Sliderless badges

[ubervamp]

Hi all

How much would a missing slider detract from the "typical" selling price of a given badge do you reckon? I'm thinking if you had a desirable badge like, say, a Liverpool Pals missing it's slider. A good, complete example might reasonably sell for £50-60. What, in your opinion, would be a sensible price to pay in this case?
I realise there's no absolute answer (how rare is the badge, "it's worth what someone's willing to pay", etc, etc) but what would you consider a fair reduction in value?

Cheers

Colin

[Peter Brydon]

Hello Colin,

In my opinion it all depends on the scarcity of the badge in question and I don't think there is any hard and fast rule or formula that can answer your question.

I think you would be hard pressed to reach a consensus of opinion on the value of a Liverpool Pals badge or any other similarly sought after badge to establish a rule of thumb.

The only thing I would suggest is that the commoner the badge the greater will be the reduction in value due to a missing slider or lugs and the scarcer the badge ( which presumably would make it more desirable to collectors even in an incomplete state ) the more a collector looking for an example of even a damaged example would pay for it, based on the adage, better to have a poor , genuine example of a rare badge than not to have an example of it at all.

I am sure other members will have their own opinions.

Regards

Peter

[Sonofacqms]

I agree with Peter's thoughts on this matter, badges that are original, but missing a slider or loop are better than a copy/fake/repro item in a collection, the temptation with many collectors must be to add copy badges to their collections as even marked copies sell.

Rob

[ubervamp]

Originally Posted by Peter Brydon

Hello Colin,

In my opinion it all depends on the scarcity of the badge in question and I don't think there is any hard and fast rule or formula that can answer your question.

I think you would be hard pressed to reach a consensus of opinion on the value of a Liverpool Pals badge or any other similarly sought after badge to establish a rule of thumb.

The only thing I would suggest is that the commoner the badge the greater will be the reduction in value due to a missing slider or lugs and the scarcer the badge ( which presumably would make it more desirable to collectors even in an incomplete state ) the more a collector looking for an example of even a damaged example would pay for it, based on the adage, better to have a poor , genuine example of a rare badge than not to have an example of it at all.

I am sure other members will have their own opinions.

Regards

Peter

Hi Peter

I think you sum up the issue/predicament very well, and I agree with your (and Rob's) opinions on this.
Also, I think my query was rather clumsily put

Ok, but let me put it this way:

If you had a Leeds Pals, say, and you had decided to sell it for £100, and another one in very similar condition but without lugs, what price would you put on the lug-less one?

[magpie]

Apart from the missing slider the badge itself could be broken,missing a piece, badly worn or polished away or in near mint condition.

[grenadierguardsman]

Personally, if the badge is in good order ie good detail i would pay the full going price.
Andy

[Charliedog012012]

I have a Leeds Pal badge which is in lovely condition.....except that the central owl is missing its head. I paid 20% less than the normal going rate but I wanted it as a filler until another one turned up. I still have both and I am quite attached to the 'injured owl' (presumably head shot off in action!) and I would not part with it if you offered me the world. I suppose, as has already been said it is hard to put a price on a damaged badge because after all something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay.

[Peter Brydon]

Colin,

I think another thing that has to be factored in is the finish of the badge, any repair will remove the existing finish whether that be age patina or a blackened or bronze finish. The age patina will return although it may take a considerable time, a blackened or bronze finish will need to be reapplied and the end result may not match the original.

I see where Magpie is coming from, a broken slider of missing lugs might be accompanied by other damage but the for sake of argument perhaps we should assume the only damage is to the slider or lugs.

I have this afternoon bought from an on line auction site a 5th Kings Liverpool blackened brass cap badge with a broken slider for a total cost of £4.65 ( inclusive of p and p ). Of course I wont know until it arrives if it is a genuine blackened ( all brass ) 5th Kings cap badge, the black finish in the pictures looks like it has been applied with a trowel. If it does turn out to be " what it says on the label ", then I have bought a badge with a broken slider for about 10-15% of the value of a genuine, complete example.

So there is an example but I don't think it can be used to value other badges with similar faults.

Peter

[JerryBB]

Liverpool pals which had been sweetheart converted which has then broken, I picked it up among some other badges and I think it worked out as costing C.£2.50. Too nice to repair IMO.

[ubervamp]

Thanks guys

I appreciate there are too many variables in play to ever be able to fix a set rule of thumb, many which have been mentioned;
general condition, finish, other damage, scarcity, desirability.
I was trying ascertain, in very general sense, if a reduction should be expected when buying a "incomplete" badge.
Personally, I would not pay the "average going price" of a given badge if it was without slider of lugs. I was just interested to hear if other members agreed or not.

It's probably not a good comparison, but from a collecting field I know a lot about; that of vintage instruments. If someone offered me a vintage guitar in good shape but missing the bridge I would never pay the "average going price". I know from experience that a missing original bridge will reduce the value with approx. 10%.

I don't think a missing slider should reduce the value by 50%, but I feel it should reduce the value by more than 20%. So somewhere in the middle? That's my GUT feeling, my intuitive feeling. But perhaps I'm wrong, insofar that some are willing to pay full value nevertheless?

[Charliedog012012]

Originally Posted by JBBOND

Liverpool pals which had been sweetheart converted which has then broken, I picked it up among some other badges and I think it worked out as costing C.£2.50. Too nice to repair IMO.

An absolute bargain but also a beautiful badge. One to be treasured.

[Peter Brydon]

I agree with Charlie, to remove that patina would ( in my opinion ) be a crime.

P.B.

[KLR]

It also depends on what you want to do with the badge. Most people want to display them in one way or another, so not having any fixture would seriously hamper that desire.
I may be the odd one out but I don't really mind as mine are not displayed. I do have some badges - particularly scarce items - without fixtures and though there is a bit of statistical loss I'm quite happy with them.

[Sonofacqms]

I bought this RAF W/O's badge at a car boot sale from a guy who goes metal detecting, it was found close to a wartime airfield and I paid 50p for it.

As an experiment, I decided to see if I could restore it to something like it's original glory.

While it's not quite like the badge Ludski made it can be displayed using the blades I fixed on the reverse, as for value, 50p?

Rob

[Tigerlily]

Originally Posted by Sonofacqms

I bought this RAF W/O's badge at a car boot sale from a guy who goes metal detecting, it was found close to a wartime airfield and I paid 50p for it.

As an experiment, I decided to see if I could restore it to something like it's original glory.

While it's not quite like the badge Ludski made it can be displayed using the blades I fixed on the reverse, as for value, 50p?

Rob

Wow Rob, love it!