WW1 North Auckland 15th Regiment hat badge

[Danger]

Hi guys,

I have a few old badges and others tucked away in old tins and I have a couple that are curious.
This is a North Auckland 15th Regiment hat badge from WW1.
They served at Gallipoli as part of the Auckland Battalion. Then went onto Europe after.

What interests me, and I never noticed it before is it's colour. I've never polished it in 35 years and it has a marker on the reverse.
J.R.Gaunt - London.
I see they were suppliers of cap badges in WW1. They were also jewelers.
I've put another cap badge in for comparison.
I would like to think it's been dipped in gold, but it's probably not.

What do you guys think?

Cheers,

Danger

[Watchdog]

I suspect this is what is known as "gilt" which consists of applying a layer of a gold (possibly gold coloured) over a base metal which in the case of badges is usually brass which tends to make it difficult to see where the "gold" layer has worn away. It has the effect of making a piece look like gold but most importantly gives a tarnish free finish (if it is gold that is). These are the main reasons that this type of finish is used for officers badges (they generally don't polish their kit, that is for us peasants LOL!).
Originally the material would be gold leaf chemically bonded (a complcated subject in itself and not really relevant to this thread) to the surface but as with everything cost has always been a factor and other materials have been used even including lacquers. The direct modern equivalent would be electroplate although traditional gilding is by no means extinct.

The clean or don't clean debate raises its' head here again but if the finish is mostly intact a good test of quality is a rinse with warm soapy water (neutral soap not aggressive chemical cleaners) and a soft sponge or brush followed by thorough drying (warm air is good) should see it sparkle like a gem. As you haven't cleaned it for 35 yrs however, I think you can be sure that it is not naked brass which would likely be quite darkened over that period.
Another indication of period quality is the makers name which is on an individually soldered tablet, another sign of an officers or private purchase piece.

It is such a shame that one of the lugs has failed. I don't know much about NZ badges or how rare this would be over there but I wonder if it might be a good idea to investigate having the lug replaced by someone who knows what he is doing. There are people, usually collectors themselves over here in UK that do this very economically if the badge is worth more than a few quid and it is one of the few "restoration/repair" methods that tends to enhance the collectibility and value of a badge.

By the way JR Gaunt was a long standing supplier of badges and insignia to HM Forces until only a few years ago when I believe they were acquired by one of the other large manufactures Firmin & Sons but a word of caution, there were a pair of former Gaunt employees who illegally began trading under the JR Gaunt trademark and produced some dangerous fakes!

Regards

Mark

[Anderson]

JR Gaunt supplied a lot of badges to New Zealand, certainly WW1 era and WW2 , brass buttons as well. Probably the most common maker mark encountered on NZ badges.

[Danger]

Thanks Watchdog.
I will take your advice and have it repaired. I think it deserves it.
First a clean.
Then to the jewelers.

Cheers,

Danger

[Jerry B]

I think it is what is known as gm among badge collectors, otherwise gilding metal;
"Typical composition of gilding metal: 87% copper, 13% zinc. Gilding metal generally replaced yellow brass for British army insignia from 1896." from the british and commonwealth military badge forum