a more sober opinion
I'd like to take this thread back a step & re-visit the 'goodness' or 'badness' of the flat backed SDG badge originally posted by Greg N. A casual opinion I'd been given, & repeated, is that this might be a cast replica.
I have an example of Greg's flat back badge, & also two Scully marked SDG badges. I've spent a couple of hours going over these with a jewellers loupe & a micrometer. Here's what I found:
The flat backed & Scully marked badges are products of the same die (more on this later) Most importantly, the flat back badge is not a cast replica, it is a die struck piece.
To cast a reproduction requires a mold taken from an original badge. Molten metal is poured or forced into the mold, & voila...repop. The process however, introduces shrinkage, & the repop will be slightly smaller than the original. There will be some shrinkage in the master to mold stage, & more again when the molten metal freezes in the mold. It wouldn't matter if the shrinkage was to the high or low side of range, some amount is inevitable & it can't hide from a micrometer. I can tell you to a certainty it's not there; the three badges are the same size within normal commercial tolerances.
The SDG badge has a lot of intricate detail. Closely examined, these details are as distinctive as a fingerprint. Comparing the flat back & Scully badges side by side, I would say the fingerprint is identical & that both are products of the same die.
Interestingly, there is one point of difference. At some juncture between the manufacture of the flat back & Scully marked badges, the die was modified in the areas at the inboard ends of the motto scrolls. I could only speculate as to why the die was 'massaged'. The nature of the re-work suggests that the flat back badge is from the 'as - built' die; the Scully badges are from the revised die. Please note that the mass produced wartime OR's badges are all from the revised die. I'd postulate that the flat back badges are very early examples of the SDG pattern, perhaps even 'first articles'.
For what it's worth, my opinion is that the flat badge is indeed authentic (& a beauty for sure)
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