Ox and Bucks LI

[Dr_Shemp]

Hi all,

I've recently bought this Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry badge - I just wanted to ask, is it a genuine one? It's about 36mm wide, 33mm tall and is in white metal.

My concerns are that I got it from a box of other badges that were mostly reproductions, and that there's a casting flaw on the left hand side of the badge. I bought it though on the strength of the Gaunt markers mark on the back, which is identical to the Gaunt marks on other badges that I have. I haven't seen another example of this badge with this markers mark though. I know that there are fakes with a small Gaunt mark, is this large Gaunt mark faked as well?

Just for fun - I've attached photos of an Exeter Volunteers Regiment badge I also recently bought. Whilst writing this post, I found some more info looking through the forum that showed it was a fake. It didn't set me back much and hopefully this'll help someone else avoid buying one!

[Luke H]

Both repros.

[gb64]

Originally Posted by Dr_Shemp

Hi all,

I've recently bought this Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry badge - I just wanted to ask, is it a genuine one? It's about 36mm wide, 33mm tall and is in white metal.

My concerns are that I got it from a box of other badges that were mostly reproductions, and that there's a casting flaw on the left hand side of the badge. I bought it though on the strength of the Gaunt markers mark on the back, which is identical to the Gaunt marks on other badges that I have. I haven't seen another example of this badge with this markers mark though. I know that there are fakes with a small Gaunt mark, is this large Gaunt mark faked as well?

Just for fun - I've attached photos of an Exeter Volunteers Regiment badge I also recently bought. Whilst writing this post, I found some more info looking through the forum that showed it was a fake. It didn't set me back much and hopefully this'll help someone else avoid buying one!

Hi, it’s the maker mark that’s the problem, this type of maker mark would be for AA badges , if on a metal badge it comes from the 1970’s restrike era unfortunately ( hopefully I’ve got that correct) hope all your other badges with this mark aren’t all metal ?

Gerard

[Dr_Shemp]

Unfortunately I wasn't aware of that Gerard, the other badges I have with that mark are AA, but I do also have a metal South Notts Hussars with the same mark. I saw this one in the gallery and as mine is the same I thought that it was okay, would they both be fakes then?

[gb64]

Originally Posted by Dr_Shemp

Unfortunately I wasn't aware of that Gerard, the other badges I have with that mark are AA, but I do also have a metal South Notts Hussars with the same mark. I saw this one in the gallery and as mine is the same I thought that it was okay, would they both be fakes then?

Yes that’s also a fake badge , as stated it’s in an album asking if badges are good or bad from members, I’d steer clear of metal badges with this Gaunt mark.

Gerard

[Dr_Shemp]

That's unfortunate, I really liked that badge!

Do you know what the story is behind these metal badges with the large Gaunt mark? I've seen a couple of different examples in the albums and they all seem to be of a very high quality, especially when compared with other fakes that I've seen. With how similar the fake mark is to the real AA examples, were these restrikes made for collectors by Gaunt, or are they just high quality fakes turned out by a skilled faker?

[49lassiepen]

delated

[cbuehler]

It is my understanding that the Gaunt Brummie made badges were restrikes from original dies in the 1970s. They are good quality in my opinion; often better than many period made WW1 and WW2 badges. But of course they are bad. With some research here on the forum you can find information with regard to original badges with markings, but the VAST majority of British OR badges are unmarked.
With regard to the Exeter badge, it is an outright fake as the majority of those seen today unfortunately are.

CB

[Alex Rice]

Somebody can correct me here but there have been a few threads on this topic in the past. My memory is probably wrong but it is something along the lines of Gaunt's MoD contract not being renewed in about 1974. This ties in with their move to the B'ham mark on sliders and the start of the repros with that mark.
Cheers,
Alex

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Alex Rice

Somebody can correct me here but there have been a few threads on this topic in the past. My memory is probably wrong but it is something along the lines of Gaunt's MoD contract not being renewed in about 1974. This ties in with their move to the B'ham mark on sliders and the start of the repros with that mark.
Cheers,
Alex

Old thread from 2009 may have some info :

Dating JR Gaunt Bham badges

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[Dr_Shemp]

Thank you all for your replies, as always you have been incredibly helpful and proof of what a valuable resource this forum is. It's a shame that I'm left with a bunch of fakes, but I didn't pay much for them and at least I know more now looking ahead.

Thanks again all for your time and help, it's very much appreciated!

[Mike H]

I checked through my notes earlier on . I cant find an reference to an anodised OBLI with a Gaunt Bham slider.
I have 3 noted, Gaunt London,Firmin London and Dowler Bham.