Braze Holes - opinions wanted

[Luke H]

Hi Guys,

I'm slightly tentative about starting this thread as it opens up that large can of worms on braze holes... Throwing caution into the wind I'll do it any way.

I really want your opinions on two badges in particular.

1) The first is a Royal Welsh Fusiliers: The badge has great patina, age, good slider and has been polished but... yup you guessed no braze holes.

Personally I think this badge is OK but I know I am not the most experienced on here by a long shot and would like your opinions.

2) Is a post '02 pattern N'hants, this badge has lugs EW is hard as nails but no braze holes

The most curious attribute about it is the stamping visible on the reverse of the Gibraltar scroll which I believe is similar if not identical to the reverse marks on my pre '08 Yorkshire. I was told by another collector that these indentations were made by small letter dies which were stamped after the badge had been originally struck in a die which was aged hence giving less detail with the aim of this second stamping being to enhance the detail/quality. Since I have no doubts at all about my Yorkshire I believe this was done to some badges for whatever reason.

If my Northants is an older badge pre '08-ish and has had this method of improving the strike used on it (if that is indeed the purpose from the resultant marks) then why does it lack braze holes? If on the other hand it is a restrike why go to the trouble of striking the letter individually?

I'm at a loss with this one lads and not sure if its real or not... can anyone please help?

Cheers,

Luke

[Luke H]

Picture of front... has been harshly emried down which generally I wouldn't look happily upon as its sometimes a method by fakers to get an instant polished look (tho its never the same).

And my uncles much talked about genuine RMF without braze holes.

Regards to all,

Luke

[Alan O]

Luke,

A maker's variation in production methods? Or badges made late on with lugs and the old spelling? Or perhaps they wanted a Northants made with lugs in WW2? Could even be commercially made badges bought in the NAAFI and worn by a WW2 soldier.

You also get the long key Northants with a slider and no sweat holes. I think you can only judge each badge on its own merits. You get WW2 and even post war badges with sweat holes and then early ones without so there are no hard and fast rules here.

Alan

[KLR]

With the reintroduction of the FSC in 193? some badges were made with loops, I certainly know of TA ones.

[Jibba Jabba]

My opinion is merely an observation. There are reproduction badges with and with out braise holes. The inclusion of braise holes in a badges assembly is no sure fire guarantee that a badge is genuine, it is merely one point from a long list that should be taken into account when evaluating the authenticity of a badge.

[KLR]

As an example, I have three badges of Kings Regt 1926 pattern (all of what I call type 1 - though I've now refined that into 1A and 1B, these are 1B), though not all quite the same die. They are undoubtedly genuine:
One has five braze holes (3 rect, 2 circ) - generally the most common
One has three braze holes (all rect)
One has no braze holes at all !

I assume this is a constructional development that suggests a long period of production.