and enlighten us.

Cheers mate,

Peter.

[Charlie585]

Originally Posted by Alan Y

was the copy that Matti refers to a lighter weight and in white metal ?

Yes Alan, the Brass GM one that you have been offered is the first one of these I've seen that isn't WM.

The only Brass / GM RB items that I have seen have originally been blackened, or nickel or Silver plated.

Although I have yet to confirm it in person I have been told by an experienced collector that the Victorian Glengarry badge was made and I assume used in un-blackened brass.

Ry

[Alan Y]

Thanks again Peter and Ry,

There appears to be little wear from use or polishing to the face of the badge, so I don’t think it could be an old badge, in fact it looks unused, but the quality of the strike looks a lot better than any modern repro’s I’ve come across.
It also shows no signs of any blackening or plating, so I assume it is as it was made.

Regards to you both – Alan.