Variability in Badge Price Over a Year
 

Last year I thought about tracking the price of a badge on eBay to see how it shaped up over the year. Today I have had the time to correlate the results to see how it looks so thought I would share. Being as I collect to the Observer Corps and Royal Observer Corps, it was understandable that I would use one of their examples. So I chose to look at an Other Ranks Lugged White Metal Cap Badge with a KC. (Example attached).

There are a couple of variants, noticeably ones which are die stamped and ones which are die cast. (I excluded examples with a slider). This is what I found:

In the period 12/11/2019 - 08/11/2020 a total of 55 examples were sold as single lots through eBay. (This does not include examples which formed part of a group). Out of those 55 examples only 2 were die cast, a further 2 were damaged and another badly tarnished.

The highest price realised was £25.48 and this was a die stamped example.
The lowest price realised as £4.73 and this was also a die stamped example.
(Note Prices include the cost quoted in the auction listing for postage).

The average price paid over the year, including postage was £12.02 (as indicated by the orange line on the attached graph).

I think this proves an item is only worth what somebody is prepared to pay on the day and how much they want it

I absolutely agree - some of the prices for what are 'average' condition badges made me sit up and take notice, whilst other better (cleaner, crisper, fresher) badges seemed to fall at the first hurdle. Interesting too that the quality of the image seemed to have little impact from what I could see, or even the description come to that.

I sold one for only £6.50 a couple of months ago.

regards

It went cheap then by the looks of things (certainly under 'average' pricing).

It certainly pays dividends to shop around!