Badge prices

[Sonofacqms]

I have noticed just recently that badge prices seem to be at an all time high, whether this is a "blip" or shades of the future I am not sure.

I recently went to an auction locally which was incidently online and was totally amazed by the price realised of a lot of 90 badges, not all cap, but collar and shoulder titles which also had IMO a fair share of modern copies.

The bottom line was that these badges made £10 each by my basic maths after all was said and done.

Needless to say this was sold to a buyer who bid online, the estimate for this lot was £100-£200 which again IMO was more realistic.

So are badges getting more scarce or desirable, badges seem to go for high prices on ebay as well.

Opinions welcomed

Rob

[Cribyn]

Hello Rob

Could this be the impact of the First World War commemorations?

I'm not sure about badges but most 'standard' buttons I see on places like ebay are being advertised as "World War One Period" when clearly the vast majority of them had a much longer life span.

It seems to me that a lot more of the general public are becoming interested in the buttons, badges and so on worn by their ancestors that sales of "World War One" items must have increased and this must have pushed prices up for those items.

Is this having a knock on effect on the rest of the badge collecting world? What is going to happen once we get past '1918' and the general public loses interest?

Just a few thoughts!

Roger

[billy]

Lots of cheap buttons and badges I hope!

[Alan O]

I suspect it has more to do with the proliferation of on-line dealers. Lots more have set up and they can only get stock from the same sources as you. Badges on ebay are bought by the same buyers and then reappear on SMM or their websites soon after.

However you only have to look at the size of some dealers stock lists to see that their prices are not always attractive. The best quality will always sell but when you are asking £10+ for a common line infantry badge.....

[Sonofacqms]

Well, I must say that the Great War centenary may have something to do with badge price rises, but I wonder whether low interest rates could also have some bearing, this lot was estimated IMO about right, but maybe someone was making an investment for the future although apart from an Italian fascist badge there was little I could see worth over £200.

Rob