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-   -   On War Service white metal or chromed badges (https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85170)

tarabelle 02-06-21 11:02 AM

On War Service white metal or chromed badges
 
2 Attachment(s)
Hey :)

So I've been doing some searching and I know there was some discussion about these but I cant seem to find out why there were chrome versions or silver plate versions issued :confused::confused:

Does anyone know ?

T X

Noooot mines (unfortunately :(

Charliedog012012 02-06-21 11:15 AM

More likely that they are Nickel plated. They are nice examples. As to why they were issued there does not appear to be any clear explanation. It has been suggested that they may have been worn by supervisors or even were nickel plated as a ‘Thank You’ for the work of the munition workers throughout the war. Others on the forum may be able to offer more information.
Cheers
James

mike_vee 02-06-21 12:38 PM

Most of the ones I have seen appear to have been plated/chromed after manufacture/issue , this suggests it was done by the factory or individual worker. While they may have been for supervisors , what would happen if someone was promoted/demoted ?

Officially these badges were meant to be returned when their contract finished , but obviously most were not , so perhaps a worker had their badge chromed/plated when they finished work as a keepsake (bling existed even then !) . :D

I have found no official documentation explaining thses badges , unlike the enamelled War Munitions Volunteeer and the first issue of the 1915 OWS badges.

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mike_vee 02-06-21 01:08 PM

The 1916 (Women's) badge is interesting as it has 'rounded' corners , close examination appears to show it has been 'modified' before being chromed/plated.

There is discussion about whether these 'rounded corner' badges were manufactured or modified but in most cases photos show evidence they had the corners sheared or filed off.

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tarabelle 02-06-21 01:48 PM

Thank you Mike and Charlie :)

They must be quite scarce cos I can only find one of the triangular one and I couldn't find any examples of the round 1915 one :confused:

T X

mike_vee 02-06-21 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarabelle (Post 551136)
Thank you Mike and Charlie :)

They must be quite scarce cos I can only find one of the triangular one and I couldn't find any examples of the round 1915 one :confused:

T X

They do pop up now and again but be careful because a combination of being highly polished and lighting (filters) make some brass one look like chromed/plated .

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tarabelle 02-06-21 05:12 PM

No these two are very definitely chrome or nickel or silver plate

T X

mike_vee 06-06-21 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarabelle (Post 551128)

Noooot mines (unfortunately :(

If you want them they are both now on eBay with starting prices of £29.99 for 1916 and £19.99 for 1915 !

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Frank Kelley 06-06-21 06:34 PM

Certainly money in these things!:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_vee (Post 551493)
If you want them they are both now on eBay with starting prices of £29.99 for 1916 and £19.99 for 1915 !

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dumdum 07-06-21 12:58 AM

Hi

I've purchased a few of the 1915 unenamelled badges and became curious to see if they were chromed or plated or nickel silver.

A very discreet scratch (much like they use to test gold) would seem to show white metal.

Would this suggest that they did indeed produce these in white metal?

And yes, do watch for photos that appear to show a white metal badge but they are listed as "brass"!


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