Part of the problem too is that all of us can only comment on the picture or description presented to us on the Forum. If the quality is bad - and some are pretty awful - then like K&K it can lead to more confusion. Having the badge in our hand is the only way we're going to know for sure, which is not practically possible in 99% of cases. That and the lack of, or poor, documentation that exists from the original creators or purchaser (MoD, War Office etc), which is then translated into the content of reference books, which suddenly become 'definitive'.
The best we can do is offer an opinion based on whatever knowledge we have, whether based on fact, or intuition. It's pretty much the same in the art world. Experts there disagree. There was an episode of 'Fake or Fortune' where it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that an 'Impressionist' painting was genuine, based on scientific analysis and other art historians, yet the foremost authority in Paris declared that it wasn't, even though the truth was staring them in the face. Because of their pronouncement, the painting was worth a few thousand rather than millions. How crazy is that?
Just about any textbook is outdated by the time it is produced, until new research comes along, which is why some people now prefer to post online, so that it can be easily and cheaply updated. At best, most are just a guide, and with new badges being produced all the time, official and unofficial, it's hard to keep up. It all comes down to connoisseurship.
David
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