[pontecagnano]

Hi Alex,
Many thanks for your response. Yes, it's quite possible that it's made up, although there are probably more sensational (and marketable) items to create if one is going to that amount of trouble. The subtle discolouration and wear has been very skilfully done if this is a fake although there are people out there who raise that sort of thing to an art form. If it's original I suspect it is part of a very small batch made in the Stores rather than produced by an external contractor which would also explain the off centre badge. I've seen British belts made up with generic plates not quite suited to the cap badge that exhibit the same tendency. I've been told the material is period Rhodesian. I didn't pay a lot for it and it came from a reputable source. I think I'll put it on the 'Unconfirmed' pile for the time being as I'm still awaiting input from several sources and searching images. We may yet be surprised.
Cheers,
Graham