True or False?

[atillathenunns]

True or False?

I spotted this recent listing on trade me and thought it worthy of discussion.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-c...0c503dce5dfd97







The seller is well known for his embellishment of the items he sells which IMO can be very misleading, however, he does offer an “unconditionally guaranteed 100% GENUINE for life, that guarantee INCLUDES their cost of postage BOTH ways” if an item is proven to be a fake.

The seller also mentions that viewers of the auction should “BEWARE the many REPRODUCTION badges that are now flooding the WWW (Especially in The UK) where the "Maori Face" NZ Maori Pioneer cap badge has been widely re-struck (IE Faked)
More recently the "Oval" design badges have also now attracted the attention of fakers in central Europe”

So, I guess my questions are, does this badge stand up to be a “RARE Genuine Sand-Cast WW1 era” that the seller claims it to be? or could it be an outright fake intended to deceive collectors of their hard earned cash?

However, before forum members voice their opinions, it is first worth considering that ALL CAST BADGES (Not including die cast) of the NZ Pioneer Battalion (February 1916 to September 1917), and the NZ (Maori) Pioneer Battalion (September 1917 to April 1919), ARE ALL COPIES of original issue badges.

Secondly, it is worth considering that the NZ Pioneer Battalion (February 1916 to September 1917) badge was issued in the UK after the Battalion had departed the Middle east, making it unlikely, but not impossible, that their badges were sand cast in the Middle East.

Thirdly, does the badge itself look typical of those that were produced in the Middle East? Taking into account the patina that is commonly found on 100 year old NZ “Genuine Sand-Cast” badges, and are the lugs correct as is commonly found on NZ “Genuine Sand-Cast” badges?