CEF Artillery Badge Reproductions

[guest_000]

yOUR MAPLE LEAF is OK not known to be reproed

PAUL

[LLWill]

Paul Bear - Thanks!! I knew you would comment but I was a little concern'd that the badge would be suspect. I really felt relieved when I read your post. This whole "repro" thing is getting depressing!!! Knowledge really is the KEY and this Forum sure helps!! I now carry a list of known and suspected fake badges to show's and if I see a Unit Badge now that is on that list I will not even consider buying it. I have decided that my approach is wrong, as I am missing out on the "real thing" just because there are FAKES out there. So---more education, more talking to the various clooectors/dealers and maybe a little more risk taking !!!!!!! I still think that repro makers are very very very *******.

[guest_000]

do you have my email address ? Feel free to consult me any time with pics and I will give you an opinion. It really is not that bad out there with the CEF .

[73rhc]

Here are a few pics from an old collection (well before the repros came out). Sorry that I don't have shots of the backs. I'll add more even if they haven't been reproed yet.

[73rhc]

More...sorry that they aren't as clear as I could like. They were in a display case.

[73rhc]

More to come. Some scare ones in this collection.

[73rhc]

More from this huge collection

[73rhc]

A few come to come...

[73rhc]

One more after this lot

[73rhc]

That's it. All are original.

[73rhc]

I found a couple more...

[Bill A]

Hello 73rhc, Thanks for the images. Nice reference.
Unfortunately, the Dracks copies were so good that they fooled many many collectors, dealers, and museums. The obverses of the copies were incredibly good. The proof in the pudding was the reverse of the badges. There were several clues that indicated that it was a copy, but even these were subtle. To determine a copy was a real study. I am afraid that with a few years aging (or artificial aging) the copies will be nearly undetectable.

[73rhc]

I quite agree, Bill.As I have seen a few, they are quite good. Unfortunately many collectors have and will shy away from most artillery badges.

John

[whizzbang]

Great collection, John! I'd be interested to see the backs to know what to look for in an original badge.

Cheers, Ian.

[whizzbang]

If I understand correctly, the Drack's repros are cast based on impressions of the original badge and the originals were stamped using dies. If this is the case, it might be possible to see tiny gas bubbles in the cast badges (these would appear on the surface of the badge as a small hole or indentation). I think these bubbles would be hard to avoid when casting in a home workshop. Would probably need to use a 10x to 20x jeweller's loupe to see these properly. I'm not sure if the holes would be obscured by the pickling process but this is certainly could be used as another method to spot the fakes.

Cheers, Ian.