Quote:
Originally Posted by David Douglas
Mike H - Who told you that these were reproduction badges ? I would be fascinated to know. According to the Smith and Wright archive, the dies were never permitted to be used for other than contract striking. The floating theories that badges were struck for this anniversary or that pageant really don't hold water. Of course, some were but they tended to be easily recognised for what they were. Even pre 1855 buttons were restruck for pageants but they were easily identified by anachronistic backmarks. Waterloo shako plates were struck by the hundred for the entente-cordiale at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, as were a host of oval shoulder belt plates of different regiments - but they can all be identified as bona-fide copies. This cap badge is different in that it has a Smith and Wright slider - not J. R. Gaunt - and I would be truly interested in any evidence to suggest that S and W badges were copied. Regards. David
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David,
Is the smith & Wright archive accesable on line at all? Would it mebntion anything about style of slider? My only observation is that the slider looks very late. The usual example is the rounded, soft and thin type that we normally see on Smith & Wright examples which generally do tend to be the earlier made anodised alluminium badges. The Buffs became part of the Queens Regt in December 1966 which is some time ago now and perhaps we would expect to see the usual early type slider. My observations only as ever gents.
Regards all
Bess