Unknown cap badge DAK/German Africa Corps

[Wolf]

Hello everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the right subforum, if not please let me know.^^

I saw this badge. It is about 45mm in size. According to the dealer, it would be a contemporary piece from the "Deutsches Afrika Korps/German Africa Corps" (DAK) and represents the well-known DAK palm tree. But he also doesn't know where the piece came from or what it was for. His assumption was that it was a cap badge of the DAK soldiers. But he has no confirmation of this.

Since I haven't seen such a badge myself, I hope that someone here can tell me more about it. Is it real and if so who wore it?

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Best regards
Wolf

[Adrian]

It looks like just a palm tree brooch to me, there is nothing about it that suggests DAK. The DAK symbol had a swastika halfway up the trunk which is generally thicker towards the base. There appears to be coconuts or fruit at the top which wouldn't be there as a DAK badge. I'm not sure the pin catch is indicative of a cap badge either, it just looks like a brooch type. There are no markings or anything that relates it to the TR.

I might be completely wrong and other members may disagree but evaluate the item, not the seller's story......

[Gwar]

My thought as well, probably a souvenir, from somewhere....

[MAP]

I would agree. Not military related. If it was DAK, I would expect the swaz to be included

[Wolf]

I assumed it wasn't a real DAK badge, but wasn't sure. In particular, the lack of the swastika was the reason why I was skeptical and asked you for advice.

@Adrian: That was great. I hadn't even noticed the fruit under the palm leaves. This is the proof I was looking for that it is not a DAK palm.

Thank you all, you've been a great help.

Best regards
Wolf

[Kohima]

As an artisan piece, and therefore not subject to regulation or the norm, the presence or not of fruit is not of relevance - it is up to the interpretation of the maker.
It might well have been made at the request of a soldier - Allied or Axis - to send home to a loved one, or wear themselves, like the countless bazaar-made rings... or a tourist, in the post-war years.. maybe even pre-war. We shall never know.
The only certainty is that it’s not an official piece.