"Late War" Version of 8th Recce badge?

[SRDJUG]

I came across this item today, advertised by a reputable Calgary (Inglewood) dealer as "a late war version" of the 8th Recce badge, for $495 Cdn...any opinions from our forum experts? Thanks!

[Bill A]

Here is a link to the Gallery on the B&CMBF. http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/can...ment/index.htm.

[Bill A]

Comparing the two, I am really not comfortable with this badge. Note the stem and the leaf overall are not the same as the examples in the gallery. The overlay has a different font than the gallery examples. I am not sure what is meant by late war pattern. There is some evidence that the unit started using the 14 CLH badges late in the war.
Bill Miller or some of the other VIII Recce guys may have more to add.

[Roy]

I have to agree with Bill on this one.

I'm certainly no expert on these but this design looks rather simplistic. Perhaps those with a little more knowledge can shed some light on this.

Not a great comparison but you can take a look at mine (link below) and as Bill said the differences are clear.

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ctureid=112186

Roy.

[Phillip Herring]

http://www.shoulder-to-shoulder.net/Product/1956

Some of this dealer's descriptions are a bit inaccurate/fanciful.

Phil

[barriefield-brian]

Does not look good to me. I would steer clear of that one. Cheers Brian

[WJ Miller]

Not the first time we've seen this badge here...

http://www.britishbadgeforum.com/for...ght=VIII+Recce

Looks like it has changed hands a few times over the past few years. I looked at this badge close up at last year's Easter Gun Show in Calgary. Kevin Roberts had it then. Looks like he might have sold it or traded it to Grumpy down at Shoulder to Shoulder.

Not an issue badge but I think an interesting one off. Mind you, not $495 interesting... It would be nice to know the origins of it. I believe the leaf is aluminum. It was light as a feather when I picked it up and sharp edged. The detailed brass/bronze overlay is interesting, considering the leaf appears more hand made. The overlay doesn't line up with any known badge overlay or collar I've seen. I don't think this made to deceive.

I think for an 8th Recce collector this would be a neat item to acquire, for a more reasonable price, especially since there is no provenance.

Some food for thought, at the bottom of this VIII Recce website page, there is a story about two troopers being billeted with a blacksmith and using the blacksmith shop during a rest period. They revisted the Blackmsmith in 1985, "...more about the blacksmith: when I visited him in 1985, he cried when I showed him the badge I'd made in his blacksmith shop in 1945. (He still remembered.)"

http://members.shaw.ca/the8recce/holland.htm

Not saying that this aluminum badge is the one in the story above, but some off-beat items are veteran made - a grey area between real and repro.

Again, it is too bad the origin of this interesting badge is lost.

[SRDJUG]

Thanks, all.

Herein is a "polished" VIII Recce Cap badge I recently purchased from a seller in England...our Calgary Military Historical Society types had seen others done up the same way (overlay removed, white metal ground to mirror shine, overlay replaced), as performed by wartime members of the unit. I have seen BCD and Essex Scottish "mirror shone," as well, with similar results; I had never seen an 8th Recce similar to the badge offered in Inglewood.

[barriefield-brian]

This one appears good. I have seen these polished ones before. Cheers Brian

[SRDJUG]

Thanks, Brian! Someday, a better camera...