Clasp opinions

[fdodge]

Originally Posted by 90th Light

I think you have made the right choice. Euro 15 is what you could sell a fake for. I just have a feeling however, that you are going to find this one to be an original.

Looking at it again, it looks to be, perhaps a silver example. "BSW" clasps can somtimes have a goldie/ gilt type eagle with light bronze wash over it. For some reason this one has either had no "light bronze" over it or something has cleaned it off and possibly reacted with it a bit ???

Will look forward to seeing the reverse,

Chris

Is there really a market for fake badges? I have a couple of really good KM fakes that I was just going to throw away.

[90th Light]

Originally Posted by fdodge

Is there really a market for fake badges? I have a couple of really good KM fakes that I was just going to throw away.

I can but quote a car sales man who made himself a multi- millionaire out of selling used cars ( funnily, believe it or not );

" there is buyer for every car that is out there ".

Just a case of knowing the different qualities of what you sell. Then making the various segments that buy at each quality level, aware of what you have. There are those who do not want a Rolls Royce and those who can not afford to buy a Roll Royce. Two completely different segments with different needs and different wants.

Thus there are those who sell fake German badges and those who do not. I wonder who is selling more in a serious recession USA/ Europe today ???


Chris

[Aqu]

Originally Posted by fdodge

Is there really a market for fake badges? I have a couple of really good KM fakes that I was just going to throw away.

Really? I am keeping few fake badges for examples.

[Aqu]

Got it now. It looks like being painted in silver and paint is now corroding away.

]
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[fdodge]

Turn the flash off.
Try natural indirect sun light.

[AndyC]

It looks like a cast fake to me



Andy

[Aqu]

Originally Posted by AndyC

It looks like a cast fake to me



Andy

Ok. Looks like it belongs to dumpster where I picked some photos recently.

[Aqu]

Seller did the right thing when he sold it as reproduction . It looks like some kind of zinc based badge that has been repainted silver. Also catch looks bad like cast fake.

[90th Light]

Hello Aqu,

that is a weird one alright and at first glance it could easily be dismissed as a casting off an original ???

What are the measurements and weight ?



When you say "zinc" does it bend like lead or is it firm like zinc ? ( test this carefully because the badge looks to be repaired. Do not try to bend where the repair between the oak leaves and the laurel leaves is or you will snap it in half )

Looking at the images on my monitor, the four things I can not work out;

1/ looks to be an original "BSW" maker mark. Is it stamped in or cast in ?

2/ the hinge & pin are correct for a "BSW" Are they die struck or cast ?

3/ the eagle head looks to be a seperate part which has been reapplied or badly applied. What is it made of ?

4/ the front of the badge has very good oak leaf, laurel leaf, swaz & eagle head detail. There is no signs of pock-marks/ craters from casting on the front that I can see. Is the detail crisp when held in hand or not ?

The reason I am asking these questions, I am wondering if this is an original which has been broken, repaired and then replated ???

Is that a faint fracture line ( plated over ) on the reverse side that I see on the left where the "sew holes" look round between the oakleaves joining the laurel leaves ? The sew holes on the other or right hand side, looking at the reverse are the correct triangle shape for "BSW" and do not look to be repaired.

Also the more I look at the reverse, the more I see signs from repairing the badge on the left hand side, hammering the eagle head back on after replating and the repair to the hook. I do no see any serious pock marks or craters from casting on the reverse.

Please check these points carfully before you came to a conclusion about this one,

Chris

p.s. "fdodge" is correct, please take some images without the flash on and add them to this thread

[juvatwad]

Triangle cut outs on one side, round on the other?

[90th Light]

Originally Posted by juvatwad

Triangle cut outs on one side, round on the other?

Yes, repaired break on one side with holes redrilled round and original unrepaired triangles on the other side then plated over ???

Chris

[fdodge]

And I still don't like this clasp.

[90th Light]

Originally Posted by fdodge

And I still don't like this clasp.

Who would with that "I need sunglasses" plating on it.

The question is however, underneath that horrible plating do we have an original "BSW" clasp which has been repaired ???

Chris

[Thomas Durante]

Hi guys,

I am leaning with Chris on this one, looks like an original but heavily messed with. Definitely new silver plating all over it, including the pin (you can see the crackling on it near the hinge). And I agree that it does look like it broke, but has been repaired on the one side. Its very odd that the drill holes down match with the typical triangular cuts on the opposite side, never seen that before on an original BSW badge.

But the maker mark looks right, and so do the obverse details and reverse hardware. It could be a good casting of an original, so it would be good to get some dimension of it to see if it is smaller than originals.

Tom

[Ludwig]

Still a bad clasp. IMO.