WW1 / WW2 - Brass or Copper ?

[wig]

Hi folks,
I'm new here, a bit of a novice !
Was there a difference between Rising Sun badges for either war ?
i.e. WW1 were Brass...WW2 were Copper ?
Any feedback would be most appreciated.
Cheers
Wig

[Donny B.]

Originally Posted by wig

Was there a difference between Rising Sun badges for either war ?
i.e. WW1 were Brass...WW2 were Copper ?
Wig

G'day Wig,

You can take your pick.

In his book "Australian Army Badges 'The Rising Sun Badge'" Cossum shows a number of what he lists as "WW1 issue" General Service badges by various makers with finishes of brass, copper, bronze, oxidised and blackened.

He also shows a number of what he lists as "WW11" General Service issue badges by various makers and guess what finishes he gives......brass, copper, bronze and oxidised. as well as black enamel paint, gilt, whitemetal and nickel plated.

You really need to know the makers. If you handle enough badges you can get a feel for the subtle changes in style but a simple general rule of thumb for a novice is that if it is a genuine badge and has a slider it is definitely WW1.......but not all WW1 badges have sliders.

I am sure that if you posted pictures of any badges that you want to query, someone on this forum would quickly put you right.

Happy collecting!

Donny B.

[wig]

Hi there Donny,
Thanks heaps for your reply, much appreciated.
I'm an Aussie living in Texas, why I'm intrigued is because the other day here I picked up a Rising Sun hat badge for 99 cents !.
It's still mainly covered in the black oxidized finish, with a few spots rubbed off, which looks brown, i.e. like copper. It doesn't have the slider, just the lugs and pin.
Great, call I'll post a photo of it here.
Again, thanks for your help mate.
Cheers
Wig