Royal Irish Rifles Lapel ?
 

Hello Guys,
Does anybody know if this is a Lapel badge? It looks to small to be a collar badge. It has two copper fixing wires to the rear, approx 2 inches long, and the badge itself is about the size of a new 1 penny piece or smaller. I have several other different badges of the approx same size, but all have the fixings broken off.
Jim

Looks like a boss badge.

The fixing wires and size look like a boss badge.

Ahhh....thanks for that lads, I see now what a boss badge is. I never even knew they existed. I have several of these, all different, and all without the actual backing. Just the tiny metal badges, and most without fixings. I will look closer into it. Thanks for the input.
Jim

That is very corroded, Boss badges tended to be Silver, but the wire could have been added later as it's in a loop where just two seperate wire would be, also found with threaded posts

Billy,
I bent the wires around myself for ease of storage, they are actually 2 long straight wires. Maybe the badge itself is very old, its not been cleaned at all. I do not know anything about boss badges. I will try to find out more now that I know what it is.
Jim

Jim there is so much crud it looks like rust? Perhaps a gentle clean in warm soapy water with an old toothbrush can help it could well be that if not Silver it could have been Silver plated and Plating gone leaving a Copper badge, but in places the badge looks Bronze? A clean would help! Billy

Could it be blackened brass

I do not have the badge with me to clean it up at the moment, all these badges have been sitting in a bag of unknowns for a few years now. This was a random example of a photo I took earlier. However I do not think it was ever silvered, I too think it was blackened brass, I have other examples both blackened and silvered and even enameled (if they are indeed boss badges) but I will have to wait until I return home to be able to post a picture of them.
Jim

I'd be careful if cleaning them.
A blackened brass badge can easily become an unpainted one that is just shiny brass or tainted by a fresh coat of paint.

The rough finish on the badge give me the impression that it has been buried in soil at some time.

EBRO,
I promise I have not dug anybody up to get at their badge, but I think if it had been buried in soil the wires would probably not still be in place.

From the images I'm thinking the badge is just blackened brass with a good surface but with gunk and fluff on it that'll just brush off with no requirement for any other form of cleaning which would be liable to damage the original black finish.
As Billy says, a soft brushing with a toothbrush and warm, soapy water?
I could of course be wrong.

If blackened brass its a bandsmans boss badge worn on a larger oval shaped boss pre WW1

If blackened brass its a bandsmans badge worn on a larger oval boss pre WW1.