-
-
12-03-2017 02:28 PM
# ADS
Circuit advertisement
-
That's a typical example of the so-called "French-made" U-boat badge. They're sometimes called "Bacqueville" or "Mourgeon" based upon unsubstantiated theories as to the maker, but in modern days the venerable company Bacqueville has repeatedly denied any involvement with them. Somewhat controversial, only about half of the collecting community consider these to be wartime (and that WAF poll was open to both collectors and dealers).
Whether wartime or not, they certainly were not official Kriegsmarine award pieces and were not worn by KM sailors. Two recurring anecdotal categories centre around several U.S.-vet bringbacks and the gradual post-war release from a former Paris navy administration depot. At best they were unofficial wartime production in France stored away until the war was over and at worst they were an elaborate post-war hoax. I say "elaboarate" because there are quite a range of "French-made" KM badges (U-Boat, Destroyer, S-Boat, Auxiliary Cruiser, Fleet badge, Coastal Artillery and the rare Minesweeper) and they're often consistently packaged in a brown patterned carton. No other fake KM badges exhibit such a wide-scale, consistent production and packaging standard.
They're certainly old and many current collectors have had them since at least 1970, and they've been around long enough that there have been reproductions made of them in turn. Some would say "reproductions of reproductions" but the jury is still out on the "original" versions.
Personally, I lean towards unofficial unissued wartime production that was never actually worn, but I'm open to any new evidence.
Best regards,
---Norm
-
-
Thanks Norm, this is very helpful, i am going to pass on this badge too. Sad but true, i obviously can't find good u-boot badge so far, but i''ll keep trying untill i do that.
Best regards, Franko
-
This microscopic examination video of these badges shows them to be fake casts that have been accepted without any scientific basis. If you don't like the comedic aspect of the video just fast forward to the images and see for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAEKgiud9Y4&t=638s
Last edited by Aldo; 02-26-2018 at 12:35 AM.
-
Thanks Aldo, for that link to Jo Rivett’s well-made study definitively proving cast production. Now the only thing remaining is to figure out more exactly when they were made.
There’s a parallel discussion in the KM forum on WAF.
Best regards,
—-Norm
-
Norm, I think Jo alludes to the fact that they have been around since at least the 1970's. I don't know much about them but if I did intend to collect KM badges I would have avoided these anyway. I shy away from any items too far off the accepted parameters of identification. I don't even like those French made KM caps for coastal artillery and such. It just seems so easy to fake an item when you can chalk up the discrepancies to "Theater made" Field made" "French made" etc...... I collect German made because everything is rigorously accounted for and documented for an untrained eye like mine.
Cheers, Al
-
I absolutely agree with you Aldo regarding that and I am also buying just German made items, everything else is unacceptable for me as well.
Best regards,
Franko
-
Hello Franko, this is the only "French made/maid" I'm interested in:
Cheers, Al
-
I cant help but agree with you Aldo.
Best regards,
Franko
Bookmarks