Andy,
Many thanks for your reply. I fully accept the tremendous amount of knowledge of members on this forum. I have learnt a great deal from them and am greatly indebted to this very fine forum.
I also fully accept the RND badges have been copied to death - one just has to see badgeman selling them day after day on ebay.
I am not burying my head in the sand re the ones I have - I know the provenance of them. Either that or copies were made in the 1920's or 1930's. I am happy to be proven wrong and accept copies were made prior to WW2 if someone can show me they were - with decent facts to support the claim.
However, I am challenging that not all the "accepted advice" within our fraternity is correct and simply tried to show that there are various differences in the RND badges, whereas the link implied there was only one design for each badge. Take the Drake badge for instance - just because the motto is not two words does that automatically make it a copy - and on what basis other than opinion? Certainly the badge I have, if they were not copied before WW2, begs to differ.
Perhaps some experts can also be said to put their heads in the sand because their advice is challenged. The question I have asked but is rarely answered - what is the factual basis for saying one design is a wrongun and another is good, other than some person's opinion? One of the few occasions this has occurred is your very good post on the KC Derbyshire Regiment where you convincingly argued the dates when the Regiment changed to The Sherwood Foresters ( Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) in 1902 and that sliders were not introduced until 1903. Good sound logic. So much so I ditched my cherished slidered Derbyshire and acquired a lugged one.
Another example I am having trouble with. What is the factual basis that the lettering on the genuine Welsh Horse badges were unvoided and voided ones are copies? I am happy either way as I have a version of both - but until someone can show me factually, rather than someone's opinion because they have been collecting for years, then I am keeping both.
There are too many minefields in our hobby for us not to keep an open mind when new evidence is presented. And a pox on all those who have copied badges!!!
Anyway, have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Best wishes
Chris