2nd Warsaw Armoured Division metal badge

[belly]

I’m looking to buy an original 2nd Warsaw Armoured Division metal badge. I’ve seen lots for sale but I’m unsure how to spot the fakes/repros and what the going rate is (they seem to go from £30 to £160 on ebay), for example:

Original WW2 Polish German War,Warsaw Tank Medal Award Uniform tunic badge Patch | eBay

Could anyone please give me some pointers on what to look for?
Thanks
Paul

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hello Paul and welcome to the forum. Despite the assertion of the seller, the badge being sold on ebay is a copy. The best way to answer your question about what to look for is through a direct comparison to a genuine badge. The one the left is the copy from the ebay auction. The one on the right is a die stamped original, made by F.M. Lorioli, one of the two largest Italian producers of badges for the Polish 2nd Corps. Note the rough surface finish and casting seam on the copy.

(click on pics to magnify)




Note the classic Lorioli threaded post with its hemispherical end:



Edge view showing typical die stamped finish (no casting seam)



Best wishes in your hunt for one. They are not particularly rare, so you can be selective and await one in good condition complete with original spinner.



Cheers,
Tony

[belly]

Tony

Many thanks for your comprehensive reply, that is just what I was hoping for and extremely useful.

Kind regards
Paul

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi Paul, you're most welcome. Again, best wishes in your hunt. Feel free to post any prospective purchases here for review.

Cheers,
Tony

[ktwid]

Hi Tony,

I'm trying to recreate my grandfather's badge and medal collection which was unfortunately stolen many years ago.

I'm looking for a 2nd Armoured badge, as per the beginning of this post and found your information extremely useful. However, I'm still not trusting myself to make an informed decision on whether this badge on eBay is genuine.

Any chance you could take a look and help me out?

Thanks very much in advance.

Keith

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi Keith,

This is a copy. Reasonably well made though with a pretty good reproduction of a domed Lorioli spinner. The biggest giveaway is the "hole" at the top, within the numeral 2. Note how on the genuine badge pictured above it is in the form of a flat sided oval, whereas in this copy it is round.

Regards,
Tony

[ktwid]

You are a good man thank you Tony.

I'll keep an eye out for an original, so may be posting here again for your expert eye!

All the best!

[ktwid]

Hi Tony,

Sorry to bother you, but I have another badge here for you to check. From what you told me last time, it appears genuine to me? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your assistance, if you would be so kind!

Cheers,

Keith

[A.J. Zawadzki]

That’s a good one

Regards,
Tony

[jordanr]

I too am trying to re-create my grandfather's medals for a display... this one is posted on Ebay and based on the above, looks legit. Only curious thing is the seller hasn't posted a picture of the spinner back, and through PM has offered to send me such a photo, but wants to charge me $10 to do so lol. Appreciate an opinion as to whether or not the pictured is genuine.