York & Lancs and Lonsdales sweetheart
 

A couple of new additions to the sweetheart collection.
York & Lancs Volunteer Battalion collar brooched and a nice Lonsdales.

Alli

Nice items, any chance of a back image of Lonsdale badge.
Tony.

Hi Tony, yes there you go.

Alli dearest.

Hope all is ticketyboo.

Is the Lonsdale the same size as the cap badge?

If it is, I suspect it's a "not proper badge", a few errors, but nevertheless, either way, it's a fab item.

Regards.

Brian

Hello Darling
All good in the hood, thinking of you just the other day while sorting out my Middlesex badges.
Don't know on the Lonsdale, I'm not sure on the exact size of the cap badge as I dont have one, but its a full sized sweetheart as opposed to a smaller association type lapel badge. What are the errors to look out for? It's not a regiment I collect so I have no knowledge of it. But you know me, always keen to learn😁

Alli

I agree, it is certainly a very nice and scarce Lonsdale brooch, despite the little bit of enamel loss, I would be pleased with it.

Greetings again Alli.

I don't profess to be an expert in relation to this particular badge, I do have a couple of them, which I know to be genuine.

On this basis I believe the following probably indicate that yours is not a badge made for Regimental use and later altered to become a sweetheart item; but is a very good and apparently well made badge made as a sweetheart item:

Extra "flash" of metal around the front upraised claw.
Feathering on the top of the back is slightly at the wrong angle.
Gap between neck and wings is too wide.
Tail tuft too big.

I believe that all, (I may be wrong here though) O/Rs badges had a gaunt plate on the back.

There doesn't appear to be any evidence of your badge ever having had a plate.

There are also a couple of other points that you should see if you have a butcher's at those I have if you follow this link.

https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...p?albumid=1546

If you wish, I will send you a clearer picture.

Nevertheless, as I stated previously, it's a fab badge.

Best wishes.

Brian

The badge is I believe a bespoke sweetheart not converted from a cap badge.

Some years ago MarkMcM showed me an identical one in every respect to yours. At the time I recall checking Sally Badges (i.e. Bosley’s) and they also had one which had sold - now long since removed sadly.

Personally I would not doubt it and consider it a lovely item.

Edit: just checked my emails and it is actually the same badge I referred to in my second paragraph.

Thank you Frank, I'm very pleased with it, hope you are keeping well.

Thanks for the info and link Brian, I'll have a good look through that album and note the differences in the cap badge you speak of. I'll have to keep an eye out for a badge at some point now I have the "sweetie".
Thanks again, Alli.

Hi there,

Yes it's a nice brooch, I never thought it to be a converted cap badge, I assumed it is what is. I have a lot of sweethearts some converted(Like the York & Lancs above) some incredibly fine jewellery like my gold Garrards Para Wings, some bespoke like a few of my RAF sweethearts, some as good as their related cap badge(same die presumably) and some not quite so smart.
But I like this one, as I say not an area I collect normally, I'm all about the Fusiliers cap badges, so I'm very grateful to Brian for the info on the related Lonsdale badge.
Thanks all for the interest and help, now back to cataloguing all my Northumberland Fusiliers badges, I may be some time....
Alli