DJ Achievement Award Spurious RZM mark

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Hello All,
this is a badge out of my old collection dating from the mid 80s.
Do you consider it to be an early forgerers attempt or perhaps genuine with a spurious RZM mark stamped on it to give it some sort of authenticity?

I do note the heavy hammer marks on the obverse obviously where the heavy handed numbering has taken place.

Any comment or opinions appreciated.

All the best
Doug

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Hi Doug,

A number of things stand out with this one:

  • The award serial number on the badge is very crudely applied
  • There are quite a few flaws on the obverse (and the reverse in fact)
  • The RZM marking is incomplete and was clearly not incorporated into the die but added after the badge had been struck. M1/35 badges have this type of RZM mark but you would see immediate differences if you compared your RZM stamp with that of an M1/35
  • Our lists of badge holders show that the award serial number on your badge corresponds to the period late-1938 / early 1939 so with the DJ achievement badge being introduced on the 26th of Sept 1935 and inside the RZM period, we have to ask why a badge issued 3-4 years later doesn't have full RZM marks.
On that last point, some badges with very low serial numbers are known and these don't have RZM marks but I'm not entirely convinced by them. Here's one of the reasons why: http://www.hj-research.com/forum/f24/dj-achievement-badge-5797-no-rzm-markings-good-bad-9039/
 
I very rarely visit that forum Doug so wasn't aware that you had posted it there. What you seem to be saying is that the variation in the badges you found on this forum has led you to the conclusion that your badge is not sufficiently "wrong" for its appearance to be a worry. If we ignore the things I mentioned and just look at the quality of the badge itself, then yes, I agree that it looks good. However, I think that it would be a very hard sell if you were to decide to let it go due to it having characteristics that would need to be explained and accounted for in the context of the TR and how these badges were processed and awarded.
 
Hello Garry.
I appreciate the knowledgeable expertise that is here on the forum.
Hence my reason to become a member.
If I had gone with the opinions on war relics I would have been sitting on a badge that I was sure was 'genuine'
as it is now and with your input and the other member who directed me back here I believe that it is a badge with dubious heritage.

I am in no hurry to dispose of any of my collection.

All the best
Doug
 
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