Plastic WW1 badges?

[blue_car]

I seen an advert claiming to sell a WW1 plastic HLI badge, which you can find here https://www.treasurebunker.co.uk/ww1...ge-c2x11400931.

Is this entirely fictious? Im under the impression it’s simply mislabelled.

Many thanks,

Adam

[49lassiepen]

WW11 plastic badge A quick look in ref book would have confirmed this Plastic badges are WW11 '' economy '' badges

[manchesters]

Probably just a typo, I am sure the seller knows its WW2.

regards

[blue_car]

Thanks both. Confirmed my hunch.

[Alex Rice]

Is that a genuine example? The back looks odd to me, the way the plastic seems to have a grain, not what I would expect?
Cheers,
Alex

[leigh kitchen]

The "swirl" pattern in the plastic doesn't alarm me, it's fairly common in WWII plastics.
According to the Marcus Cotton article "British Plastic Badges 1941-46" all HLI plastics were made by "Plastic Fashions", 32,741 of them, between 6/1/44 - 5/9/45.
The silhouette of the badge in question conforms to that of a badge which I have and believe genuine (purchased 2/5/1989 (Wallis & Wallis, £3.60) which is I believe a couple of decades before fake plastics began to appear on the market).

[KLR]

32,741 'Plastic' HLI badges were made between 6th Jan 1944 and 5th Sept 1945, by Alfred Stanley & Sons, Ltd, in Walsall. (Reference: National Archives/ SUPP4/150)

[leigh kitchen]

That's interesting Julian - contradictory information from the Cotton article / NA.
Presumably the article is at fault?
Unfortunately the badge subject of the thread and the badge I have don't have manufacturer's markings.

[49lassiepen]

Leigh would be interested to know which plastics have been faked ,apart from an attempted educational corps which were terrible , there is a plastic Dental corps which was made by dental technicians [frank Stevens collection ]
You were over charged for your badge by Wallis and Wallis Paid a £1.00 for mine along with most of my other plastic form ''old Spencer '' in Jacobs market Cardiff mid late 1970's .I have all plastics as K.K
Looking forward to your list of fakes

[Alex Rice]

Originally Posted by leigh kitchen

The "swirl" pattern in the plastic doesn't alarm me, it's fairly common in WWII plastics.
According to the Marcus Cotton article "British Plastic Badges 1941-46" all HLI plastics were made by "Plastic Fashions", 32,741 of them, between 6/1/44 - 5/9/45.
The silhouette of the badge in question conforms to that of a badge which I have and believe genuine (purchased 2/5/1989 (Wallis & Wallis, £3.60) which is I believe a couple of decades before fake plastics began to appear on the market).

Thanks Leigh, good to know.

[leigh kitchen]

I don't have a list of fakes, I first became aware of them some 16 - 17 years ago when an article appeared (in a magazine or online forum) illustrating Para Regt, Army Air Corps and I think RAMC fakes which had appeared on the market, I think produced in Holland, for the re-enactment market.
(A lot of "thinks" there I'm afraid).
I'll make some enquiries with a collector / re-enactor.

A quid for a HLI? I was feeling smug till you said that.
I priced my HLI at £3.60 by dividing the price I paid for a "lot" of 10 x plastics by 10 - I'll take £3 off my HLI and add £1 each to the cost of the A & SH, BW and Camerons........

Well done on a full house of K&K plastics - I'm way off anywhere near that.

(A quick Google throws up this BCMBF thread and others
https://www.britishbadgeforum.com/fo...ad.php?t=44488)

[Alan O]

The Dutch fakes are easy to spot as the backs are a mess and the blades look like the metal clips you get in paper files. The fakes included Para Regt, Signals and GS Corps. I assume he only had originals of these designs and did not have the scarce originals to use as a mould to make other types.

[KLR]

The only mistake that I made was that the manufacturers were PF - Plastic Fashions, not Alfred Stanley. As far as I know that was the only mistake ! - sorry.


I took the details from the Cotton article too (in front of me) - and he notes that he copied the Ministry of Supply file at the NA.
I went through that file to see if there were KLR details - as in why two versions; grey and brown (but no!)

[leigh kitchen]

Various of the badges turn up in the "wrong" colours, I have a few I think, including West Yorks in silver grey and in copper colour.
I once saw a silver grey Int Corps for sale alongside the norm, chocolate brown.

[leigh kitchen]

I note that on ebay at the moment there is offered for sale a repro 1944 dated maroon beret fitted with a repro Recce Corps chocolate brown plastic economy.