QC Para Beret badge and metal Para wing-opinions

[Phill Lockett]

Thanks for chiming in Sean.

Note the roundered top end of the slider, if I read it correctly going by Laurie Archers' obsevations that the restrikes were bent at a right angle as opposed to roundered?

Or were both styles used for original badges?

cheers

Phill

[Luke H]

As mentioned in my previous post Laurie’s observations on these sliders was not accurate inc. the ‘neck braze’.

You’ll find a restrike 22nd Dragoons in this thread with a 1950s large font Gaunt London mark, the slider’s neck has a gentle bend.

[Mike H]

Phil, personally I think that's not right. The bend in the slider will depend on what tooling ,the condition of that tooling,the hardness of the metal being used. A slight variation in any of these will produce a different looking result. Also the amount of pressure used . If its an piece that's used in the initial set up then it will have different characteristics.
If you look at the anodised versions of the Royal Devon Yeomanry Artillery,they break at the slider bend not the joint of badge and slider. The reason is that too much pressure has been applied,to the extent that its almost cutting through the aluminium.

[Phill Lockett]

Much appreciated Mike and Luke for the deatiled clarification.

I guess one of the criteria's is to find the dates of a units service to see its original fastening.

If a slider wasn't used and it resurfaced with a slider passed the date of deactivtion and then restruck in the 1970's Marsh catalogues, wowzer what a minefield for the new modern day collector to sort out!

And I'm just covering 1x QC Para beret badge!

I'm glad I collect cloth "patches."

cheers

Phill

[Luke H]

To demonstrate, the below two 1950s Yeo are genuine and scarce especially the Fife & Forfar beret badge as you’ll not see one for sale sometimes in a year. I’m in no doubt these have not been restruck.

Both these have the mark in the orientation of the claimed restrikes.

Next are two 1970s or after fakes. Both have the mark attributed to genuine issue badges. Clearly they are not genuine.

With large font Gaunt marks there’s an element of you pays your money you takes your chance. My advice would be…

1) check the die your badge is from is actually a (genuine) Gaunt one!
2) does the period of the badge match the large font mark?
3) is the strike, metal, condition what you’d expect from a 50s to early 60s badge.

Sadly yes QC era metal badges are a real minefield and one of the reasons my collection stops at 1952.

[Phill Lockett]

Thanks Luke

Sage advise.

Now you have me wanting to be educated!!

Luke with both regiments having being almalgamated c1956/1957 were or are there sliders that were not marked and used also for my edification when would they have started using sliders.

I have read sliders came into use post war , were they used during WWII or earlier?

I know this can be a complex subject that many of you are well versed but myself its one of those historic collecting areas that say dont go there but I want to learn if just to know what Im looking at.

Again cheers Luke

Phill

[54Bty]

Originally Posted by Phill Lockett

I'm glad I collect cloth "patches."

Phill

They are even easier to fake and are by the hundreds. Including those worn recently, 1990's onwards/

Marc