Quote:
Originally Posted by ARPCDHG
Who can say? Restrike badges from the 1960s now have 50 years of ageing to them, making it even harder to tell originals.
Just like the restrike Rutland Home Guard, Upper Thames Patrol, Huntingdonshire Home Guard, Radnor Home Guard and Derbyshire Volunteer Regiment of Home Guards badges, they've been restriked so many times now, unless you can have some provenance with the badge, such as with a load of paperwork or acquire it from a relative/non-militaria source, it's almost pointless buying it.
Also, sellers don't even bother anymore trying to hide the fact they're selling restrike versions, often listing those five badges in a row. Last year, there was even an ebay listing for a secondhand restrike tool kit for knocking out the Radnor HG badges.
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A ‘blobby’ die flaw has developed on QC IOM badges on the ‘C’ of QUOCUNQUE whereby it now looks a little bit like a G. However clearly restrikes abounded long before this. I suspect the only way to tell with this badge and QC Radnor is provenance.
However, which bring me on to your points I disagree with, there are ways I believe in some cases to tell re-strikes apart.
Firstly however, the UTP hasn’t been restruck from the original die - it has been faked but these badges are from a fake die which has significant differences. Also the Rutland HG badge hasn’t been re-struck IMO. Originals show die flaws around the R of Rutland and they also have a tiny little curl in the seeding at the tip of one end of the horseshoe. These badges are quite different from the ToysRUs style lettering on the common eBay fakes which turn up - often in WM.
Re the Huntingdonshire the Gaunt die appears to have been used for a significant amount of time (and is still in use). The early badges come with an almost die cast reverse to the scroll whereas the later ones are more die stamped. The slider and mark as well can assist, the small J.R.Gaunt London mark identical to that found on WW2 cavalry I think is a good sign. Any marked B’ham or London in big letters are obviously re-strikes. The attachment point of the slider too, on earlier badges (presumably Hunts cyclists) the slider is attached behind the stags head whereas on later ones the attachment point is behind the body.
As for the guelphic crown Radnor HG I’m at a loss as to if they’ve been re-struck from the original die. They’re not often seen but when they are so far every badge has matched the examples shown in K&K and Gaylor. So they either don’t fake these or they are restrikes. As for QC again it’s anyones guess, I saw Geoff Newman has one listed at a crazy price, it looks an excellent strike with fantastic reverse detail but that doesn’t always equate to originality sadly, it could just means someone was using a heavier fly press.