Thanks Marinus for the photo. Indeed I believe both badges were made by Gaunt.
I know little about the badge manufacturing process, but it is fair to assume that flaws are generated by the die striking method after a while. This would suggest the badge with die flaws has to be subsequent to the other one.
It is possible that Gaunt never mass produced a WM voided para badge similar to the sealed card pattern which remains a prototype and instead went to strike WM non voided badges. Naturally, badges without flaws came first and could have been issued as early as the second half of 1943.
If we could somehow date a hallmarked Gaunt silver badge with die flaws, we would have an indication about when the transition between the two generations of badge occurred. I think Jack8 referred to letter S for the 1943 badges. Are die flaws be found rather on badges with letter T?
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