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  #1  
Old 02-06-21, 11:02 AM
tarabelle tarabelle is offline
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Default On War Service white metal or chromed badges

Hey

So I've been doing some searching and I know there was some discussion about these but I cant seem to find out why there were chrome versions or silver plate versions issued

Does anyone know ?

T X

Noooot mines (unfortunately
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  #2  
Old 02-06-21, 11:15 AM
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Charliedog012012 Charliedog012012 is offline
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More likely that they are Nickel plated. They are nice examples. As to why they were issued there does not appear to be any clear explanation. It has been suggested that they may have been worn by supervisors or even were nickel plated as a ‘Thank You’ for the work of the munition workers throughout the war. Others on the forum may be able to offer more information.
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James
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Old 02-06-21, 12:38 PM
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Most of the ones I have seen appear to have been plated/chromed after manufacture/issue , this suggests it was done by the factory or individual worker. While they may have been for supervisors , what would happen if someone was promoted/demoted ?

Officially these badges were meant to be returned when their contract finished , but obviously most were not , so perhaps a worker had their badge chromed/plated when they finished work as a keepsake (bling existed even then !) .

I have found no official documentation explaining thses badges , unlike the enamelled War Munitions Volunteeer and the first issue of the 1915 OWS badges.

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Old 02-06-21, 01:08 PM
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The 1916 (Women's) badge is interesting as it has 'rounded' corners , close examination appears to show it has been 'modified' before being chromed/plated.

There is discussion about whether these 'rounded corner' badges were manufactured or modified but in most cases photos show evidence they had the corners sheared or filed off.

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Old 02-06-21, 01:48 PM
tarabelle tarabelle is offline
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Thank you Mike and Charlie

They must be quite scarce cos I can only find one of the triangular one and I couldn't find any examples of the round 1915 one

T X
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  #6  
Old 02-06-21, 02:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tarabelle View Post
Thank you Mike and Charlie

They must be quite scarce cos I can only find one of the triangular one and I couldn't find any examples of the round 1915 one

T X
They do pop up now and again but be careful because a combination of being highly polished and lighting (filters) make some brass one look like chromed/plated .

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  #7  
Old 02-06-21, 05:12 PM
tarabelle tarabelle is offline
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No these two are very definitely chrome or nickel or silver plate

T X
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Old 06-06-21, 01:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tarabelle View Post

Noooot mines (unfortunately
If you want them they are both now on eBay with starting prices of £29.99 for 1916 and £19.99 for 1915 !

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Old 06-06-21, 06:34 PM
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Certainly money in these things!

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If you want them they are both now on eBay with starting prices of £29.99 for 1916 and £19.99 for 1915 !

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  #10  
Old 07-06-21, 12:58 AM
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Hi

I've purchased a few of the 1915 unenamelled badges and became curious to see if they were chromed or plated or nickel silver.

A very discreet scratch (much like they use to test gold) would seem to show white metal.

Would this suggest that they did indeed produce these in white metal?

And yes, do watch for photos that appear to show a white metal badge but they are listed as "brass"!
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