Various Burma Police and Burma Rifles badges
 

These were sold on Ebay yesterday and when I first saw them last week I had my doubts about their authenticity. They fetched silly prices but, as I didn't bid on them, this is not a case of sour grapes.

I would welcome any thoughts as to the quality of these badges.

Firstly, this Rangoon Police pagri badge. I find it very hard to believe that any Colonial Police Force would issue a badge of this quality, even as a prize in a Christmas cracker. It sold for £42.96

It looks like a locally made sand cast offering.

Indeed, a locally made sand cast copy and not an issued badge.

Railway Police Burma.

This is very poorly finished and has two very obvious die flaws. The reverse has some very sharp edges. It sold for £181.99

Burma Police. A poor quality photograph so it is not easy to see the finer detail, or lack of it. Clearly a cast badge. It sold for £42.96

Burma Rifles. This is an absolute shocker and the most poorly made example that I have ever seen. It does not conform to any example that I have ever seen. Clearly a sand cast badge that has been given the finishing touch by being stamped SILVER. It sold for £34.00

This is a genuine Burma Rifles collar badge that appears to be the one that the sand cast badge is based on.

Fully agree with you Simon. All these are dodgy. I was watching them yesterday. The Burma Police badge is probably the best of the lot, but again a copy. The original in white metal which I have has a heavy pin fitting. I was keen to see what the Burma Railway Police would make. I am 100 percent certain it's a copy but I thought I would take it as a keepsake if I could get it around 30ish. Some poor sod has paid a lot of money for this. A similar badge sold a few years for nearly 200. There was another brand new looking piece with Castle Militaria a couple of years ago and I asked Lew and he said it was silver plate. Another battered badge sold for around the same figure on ebay with another regular seller of colonial badges. A lot of dodgy Indian badges coming up of late. I only posted last week about all these white metal badges which look as good as new which at least I'm sure are copies..
Really sad for the hobby and which is why I'm not buying badges these days unless I'm absolutely certain they're good.
It's a shame really and takes the joy out of collecting

This is a cast copy of the original in silver that you have a pair of. It immediately struck me as a cast copy right down to the silver stamp..what a mess!

I has a chance to buy a genuine Burma Police badge at the old Montgomery Street Market in Rangoon on my last morning in Burma back in 1986.

I had an afternoon flight to Bangkok and was having a last look round the sprawling market. I found the cap badge on a stall but the stall holder was away somewhere and his neighbour didn't know the price of the badge. I wandered off intending to come back and buy it, however the market was vast and I never managed to find the stall again. I would have stayed longer looking for it but had to get back to the hotel to collect my luggage.

I have often thought about going back one day, as I have convinced myself that if only I could find the stall, the badge will still be there waiting for me. It is really strange how these things stay in your mind, even after all these years.

I don't think that it was cast from a badge exactly the same as mine as there are quite a few subtle differences in the design, but it is certainly based on it.

I was going to bid on the burma railways badge, but I had a bad feeling about it, didnt quite sit right.

I visited in 2005 but at that time was not collecting badges or medals, but I found lots of curios in Rangoon..even a Japanese bayonet from WW2 which I could not buy as not allowed in India.
Lovely country and always meant to go again.. someday time and health permitting I will.. doubt if any good stuff turns up now...but you never know...

Another of the Rangoon Police badges on ebay by the same seller. There are also some others listed which don't look good....this is becoming a growing problem with colonial police badges....