Zepellin pilots badge? (Balloonbeobachterabzeichen)

[Pablo]

I won (spur of the moment bid) this badge at an online auction and now wonder what I have. It is described as a "Zeppelin Pilot's Badge" but I can't find any info in my online searches. Can anybody help. This is the only photo I have, until I actually get the thing. Thanks.

[Spund]

I'm not sure if this is authentic, but for one of the guys to help you add more pictures.

[Eric Zentner]

Hope you did not pay much. This is not a good Balloon observer's badge IMO.

Eric

[Adrian]

I've never heard it described as a Zeppelin Pilot's badge before! It's a Balloon Observer Badge (Balloonbeobachterabzeichen) and although these badges apparently were awarded on paper, no proven award example has been found. Some prototypes were made (allegedly).
I started a thread a while ago about the controversial badges in our hobby, you can see my Balloon badge here.

[davejb]

If this proved to be a real one, you would have one of the rarest badges from the Third Reich period, they were so small in number that its doubted they were ever issued at all, but i believe there are a few in museums that may be the real deal, i doubt very much that one of these would turn up on E-Bay or an auction site without a very heavy price tag, the mere fact that its described as a zeppelins pilots badge would set alarm bells ringing

[Pablo]

Many thanks for the info. Now I know what I have or don't have. When I get it, I will send more pics. Are there any obvious flaws or marks that would yell "fake" or reproduction?

[Adrian]

The biggest flaw is that no original badges are known..........

[Pablo]

The biggest flaw is that no original badges are known..........

Interesting. If there are no original badges, how would one know if one was original, i.e. produced during the war, to begin with? Therefore, I assume there are no reproductions either, since there are no originals to reproduce from. So where did these badges come from?

[militarymania]

this badge is a fake or outright reproduction,,,,qualilty of this badge is atrocious...

[Adrian]

Interesting. If there are no original badges, how would one know if one was original, i.e. produced during the war, to begin with? Therefore, I assume there are no reproductions either, since there are no originals to reproduce from. So where did these badges come from?

Exactly, how would you know? They were designed, instituted and apparently prototypes were made. What they look like, who produced them, what happened to them and where they are is a mystery - no-one knows.
We know there are reproductions because the quantity of these badges and the different types is vastly out of proportion to a small sample run. They were awarded on paper, that much we do know.
We have the circumstantial evidence of reproductions. For example, your badge and my badge in the link I provided are exactly the same, therefore we can be fairly safe in saying they originated from the same tool and therefore the same maker. My badge is stamped for Godet on the reverse. Godet didn't make any kriegsabzeichen during the war so is it likely they would've been asked to design, make the tooling for and manufacture prototypes of a brand new badge? Surely to ask an established maker of badges would've been a no brainer? So, from that, it could be reasonable to say the badge above and my badge are reproductions made after the war?
However, no-one knows 100% either way, Robert above can't call the badge a fake or outright reproduction nor can he question the quality because there is no original badge to compare to - how does he know? How do I know? How do you know?
We can question the quality of fakes against known awards but how can we question the quality of something against something no-one has ever seen?