Most expensive CEF infantry badges

[Loyalist]

As a relative newcomer to the world of CEF badges, I am slowly doing what many others have done - working away at collecting the 260 numbered infantry badges. Would some of the more experienced collectors here on this forum list the ten hardest to find, and most costly infantry cap badges?

[Roy]

Hi Loyalist,

May I sincerely wish you every success with your project.

I am certainly no expert on CEF badges at all. However I do have a small collection (see album link below). Probably my rarest badge thus far and certainly my most expensive to date is the 50th Gordons.

An interesting question and I for one will look forward to seeing what some of the answers are.

Cheers, Roy.

Album link: http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...p?albumid=2619

[Bill A]

Hi Loyalist. A lot of variables affect the answer to your question. If you are collecing other ranks' badges, the values are quite different from officers' badges. Some officers' badges are expensive. Very expensive.
As for the other ranks badges, 9th, 247, 248, and 252 are rare, expensive and very difficult to find. In addition the 73rd is hard. (See the other recent thread about this badge.) There are more hard badges and I am sure other CEF collectors will add to this.

[whizzbang]

Hi Loyalist,

There's a thread somewhere here that covers the top three or five or so from a couple years ago but I think it would be interesting to see what people are thinking these days. So, in my opinion, 1-260 infantry battalions only and OR badges only:

9 (though I'm not convinced there was an OR version)
247
252
250
248
73

Gets harder at this point but here are some hard to find and hence pricey badges:

259/260
122 (3 patterns)
152
153
162
174
179
210
215
236 (2 patterns)
239
241
243
246
251
254
256
257

Start getting into officer's badges, infantry drafts (like Roy's 50th Gordon Highlanders Draft) and some corps badges and it's a whole new game!

Don't let this lengthy list put you off -there are deals to be had out there, the motivation of every collector!

Cheers, Ian.

Just saw Bill's answer posted as I was writing. Good to see we agree on the top five! (Almost!)

[Bill A]

Sorry Ian, I can't count to five...

[Loyalist]

Thanks, fellows. Sadly, I now know that don't yet have any of the costly ones.
Oh well, the hunt continues.

[Darrell]

Hi Loyalist

Save your pop bottles and make an offer!!

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/161819018603?...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

No connection to seller.

regards
Darrell

[Bill A]

Thanks Darrell. The vendor has also listed some other very desireable badges. Some which are as rare as the 247th, or maybe even scarcer than that battalion badge.

[whizzbang]

The seller had this badge listed a few weeks ago for 'only' $2,800.... it didn't sell and now he's listed it for a lot more. I think he feels an emotional attachment to it and really doesn't want to part with it. Maybe his better half got fed up with closets full of badges and is 'motivating' the sale

[Bill A]

Or, he is a master marketer. IF it didn't sell at the opening price, boost it the next time around.

[Phillip Herring]

I'm seeing a trend of more money than brains or knowledge in boosting badge prices.
There are collectors who see a rare expensive badge, yet know nothing about the badge and the unit that wore it.

Phil