U-boot Kriegsabzeichen

**Mitsu** · 05-12-2021, 05:46 PM

by martinw

Tombak is a brass alloy with a high copper content and a small zinc content.
Any tombak award can be considered to be of early wartime production before the transition to zinc production.
I think for 100 euro you got a bargain here,despite the missing catch.
The Juncker U-Boot award is my favorite design of all U-Boot awards.
Despite the condition it's a nice original badge you have.

Cheers,Martin.

Thank you Martin for your explanations. I was still wondering all the Uboat badges were gilded wasn't there a solid brass version without gilding? Like the WW1 version? I have no documentation Kriegsmarine awards on it....

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 05-12-2021 05:46 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Norm F** · 05-13-2021, 01:49 AM

Hi Guys,

I agree that it's probably an original badge that has been messed with and polished within an inch of its life, and as such I think it was appropriately priced -- not a bargain. I respect Martin's opinion of course but at the risk of sounding harsh, you wouldn't really want to spend more than that as it cannot retain its value in that condition. As it is, it's a very strange colour (although that could be the photos I suppose) and the main pin looks the wrong shape and colour. The main pin and outer hinge barrels on these were always in silver-coloured metal. I don't know if the original hardware was Tombak with a nickel silver plating or solid light-coloured alloy, but it's hard to imagine a mechanical abrading process so severe as to remove all vestiges of the silver colour to look so brass-coloured as that.

As much as I admire the Juncker U-Boat design, this one just looks a little too strange to me.

Best regards,
---Norm

**Norm F** · 05-13-2021, 01:53 AM

by Mitsu

I was still wondering all the Uboat badges were gilded wasn't there a solid brass version without gilding? Like the WW1 version? I have no documentation Kriegsmarine awards on it....

Hi Mitsu,

No, there were no Tombak U-Boat badges without gilding in the initial production method. They always started out with gilding.

Best regards,
---Norm

**martinw** · 05-13-2021, 02:20 AM

Thanks for the input Norm.
If this is postwar production then it's a damn good one.
Maybe seeing images taken under different lighting conditions might be of help as to the colour ??

Cheers,Martin.

**Mitsu** · 05-13-2021, 07:41 AM

hello Norm.
I just checked what you are saying and I took a photo again because the clip on the back is indeed the same color and same shape as the one you put in the photo. it is surely the light that does this , Martin was right .

**Norm F** · 05-13-2021, 11:50 AM

Hi Mitsu,

Well that certainly looks much better and more natural. What’s the colour of the small nubbin of catch remaining?

Best regards,
—-Norm

**Mitsu** · 05-14-2021, 11:54 AM

Hello.
Here are some pictures .
Thank you.

**Norm F** · 05-14-2021, 12:16 PM

Hi Mitsu,

The colour is so off on your camera that it’s uninterpretable from the images, but I do see some verdigris on the stump, so I assume it’s a copper based alloy. Does it look brass-coloured to your eye?

Best regards,
—-Norm