Quote:
Originally Posted by pontecagnano
Thanks Luke. Any idea when, and from whom, the Ugly pattern GM and brass badges I have originated please? They don't come up very often. Do they pre or post date the Martin Marsh version?
Graham
|
Many regiments badges have more than one fake die pertaining to them and pinning down who made it and when is impossible. Even many of those in the Marsh catalogue I imagine were extant before the Martin Marsh Militaria era. Rather I suspect he became the custodian of many and his business model of an illustrated sales catalogue allowed us to put badges to a name. Doubtless however he was the originator or rather the driving force behind the items contained within the expanded later volumes.
The below Paddington Rifles is a good analogue. It is far scarcer than the commonly encountered Marsh-type and may be part of a different batch of London fakes. I do not believe this die is still in use nor has it been for some significant time. The Artists may be part of this cohort.
Anecdotally I had heard these originated from a London-based dealer around Charing Cross. Originally I suspected Nicholas Morigi since he had a shop in the area and is well known for selling repros. Also from an email enquiry I made about the origins of these, in which he got the wrong end of the stick, Morigi directed me to Gladman & Norman as they ‘had all the tooling necessary to create whatever I wanted’! When I clarified the question I got no further response. We will have to make of that what we will.
However, sometime later having seen Mark’s (dubaiguy) Morigi catalogue it appears to show the ubiquitous Marsh-type 10th London. So I’m unsure of this attribution now. Albeit, then why not reply and say it wasn’t his? Like with my attempts to reach out to Martin Marsh himself silence appears to be what those involved in these activities regard as the best policy. A shame as 50 years on the truth and some information would be helpful as all have retired from this I believe. I imagine Glengarry collectors would give their right arm to have heard from Mr Fox directly regarding what he did and didn’t do to put minds at ease and easily answer long pondered questions.
I noticed the forum’s new favourite eBay dealer int-militaria is doing a line in the below so they will very likely become a lot more common shortly! Albeit from the surface texture and poorer detail I suspect his are cast copies of the fake.