Naval Officers metal cap badges
 

Hi, I have five metal cap badges in my Royal Navy collection, a KC and QC bimetal Small beret badge, a second pattern RND badge (which may be a copy) and then a bronzed badge which I believe to be a 1st pattern RND officers badge variant - with the outer pellets. I’ve just bought, in a job lot, the same badge but in bimetal and with cut of wire fixings. Any thoughts on these last two badges please?

Hi Fuzzybadge

Looking at your 4 badges, if I am honest the only one I would be totally confident with is the Royal Navy Officer's beret badge. The 2nd pattern RND badge is one I have never really been too happy with in the die stamped version like yours, the main reason for this is that there is a dealer on ebay who sold these on a weekly basis a few years ago, he still sells them every now and then under a different name but they are all die stamped and sometimes he even goes to the trouble of breaking one of the blades off just to give it that "worn" impression. I have a version of this style of badge but mine is die cast with a smoother back. I have only seen a few like this but this is the version I would always go for. There is another die cast 2nd pattern badge which is more flat than this and the back is a bit more crude but I still believe it to be a good version. Moving on to your first pattern RND badge, none of the RND officer badges I own have the berries (pellets) in between the leaves. If you look at a standard RN officer's cap or beret badge you will see that they only ever have 2 berries and these are in the uppermost leaves with one either side of the crown. I am not sure where the badge with 6 berries like your originated but I have always (maybe wrongly) associated these with a foreign navy. For the 1st pattern RND badge I would again prefer to see a die cast version as opposed to a die stamped version. I have both versions and years ago I was told by a dealer that the die stamped version I have was a Ludlow of London version, I have never found any proof of that but still keep the badge in my collection although it is the version I am least convinced about. Your newest badge is one that I was watching on ebay and while it was on there I saw the back without the backing cloth and thought it looked very rough and I believe it is one that has been cast, not by a recognised badge manufacturer, as the front is also quite rough from what I remember. These are my own opinions and I wouldn't advocate getting rid of any of your badges based on them but personally I would look for die cast variants over die stamped.

I have attached some of the RND officer's badge I have in my own collection so that you can compare with yours.

Paddy

Thanks Paddy, I hoped you’d pick up on this. I’ve looked through your RND album hoping for something similar. Yes Both the back and front of the bimetal badge is rather crude. I do find the extra berries on these intriguing as I’ve not seen them on any other badge, and the kings crown suggests British or Empire Origin. To find them on two such similar forms of badge must be more than coincidence. I guess there are many variants out there and, while I will treat them all with some suspicion, I will certainly hang on to them.

Another oddity I have from eBay is this chap. A very dished, three part ‘Badge’, with no obvious means of attachment. It fits nicely on a Brodie helmet and a pith helmet, but have never seen an image of such a thing in use. I imagine it could be off a plaque or vase or something, but it’s dished shape reduces the field rather. Any thoughts again welcome please.

Hi Fuzzybadge

Do you have the WWII economy version of the officer’s cap badge, the version with the metal laurel leaves, crown and anchor on a cloth background? I believe this is the metal part of that badge, the cloth background either removed or perished.

Paddy

Of course! Yes that's exactly what it is. Oh well, not an exotic after all - but interesting to see the 'skeleton'.