Conversation with a non-collector

[Mike B]

Being completely bigoted:

Duff badges in my opinion are only produced by con artists after a quick buck. There is a dilemma with 'living history groups' etc where the word REPRODUCTION should be indelibly marked on the reverse of any insignia or item that is not original. The problem being that those new to the hobby can subsequently be deceived - to me that is simply criminal!

I also retain 'copies/fakes' in a chamber of horrors as a personal reference archive. The 'more realistic' ones can be quite educational.

Also - they can serve as a reminder to be vigilant

I always think it best not to 'wittingly' mix good and bad items as such a mix casts doubt on all items. Who buys from a dealer displaying any known fake? - same applies if you knowingly display duff items in your collection - who will take your collection seriously if you have an unmarked dud in there?

Wow - that all sounds very uncompromising, may be a tad unreasonable.

I was always taught - 'If in doubt leave it out' - and buy only from those you trust.

Forum advice is valuable given the expertise here, I am sure most of us are still learning (however long we have collected) and collective knowledge is of great benefit. However, I notice many experts are wisely never totally prescriptive. We can all be surprised and proved wrong by a perfectly valid variant.