Picked up this at my local Rubbish Dump

[kradman]

Picked up this today at my local rubbish dump

[Luftwaffe 1941]

It amazes me how some people will throw out items like these. Thank god you were there to rescue this piece of history before it was lost forever.

Best regards- Jarret

[OldSteel]

Very nice and uncommon, it is an aluminum identification plate for the cars of the Regio Esercito, it was applied on the radiator grid.

Regards
Roberto

[BlackCat1982]

Well rescued, still can't believe that this kind of items can still find their way into the trash.

[kanister]

These plates were only on bronze: in those times in Italy there was no aluminium for planes and they did not waste it for cars.
Today we can find many copies on aluminium but they are fake. The bolt is not good and also the back is different from the originals.

This is the back of an original plate:

[OldSteel]

Morning kanister,
thank you for having specified this, it is always possible that it is a reproduction, in fact the rear bolts look different.
There are however several sources of information according to which there were examples in bronze and also in aluminum; but I think that what is called "aluminum" is actually a zinc-based white metal alloy.
Here are some links that show examples, I also add a photo of a FIAT 508CM REI that I personally photographed in a well-known museum in Bologna: "Museo Memoriale della Libertà".
It 's just a consideration, I do not consider myself an expert in this kind of objects so I could be wrong.

Regards

Italian Army motor vehicle identification badge : Driver W A Evans, Australian Army | The Australian War Memorial
IT.CULTURA.STORIA.MILITARE ON-LINE: World: Reportage: Eventi: Semovente M 75/18 (La Spezia, 14-21 ottobre 2007)
Bandiere - ---------- - Rara targa militare bellica da mezzo del Regio Esercito

[kradman]

I have also seen them in both bronze and also in aluminum there are a few more here , You find quite a few here in the UK as looks to be a item a lot of British troops brought back as war booty
Italian vehicle plaque - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

[kanister]

Italian vehicle plaque - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

I wrote in that post and, if you read it, you can see that the plaque on the 508CM in Bologna is a mistake: for light car and staff car the plaque was replaced by a sheet paper.
In any case these plaques were only on bronze: in Italy the aluminium was reserved to planes and there was not enough for them.

[kanister]

Italian vehicle plaque - Wehrmacht-Awards.com Militaria Forums

I wrote in that post and, if you read it, you can see that the plaque on the 508CM in Bologna is a mistake: for light car and staff car the plaque was replaced by a sheet paper.
In any case these plaques were only on bronze: in Italy the aluminium was reserved to planes and there was not enough for them.

For Oldsteel, that I presume can read Italian there is this link:
placca da automezzo R.E. - Blitzkriegmilitaria Forum

[kradman]

I am sorry there are still original aluminium ones of these , This tag came in to a rubbish tip in the UK with paperwork and items to a VC winner who serviced in Italy so unless he was making fakes in his garage who knows ?