Glider Pilot Regiment

[mrcjgscott]

Hello all,

I bought this badge a few years ago with some other nice RAF badges, and was wondering if anybody could tell me if its a genuine example?

Any information regarding this Regiment would also be most welcome.

Kind regards,

Chris

[AAC_GPR]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Chris but it's a restrike.

There's tons of stuff about the regiment online, try the wikipedia page -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_Pilot_Regiment

Kev C

[mrcjgscott]

Hi Kev,

Thanks for your reply. It does strike me as a little odd, as the other bits in thr group are spot on, but I guess you can't win them all!

Could I ask what points out that its a restrike? Might be helpful to know for the future!

Many thanks,

Chris

[Luc]

It is the most common replica indeed. Here's an original example.

[Luc]

This is a frosted silver example.

[AAC_GPR]

Originally Posted by mrcjgscott

Hi Kev,

Thanks for your reply. It does strike me as a little odd, as the other bits in thr group are spot on, but I guess you can't win them all!

Hi Chris,

It's a very common mistake to assume that in a lot of badges in which 99% are good, they all must be

Originally Posted by mrcjgscott

Could I ask what points out that its a restrike? Might be helpful to know for the future!

Many thanks,

Chris

Luc's correct to say that your badge is the most commonly seen restrike but I would further add that this particular version is usually marked JR Gaunt London. The lack of a maker mark means nothing though as it has all the attributes of the Gaunt-marked restrike.

So, why don't I think it's an original?. For starters I'd expect to see a healthy dose of tarnish on the underside of the slider (the side you can see when viewing the badge from the front). Ok, so that may well have been cleaned-off at sometime but it's just something I personally like to see on a badge that has been copied as much as this one.

Another thing I've tended to notice on new brass sliders is that they sometimes exhibit a strange, rainbow-like hue or a patchy, light, tarnishing in places - almost like there is more of certain type of metal in the composition of the brass made in recent times. The latter can be seen on this badge.

The rest of my judgement is simply based on the overall 'glitzy' appearance. I must've seen hundreds of Gaunt GPR restrikes and know them well!.

The Firmin-marked KC GPR badge that Luc shows is a much safer bet if you want an original.

Cheers,

Kev C

[Luc]

Originally Posted by AAC_GPR

The Firmin-marked KC GPR badge

There is one on ebay right now, but overpriced if you ask me.

[AAC_GPR]

Originally Posted by Luc

There is one on ebay right now, but overpriced if you ask me.

I'll see if I can find it. Personally I wouldn't pay anymore than about £20 for a minty, how about you Luc?.

Kev C

[Luc]

20 pounds should be enough for a wm one. Frosted silver is a bit more but I can't remember what I paid for mine.

[wright241]

Originally Posted by Luc

20 pounds should be enough for a wm one. Frosted silver is a bit more but I can't remember what I paid for mine.

I paid about 50 for mine.

[AAC_GPR]

Originally Posted by wright241

I paid about 50 for mine.

That should've really bought you the silver-plated version David. Having said that, I don't think you'll have to wait long for the WM badges to start fetching the kind of money you paid for your's. I heard of a silver-plated badge for sale at £60 recently, pm me if interested.

Kev C

[mrcjgscott]

Many thanks Gents,

I shall bear those points in mind for the future!

Kind regards,

Chris