CEF Artillery Badge Reproductions

[Bill A]

Attached is a list of the CEF artillery badges which have been reproduced. Please note that the list is a flyer that the maker distributed about 5 years ago. The badges are excellent copies and can easily fool. Dealers and collectors have been taken by these badges. The list should not be taken as complete, as more badges were made after it was distributed. Of special concern are the officer's overlays that was applied to most of these badges. They look good and with some aging will be even more difficult to identify as reproductions.
In addition to artillery there were some other badges made.
One positive out of the situation, the repro badges have only been made with lugs to date. Tang back artillery badges are at this point in time, less suspect. If anyone is looking at an artillery badge take extra care.

[guest_000]

FYI tanged fakes are now out there . From what I have seen they are much wider that correct tangs and there are only two . they have been noted on faked 76th battery badges which from my experience where one of the few that where made with lugs in the first place.

PAUL

[John Cameron]

As Bill says, those suckers were so good they are scary. I saw the guy's table at the Kingston show, I think it was in 2004. He had several hundred badges all priced around $20. each. What is really scary is they have the technology to make ANY badge to those standards. A couple of serious collectors were on his case bigtime about not marking them as repro. At that time, the only way you could tell they were repro was that the lugs were cast as part of the badge. Who knows whats happened to some of the badges since then.

[John Cameron]

Below is an example of one of the repros. This is believed to have been copied from an original R.J. Inglis badge.


The arrows indicate where folding tangs have been cut off on the original, but a small rectangular tab remained which was reproduced in the back mold.
The lugs are Second World War type, much smaller than those used in the Great War and are cast as part of the badge. I couldn't get a clear image of the edge of the badge, but looking at it sideways there is a clear seam along the center of the edge where the two halves of the mold joined. Also, on the badges with a fake "pickled' finish, if you rub the finish, a little may come off and there is a distint sulphur smell. This example was kindly provided by a very experianced and advanced Ottawa collector.

[GregN]

Hi all, here are some pics of the 2 badges I believe to be fakes. I say believe as the original fakes came out before I collected Canadian badges and I have never seen original badges. I believe them to be fakes as I paid very little for them on epay. Supposing that they are real, well that's nice but testomony to the impact that fakes have to our hobby, they devalue and cheapen it. As you can see these are very convincing to a novice and advanced collector. It would be nice to see some orginal badges so that we can all see the differences.

One of the best collections of CEF badges resides in the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto. Thier collection pre-dates the introduction of fakes as I believe it was assembled and donated in the late 50's. It would be helpful is someone were to visit the RCMI and list and take photos of those batteries in the collection.

Cheers,

Greg

[John Cameron]

The Canadian War Museum also has most of the numbered Artillery badges in their collection. They created quite a stir in the collecting community quite a few years ago as they went into an auction with a "buy order" and wound up driving prices through the roof. This is when the CWM actually had an acquisition budget.

[guest_000]

Gerg BOTH your badges are duds sorry . In fact the originals should be found with either folding tangs or in some cases pin back. The other thing is the numeral is not sharpe on the front as the detail is lost in the casting . They are made to deceive and they do.

[GregN]

Thanks Paul, I bought them as fakes so no big deal.

Greg

[Eddie Parks]

It occurs to me to ask if anyone needs the addenda/correction sheets that were issued for COX's Empire badges book in relation to CEF artillery units. I'm not sure how I got mine so don't know how they were distrubuted.

Eddie

[Bill A]

Hello Eddie, The repro of artillery badges has gone on for some time. The Cox reference book, published in the 80's, pre-dated the Drack's repros by nearly two decades. The origin of the repros that were included in the Cox reference has not to my knowledge, been made known. It is a very good reference, but unfortunately, the author got taken on the CFA badges.

The Drack's badges were copied from original examples and then re-created. The "officer's" overlays were added. Most of the officers' badges never existed. In the Cox reference, badges were listed for units which never had badges. Thus, the Drack's badges pose more of a problem, as there were units that had the badge originally. And, if I remember correctly, the Drack's reproductions were each made in all the different styles as well. (Types A, B, etc.)

[guest_000]

I have talked to Mr Dracks and he makes to order. He is very proud of his work for some reason even after I showed him what the individuals where doing with his badges. At least when one turns up he will own up to making it in that way he hides nothing. But I think my arguments may have gotten through to him as his work seems to have faded away over the past couple years. Our next problem is out of Saskatoon.

[TRT]

Hello,

My first post after my intro.

I have a 74 CFA badge bought about four years ago from a UK dealer. It has a voided and spoked wheel and has no leaves / wreath under the "et gloria" on the scroll. It is brass but has a dark patination. The bagde is tanged either side of the main wreat about level with the cannon barrel and breach.

Any initial thoughts.

The dealer in the UK has a reasonable reputation.

Thanks

TRT

[Bill A]

Tang back is a good sign, most but not all of the repros are lugged. Could you post an image? Especially of the back of the badge.

[TRT]

Will do when I get my camera out,

Thanks

TRT

[guest_000]

one point to note there are folding tang repos out there now one on ebay right now . They have wide tangs and are always neatly folded while the rest of the badge looks like it has been through WW1. Also folding tang badges came with three not two tangs