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  #61  
Old 21-12-20, 09:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dumdum View Post
As I understand it, the Member's badges were sent in a small lidded cardboard box with the number inked on the top.
Always double check !

Two examples available :

Photo 1 - Birmingham box with number 547611 , but badge is small Gaunt with "number 841571 on back" . Probablty a genuine mistake as it has a very cheap 'buy it now' price.

Photo 2 - Birmingham box with number 577879 British Legion , but badge is small Gaunt Royal British Legion with no number. Comes with a BLWS badge but has a price of £29.99 !


.
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File Type: jpg Box 1.jpg (67.5 KB, 9 views)
File Type: jpg Box 2.jpg (72.0 KB, 8 views)
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Last edited by mike_vee; 21-12-20 at 09:52 AM.
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  #62  
Old 21-12-20, 04:18 PM
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Hi All,

I've just been lucky and picked up a boxed Women's Section badge and a small man's with the damnit fitting, £5.25 for both including post.

I don't remember seeing too many boxed women's ones so I'm pleased with that.

Michael
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  #63  
Old 22-12-20, 08:16 AM
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Nice badges Michael , I've got a boxed WS badge (Birmingham Medal Co.) but am still hunting for an earlier Gaunt version.

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  #64  
Old 26-01-21, 11:17 AM
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A standard Birmingham Medal Co. badge but with an error on the Registered Design number.

Correct # 684409

Wrong # 984409

Have seen this previously , so assume a 'bad batch' were produced and the error was not immediately picked up.

A rough 'guestimate' based on the membership number would date this badge to 1944/1945.
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File Type: jpg Wrong number.jpg (100.7 KB, 10 views)
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Poppy and British Legion Wanted

Last edited by mike_vee; 26-01-21 at 12:45 PM. Reason: Added date
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  #65  
Old 27-01-21, 07:00 AM
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Hi Mike

I'll look through mine and see if there's one there. It would be interesting to know what the BL had to say on the matter...

I once was sent a picture of a struck badge for the "Ex-Navel Men's Association".

I wonder if they were the same as the Naval lot.......
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  #66  
Old 27-01-21, 10:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dumdum View Post
I'll look through mine and see if there's one there. It would be interesting to know what the BL had to say on the matter...
Thinking about my 'guestimate' of the date the badge is possibly from the last run of the larger badges made by Birmingham Medal Co. , as Gaunt took over the contract in 1945/46 and started producing the smaller size badges (and the 'new style' WS ones).

Someone in the workshop having a bit of fun ?

.
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  #67  
Old 28-01-21, 06:27 AM
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Hi Mike

I will look out for one of those "mistakes".

I do suspect that the "navel" men's badge was just made by someone who was napping at the switch that day.

I also have a homeservice badge where a letter "N" has been put backwards. At first I couldn't work out what was wrong and then I twigged.

It would have meant that when cutting the die they had made the text as a positive as opposed to a negative.

Not exactly the Tank Corps facing the wrong way but a bit of humour nonetheless.

Are any of our members "ex-navel men"?
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  #68  
Old 22-02-21, 09:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_vee View Post
A standard Birmingham Medal Co. badge but with an error on the Registered Design number.

Correct # 684409

Wrong # 984409

Have seen this previously , so assume a 'bad batch' were produced and the error was not immediately picked up.

A rough 'guestimate' based on the membership number would date this badge to 1944/1945.
Just spotted another one from the same "batch" with membership #531027 .

This one has a 'Buy it Now' price of £30.00 + postage !

.
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  #69  
Old 22-02-21, 05:19 PM
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Just arrived , a large Gaunt button hole fitting badge. These were made/issued from 1921 - 1928 , I've already got one and the pin fitting version so why get another ?

Well , it is a guaranteed 1921 badge and possibly one issued in the first month (or even week) , it has a three digit number 842 !

Approximately 18,100 members joined in 1921 and by 1928 there were roughly 220,000 members , so a nice addition to my collection.

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  #70  
Old 22-02-21, 05:31 PM
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Very nice Mike, that was a great spot.

Michael
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  #71  
Old 22-02-21, 11:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike_vee View Post
Just arrived , a large Gaunt button hole fitting badge. These were made/issued from 1921 - 1928 , I've already got one and the pin fitting version so why get another ?

Well , it is a guaranteed 1921 badge and possibly one issued in the first month (or even week) , it has a three digit number 842 !

Approximately 18,100 members joined in 1921 and by 1928 there were roughly 220,000 members , so a nice addition to my collection.

.
Very nice Mike! Always great when you get low number items of badges, etc. that would have been issued in their thousands.
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  #72  
Old 23-03-21, 02:51 PM
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Question Another puzzle ?

Why is the lion head golden ?

A recent inquiry about an RBL badge with a golden lion head got me thinking and after checking my collection I discovered I had a couple of these badges.

While a lot of the miniature BL badges (lapel pins/screwpost/pendant) were one piece items it would be cost effective to leave the lion head its original brass colour but why would two piece badges have a golden lion head ?

My first thought for the RBL badges was that this was a 'special' for the 50th (golden) annniversary of the Legion in 1971 .......

..... but today an early (1928/1929) large Birmingham Medal Co. 'Womens Section' badge arrived with a golden lion head .

So , are these simply a variation/option that were a matter of choice or could they be , like my silver gilt WS badge , an "economy" version of the gold award badges (looks like gold but doesn't cost the branch too much money) ?

Any ideas/suggestions welcome .

.
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File Type: jpg WS Gold Lion F.jpg (83.4 KB, 8 views)
File Type: jpg WS Gold Lion R.jpg (74.2 KB, 5 views)
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  #73  
Old 24-03-21, 10:10 AM
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Hi Mike

I've emailed you separately on this topic but I thought that it might interest other members too. Are the lion's heads supposed to be silver/ white metal or silver plated?

The early items are clearly struck but I suspect that, latterly, they would have been cast.

Thanks and advise!
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  #74  
Old 24-03-21, 11:40 AM
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A couple of bits from my damaged/junk box .

The early large badges had the lion head attached by two tangs/wires(?) and on later large badges the lion head (which is thicker) was attached via two holes (see photo 1). These all appear to be white metal.

A lot of the small/miniature badges have a thin white metal (aluminium ?) lion head attached by five small 'tangs'.

The lion heads on Gold Award badges have similar fittings but do appear to have been made of gold.


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File Type: jpg L4.jpg (67.9 KB, 4 views)
File Type: jpg L1.jpg (57.5 KB, 6 views)
File Type: jpg L2.jpg (56.6 KB, 7 views)
File Type: jpg L3.jpg (48.9 KB, 3 views)
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  #75  
Old 25-03-21, 05:49 AM
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Hi Mike

Very interesting detail.

I think that they may have used the same die to produce both the "For Merit" badge as the standard member's badge as the circle that is shown in your deconstructed badge is the same as can be found under the lion's head (once the glue let go.....).

They would then have removed the solid elements to a "For Merit" striking using a trimming cutter.

Still a lot of work to go to for a little piece of metal!

I'm also intrigued that the lion's head should be "hollow-backed" like a cap or collar badge. Bet they saved a fortune in metal.......
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