Verwundetenabzeichen Gold

[thecyclist64]

Good afternoon everybody. Just picked this gold wound badge up and was looking for some opinions regarding authenticlity on it. It is one of the rarer hollow badges, unmarked and non-magnetic. There is one on Weitze's site with a different hinge and pin set up. Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Gold (350012) - Allgemeine militarische Auszeichnungen 2. Weltkrieg - Militaria / Helmut Weitze. As usual, all opinions are welcome.

[thecyclist64]

Hi everybody. Just got confirmation from WAF that this item is actually a stripped back original black wound badge (84) pretending to be gold. I have used this dealer before without any problems, so I shall be having words with him. Just goes to show that all that glisters is not gold as Mr Shakespear once said.

[HoundsTooth]

Weitze has been critiqued here several times before with suspect items.
As a dealer, he is one i avoid.
Nick

[BrodieBartfast]

The hollow back should have been a dead giveaway. Gold badges were made of either tombac or zinc, and were of a solid construction. It's worth noting that the black paint used on a lot of these badges was not exactly robust. Paint loss can be observed in period photographs, even.

I have read that black badges were sometimes scrubbed of their paint to serve as an impromptu gold-class badge in the field, where an actual gold badge could not be easily obtained. A similar practice was observed with Iron Crosses, where a second class cross would have its ring suspension broken off, and a pin welded to the back to 'upgrade' it to a first class award. Of course, there's no way to ascertain for sure that any given example is a period-made piece. There has been far too much postwar meddling for those pieces to have much credibility. It's little more than hearsay at this point.

Personally, I find that early brass badges with finish loss through natural wear have an odd kind of appeal. It is still a collectible badge, just not as advertised. A refund would be a wise move in this case, if the dealer is forthcoming.

Regards, B.B.

[thecyclist64]

Luckily I didn't pay more that the price of a black wound badge for it. It just rankles that it was mis-described and mis-sold to me. As you say Brodie, it does have an odd kind of appeal, and also nice crisp detail so I think I might keep it as a curio seeing as it is authentic.

[Watchdog]

Luckily I didn't pay more that the price of a black wound badge for it.

And the reason for that is abundantly clear!

Of course somebody like Weitze shoud know the difference and I believe that is the case. So, how this was represented as gold and a "rare variant" but for the price of a black grade with no finish is a salutary warning to all of us when it comes to respecting a reputation!!

There have been rumours from time to time of "austerity" gold grades but I think it unlikely as by the time austerity became a reality tombak badges were no longer the norm anyway.
I am more inclined to believe as Brodie suggests that a stripped black badge may have been used now and again in lieu of an unavailable gold one.

Unless of course the answer is just misrepresentation.

Still a badge worth having as long as one accepts the true identity

regards

Mark