makers marks

[Mike]

after reading some of the threads which refer to makers marks it's appropriate that we have a permanent page with some notes & pics.
its under construction. I know the subject has been done to death elsewhere, but I think it still has to be done here as well.


Makers marks (any we can find including restrikes .)


I was just wondering if anyone had ever tried to contact Gaunt with regards marks? (and is my assumption correct that Firmin took them over in the early 90s?)

[Keith Blakeman]

How can other examples be added?

[Mike]

Hi Kieth, you can add them as an attachment to this tread and we will move them over, or if you send us your email address via the "contact us" form we will email you back ours and you can then send it as an email attachment - then we will stick them up on the permanent page accredited to yourself.

[KLR]

Does anyone know about identifying makers of cloth badges ??
Shoulder straps, arm badges, pagri flashes etc, etc !

[KLR]

Although I've just seen your listing which is very useful, I had intended to send you a quick list (though not illustrated) of my own which you can add in somewhere

Bent & Parker
Wm Dowler
Thos Fattorini (only known on 1st WW Vol units)
Firmin
JR Gaunt
Gladman & Norman
Hobley
Hobson (certainly Victorian, not sure how long they lasted)
Jennen (mostly, if not exclusively, officer's - it's the J&Co you have ilustrated)
Lambourne’s
Ludlow
Smith & Wright
Stratton

There are a couple of others that I can't find at the moment - I'm pretty sure I know who FN was, I'll try & find my notes. Actually, of course, there are probably loads more.
Apart from Stanley & Sons, there are a few others who made (exclusively ??) plastic badges - a list was published a while ago by Marcus Cotton (NB will look up ref !).

Of the lot I listed above there are some about whom I know very little - eg Ludlow

Anyway, it's a start
Julian

[Keith Blakeman]

FN B'Ham are F.Narborough. I've only ever seen it stamped in it's complete form on a pair of WW1 era London Scottish shoulder titles I have, the curved type. It means they were definently a WW1 maker and to confirm it I got hold of a g/m Monmouthshire last week with their stamp. This TA Btn ceased in 1922.

[Malcolm Davey]

Some i have on my badges that have not been mentioned

Suttle Cambridgeshire
Marples & Beasley
Ludski
grove
London Badge and Button co
J W Tiptaft & Son Ltd Birmingham

Cheers
Malc

[Keith Blakeman]

Another one I've seen but don't have is:

F. Starr Putney.

This is an interesting one as I've seen it on the WW1 East Surrey (Wandsworth) Pals, both OR's and OSD patterns and also on the 26th Hussars WW2 badges.

[KLR]

This is going to be very useful, do we send you comments, ID etc to add in the to fields next to the images ? - eg the J&Co is also Jennens & Co, the Liverpool Scottish is the 1939 QOCH version.

Here are the plastics maker's marks as listed in
Cotton, M, 1995, ‘British Plastic Cap Badges, 1941-46, Part 1’. Militaria Magazine, 10 (Jul-Aug), 18-22.
Cotton, M, 1995, ‘British Plastic Cap Badges, 1941-46, Part 2’. Militaria Magazine, 12 Nov-Dec), 17-21.

(which you could add to the bibliography,)

anyway, part 1 page 22 lists
A.STANLEY & SONS WALSALL
MMMC - Mentmore Manufacturing Co Ltd
F&G within an oval - Fisher & Glass
JRL LTD BHAM - Jarret, Rainsford & Laughton Ltd

Some plastic badge makers (just like metal ones) didn't mark their badges - eg Hopf Products Ltd who made KLR ones !

I'll try and get photographs of some others that I have.
Julian

[Mike]

they are a bit jumbled at the moment but will sort them out.



"Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope." (for the badge collector)


Margaret Thatcher
(no it wasn't it was Saint Francis of Assisi )

[Mike]

Hi Julian, you can email them over i will send email address as a Private message.

we have a TIPTAFT mark (photo) on the forum somewhere (one of sean michael cronin's yeomanry badges i think)

[sean michael cronin]

Yorks dragoons chrome Smith and Wright Ld B'ham, B.P.& Co Ld B,ham Norfolk Yeomanry and Bucks battalion F.E. Woodward B'ham. Cheers Sean.

[KLR]

There is a Ministry of Supply 2WW contracts ledger for badges that lists all sorts of makers that I haven't heard of (OK not that that means much !) BUT how many actually marked their badges is another matter !!

[Keith Blakeman]

Sean,

How long have you had the Norfolk Yeomanry badge. I ask as a couple of years back there were dozens of good looking (but some incorrect) badges being listed on Speedbid with similar marks plus other makers, Jennens, WD, Fattorini, etc. By incorrect badges I mean VB's and others with incorrect battle honours. They were being sold by someone in Leicester and I've seen them come out of Coventry also.

[sean michael cronin]

Hello Keith, had the badge about twenty years or so, have seen this mark mentioned in a well known auction in Buckinghamshire, who said it was Bent/ Parker and co. On E bay at the moment there are a few Fattorini sliders appearing most of them attached to poor quality fakes, all as usual marked up 100% original.Cheers Sean.