Hi, this is a black wound badge. There is no gilt present as would be on a gold one, and you can still see the black finish in the beading
Whoever advised you that this could be a hollow gold has absolutely no idea. There's still a reasonable percentage of black paint on the back of the badge and the front looks like it has been chemically stripped. Certainly not natural wear.
Regards
Brett
Black badges were sometimes used in place of gold ones when they were awarded in the field. Just as second class Iron Crosses were sometimes modified to serve as first class awards. But this was far from standard practice, only carried out when the correct awards were not readily available, and not officially sanctioned.
As already stated, this example is a black badge that has lost most of its finish, either through wear or from a postwar attempt to 'upgrade' it to a gold badge. The remnants of black paint can still be seen in the pebbling on the obverse. As a general rule, gold glass wound badges are almost always solid-backed, made from either zinc or tombak. This is an early black badge, made from brass. Later ones were manufactured using steel. It's a nice example (stripped paint notwithstanding), one I'd be happy to own, assuming the current owner isn't trying to pass it off as a gold badge. I've always had a fondness for these early brass badges, especially those with honest wear exposing the base metal.
Below, a couple from my collection. Early black badge, made from brass, similar to yours, and a legitimate gold example.
Regards, B.B.
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