23rd Bn The London Regiment - Cap badge

[KurganFr]

Good day,

This is my first post on this forum; I hope you will excuse any inaccuracies.

I recently purchased - purely out of curiosity - the following cap badge (the images are quite small but hopefully clear enough):
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...r/IMG_1565.jpg
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...r/IMG_1566.jpg
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...r/IMG_1567.jpg

I have a few questions that my untutored web searches have not yet answered:
1. Does this cap badge seem to be the genuine article?
2. What material(s) is it made of? Some websites make mention of bi-metal versions versus utility brass versions made during WWI. Would mine be a bi-metal, given that the star and arms are more silver in colour than the crown and parchment?
3. From http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk...l/mvt45_1.html, it would seem that my cap badge would have been in use either between 1908-1914 or between 1920-1922. Would anybody be able to confirm this?
4. From what you can judge in the photos, what condition would you class it has, and do you know what it might be worth?

I would appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide.

Please let me know if different photos are required.

Thanks in advance.

[Alan O]

1. Probably - but it is not the best made example I have seen.
2. Bi-metal - gilding metal (brass) with white-metal (nickel).
3. In use from 1908 up to WW2. The regt was then converted to Tanks and wore the RTR beret and sources suggest that at some point wore the RTR cap badge.
4. Good condition. If genuine then it is worth £15-20.

[KurganFr]

Alan, thanks for your really quick answer.

I have a couple of other questions:
1. Should I clean the badge, and if so what should I use?
2. Is there any way of telling what rank might have worn this badge?
3. I read that, during WWI, utility badges were made of brass (rather than brass & nickel) for this battalion. Does it being bi-metal allow us to exclude WWI as the period of manufacture? Is there any way of further refining the date of manufacture?

Thanks again.

[PembrokeYeo]

I clean my very dirty badges with liquid soap (diluted) and warm water.
Alan's given you a very full answer already regarding date and period and in my opinion it's an Other Ranks cap badge. PY.

[Alan O]

1. Warm soapy water will do it.
2. Private to SNCO. (ie an Other Ranks badge rather than an officers).
3. All brass badges only came into production in 1916 so it might have been in made in 1914-16. It is probably later than that due to the style of construction.