Panzerkampf Abzeichen for review

[Stewy S]

Nothing wrong with your example Ralph. My concerns with Johnny's were the headlights & the reverse side of the gun barrel,but it could be a worn die. For me the hardware's spot on though. Stewy

[rbminis]

Nothing wrong with your example Ralph. My concerns with Johnny's were the headlights & the reverse side of the gun barrel,but it could be a worn die. For me the hardware's spot on though. Stewy

Thanks Doug!
Thanks Stewy!
Any opinions on the difference in the grass pattern? Are there more than one known version? What about what appears to be a border on the wreath on the reverse of Johnny's?
Ralph.

[Saladin]

Hello Ralph,
there does appear to be a difference but I would put it down to the following reasons:
Johnny's badge is quite deteriorated over the whole surface but is an earlier die moulding than yours.
Your example is a later produced badge still showing the main design but also does have indications of die wear due to the softer overall appearance.
Another pointer for me is the wider flat wire hook which is present on a lot of the later badges.

I know Stewy had some concerns over the badge but I think this may be down to the fact that Johnny's badge really does show some deterioration. The zinc pest has had some time to eat into the surface of the badge.

When viewing Wiedmann panzer badges I always look out for the recessed MG mounting and the rock at the bottom with the big square chunk out of it..But that is just me

I will try to find some pictures in my archive to show the difference between earlier and later badges and post them here

All the best
Doug

[Saladin]

Hello Ralph,
As promised here are some additional pictures for comparison to yours and Johnny’s badge.
As I mentioned above the first thing I look for in a Wiedmann badge is the squarish recess in the rock and the indentation of the MG mount.
You will note that looking at this group of badges that the Wiedmanns are immediately identifiable:
Numbers 3, 5, 11 and 12. I hope you will be able to see also the variation of the grass patterns…I believe due to mould wear.



Attachment 341008Attachment 341007

[Saladin]

Some close ups of the fronts
Attachment 341011Attachment 341010Attachment 341009

[Saladin]

Turning now to the hardware at the back.
You will see that the bronze badges have the thinner flat wire hook which in my opinion indicate that these badges are from an earlier production run..much the same time period that Johnny’s badge comes from
Also note the weak Wiedmann makers mark
Attachment 341015Attachment 341016

[Saladin]

The silver badges both have what I consider to be the later wider flat wire hook much the same as what your badge has Ralph.Attachment 341017

[Saladin]

Finally an interesting comparison is the material that the silver badges hardware is made of. One appears to be steel and the other brass or brass plated
My thanks go to Patrick Ott for allowing me to use his pictures to try and explain the difference that we are discussing.
All the best
Doug
Attachment 341018

[rbminis]

Thank you very much Doug for taking the time to get permission and to post these nice examples and explain the differences we see.
Ralph.

[Adrian]

Thank you very much Doug for taking the time to get permission and to post these nice examples and explain the differences we see.
Ralph.

Amen to that, great information, thank you Doug.