['Ticker' Riley]

Many thanks for the words of welcome on my return Luke and Brian, though we’ll have to see how long I can stay! Thank you also ‘Volunteer Soldier’ for your posting, and certainly no umbrage taken at all. At the end of the day, as you have said, “each to his own”, and I’d agree that so much about this wonderful hobby of ours is subjective. Anyone, and everyone, is free to ignore my postings and their content should they wish. But even though it seems I’m a bit of a young whippersnapper, when compared with your fifty years of collecting, only having been collecting Leicesters cap badges for the past thirteen years, I am confident in my opinions.

The key thing for me is that the badge in question is the J. R. Gaunt & Son maker’s type, so the fact it has a mark on it to that effect is perfectly in keeping as far as I can see. We are definitely not talking about one of the ‘owl-eyed’ Gladman & Norman reproduction badges with a fake Gaunt mark, so I am personally happy that Neil’s badge is genuine, even if it is silver rather than white metal (I don’t have a definitive answer for why it is silver/slivered, though could offer some suggestions). I also have no problem with the idea that the Leicesters Volunteer Association purchased badges directly from Gaunts, and that they, accordingly, marked these badges with several ‘Birmingham’ marks on different kinds of badges at different times (i.e. ORs, officers and later T.F. badges). Incidentally, I’m sorry but I can’t answer your question ‘Parabellum’, as to why the officer’s badges have “BIRM” and not “B'HAM”, as I only collect Leicesters badges so am relying on others to say if such appears on different Gaunt badges.

Anyhow, it’s clearly your choice entirely if you do not want any Gaunt marked Leicesters volunteer badges in your own collection ‘Volunteer Soldier’, but if you, or anyone else for that matter, do see any I’d be more than grateful for a heads-up, as I am quite happy they are authentic period badges and would be glad to have them to help with my research. I do have two “1st V.B. Leicestershire” badges in my Forum album, with the “South Africa 1900.02” honour, which you’re welcome to look at if you want (I think you have to send me a friends request before you can see them?). One is from the Walter Lambert Collection and the other from that of Margaret E. Nobbs, both of whom, I believe, were respected collectors. Whilst this doesn’t automatically mean they are genuine, of course, I would like to think it does give them good pedigrees, as it were. It is also the case that badges like mine, and indeed like the one of Neil’s that we are discussing, albeit in white metal, have been sold by Bosleys in the past. Obviously no-one is infallible, and, I suppose, what we really need is an example with irrefutable provenance of being a Leicesters volunteer badge – if anyone out there happens to have one?

Best regards

Martin