Infantrerie Sturmabzeichen - ShuCo style for opinions

[avenger]

UPDATE:

I ended up reaching a deal with the seller for this badge, and it arrived today. I tried to take some photos in different lighting to see if it might shed some light (no pun intended) on the finish of the badge. I'm still not sure I know what I'm looking for to see the frosted finish mentioned. If it's not showing in these photos, I'm guessing there's not much left. Other than that, it looks like a pretty clean and good example to my eyes! Hope you all like it too.

BTW, When you see the clasp bent down like that, is that something the wearer would do or the factory? I don't see how the pin would ever have stayed in place if they hadn't bent it down a little. Even the pin has a slight bend upwards at the end to help it hold.
















ORIGINAL POST:

Considering this IAB. It seems to check out, but wanted to make sure. Also, thoughts on the price of $200 for it? I find I'm a terrible judge of the quality of the finish on these steel based badges. There is some wear to the badge evident on a couple of the acorns in particular.

Thanks all!





and in different light:

[Watchdog]

That looks like a nice example to me and I can't see a red flag. As for the price, if it helps I bought a similar one from a european dealer in 2009 for 120€ and that was a reasonable dealer price then.

I think I am correct in saying that these steel badges are more rare than the zinc ones and they certainly survive in better condition. As you refer to this as ShuCo "style" you obviously appreciate that other companies used this design either through co-operation with Sohni Heubach or by purchasing dies from them and these badges have been found unissued in packets marked for other firms. So, being unmarked has to make it ShuCo "style" rather than ShuCo "made". Nice variant though and every IAB collection should probably have one.

Regards

Mark

[avenger]

Thanks Mark for the great info! I saw an absolutely mint one of these a year ago for $275 the sold before I could get it. Prices seem to fluctuate pretty good on them. I'm not great at telling condition on them since the base metal is the same color as the wash, but I think this one is one of the better examples I've asked about in a while. Might be worth it this time.

[avenger]

Looking at more examples, can we tell where the wash is worn through as the steel turns brown when exposed? I just found a post with Stewy and Fischer discussing how the stamped steel versions have a bit less detail than the others, which may point to this badge having very little wear and almost all its wash, where I've confused those missing details as wear down.

[fischer]

Hello

This S.H.u.Co. Design steel (5) vein example looks to be in good shape and your description "S.H.u.Co. style" is spot on for the reasons Mark mentioned.

The finish on these steel hollows is a frosted type application over the silver base material.
In regards to wear points turning brown; these steel alloy badges do not seem to rust badly unless exposed to harsh conditions...at least this has been my experience.
So, the wear on these usually consists of the light frosted finish wearing away. This can be difficult to see in photos or scans.

As mentioned, this one is a (5) vein variant and there is also a (4) vein steel variation.
The (5) vein is the more prevalent of the two and the $200.00 price tag for this example is the price most Dealers would ask IMO.

The S.H.u.Co. Design steel examples like the attributed Juncker NS ISA's usually command a price premium.
This price does not reflect rarity (as both of these are relatively common) but because they are highly sought after by collectors.

Best Regards, fischer

[harryamb2]

very nice badge.

[avenger]

Fischer, that information is a tremendous help. Thank you! I've been looking for one of these in great shape for a while now and was fond of the S.H.u.Co. look after seeing one, so I've made an offer a little less than the asking price. Hopefully the seller will take it, and I'll post better photos once it's in so we can get a proper good look at it!

[avenger]

New in hand photos of this badge posted in original post!

[Wagriff]

Bent catch hooks come for a variety of reasons. In many cases it is deliberately done by the wearer to keep it from falling off loose, as you've theorized. It can also come from being yanked off of a tunic. But, either way, in my eyes, it is a proof of it being an actual Uniform Worn piece and not some desk drawer unused award.
Whatever way you look at it, this badge is a beauty of an example that was There. Apparently not worn for Long, but that just means that the condition is tough to beat! Price-wise, $200 bucks in a reasonable one, considering the difficulty of finding this particular version and in this fine of shape. Well done all around.

[avenger]

Thanks for the info William! I've wondered about the bent catches and suspected it must have been done by the wearer. In this badge's case though, it really would have been coming loose all the time if it weren't bent. I can tell the soldier was very careful about bending it and the ever so slight bend in the pin, and I don't blame him for doing it. His prized badge of honor would have been flapping around on the tunic constantly otherwise with this one.