Help with 3 badges

[hindoostan]

Took a punt on these three today.
The Irish Fus has a strong slider and a faint crimp mark. Were they made in all GM?
The Volunteers should be white metal so assume is a fake, it has strange lugs. Not sure about the Hampshire's either. Any help/ comments appreciated.
John

[Alan O]

The RIF is a fake as no economy version was made. I believe that it is an officers collar die that has been reused to create a fake.

[41st]

Surely the Middlesex is a VTC unit and there is nothing wrong with it

[Sonofacqms]

Originally Posted by 41st

Surely the Middlesex is a VTC unit and there is nothing wrong with it

Agreed, I also have one in G/M.

Hampshire Regiment is the officers pattern with loops, I am not sure if these have been added as the cap badges normally had blades, it could be a collar badge.

Rob

[Neil s]

I believe Hampshire Officers are solid struck

[manchesters]

The Middlesex VR is genuine and has the usual spade type lugs found on that badge.

regards

[Alan O]

The Hampshires did not wear this bade as a collar. It has been widely copied.

[hindoostan]

Thanks all for the information. One out of three is not too bad, paid not a lot for them so hopefully Middlesex Vol covers the cost of the three.
Cheers,
John

[Alan O]

There have been a large number of these Middlesex VTC come up for sale in the last 2 years: many with sliders (including Fattorini ones) or lugs rather than the hexagonal ones that your has. I cannot believe that they are all genuine but yours is one of the better examples. There are 6 on ebay alone as I type.

[Neil s]

The Hampshire OSD collar Churchill fig 1009/1010 examples below
IMG_20230128_134248.jpg

IMG_20230128_134213.jpg

IMG_20230128_134151.jpg

IMG_20230128_134131.jpg

[Alan O]

and here they are - some are duplicates being sold by the same sellers; make of that what you will.

[Alan O]

and a quick image search shows a further 7 examples from other sellers recently.

[TWGB]

Just to echo what has already been stated; the Middlesex Volunteer Regiment badge is a genuine one, with the correct and appropriate Fattorini lugs.

As Alan points out, there are always plenty of these badges around. It is my belief that only those with either a correctly marked Fattorini slider or these flat lugs are genuine badges, produced at the time of The Great War.

However, all the other Middlesex VR badges are, to all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from the front. They are either the most detailed and exact copies, including all the flaws of the original, or, more probably, restrikes from the original die.

There is a drop off in sharpness, consistent with many additional badges being struck well past their "use by date".

Tim