Source for Replica Pilot's Badge?

Kanone · 20 June 2009, 01:58 PM

Hi,

I'm looking for a replica Great War Prussian pilots badge (the one with the monoplane flying over a country scene) to mount on the BMW motorcycle.

Does anyone know a source where these can be purchased in the USA? I'm not looking for super high quality, but just a decent representation for my red water-cooled K100 BMW motorcycle that I call "the Red Baron." I'd probably mount it on the front fender.

Thanks!

Malaula · 20 June 2009, 06:34 PM

Hello Kanone,
I'd would try Der Dienst of Lowell, Michnigan. They have some nice reproductions that might work for your idea. Best regards, Dave.

__________________________________

Can you feel the warrior spirits gathering around us?
They have waited for us, my friend, they have waited for the coming
together of warriors from different times and different armies.
They wait to hear our words and laughter, to see our tears and
feel our pain. It is all that remains for them . . . . . . .
to be remembered.

The Iron Men - Leonard B. Scott

Jim · 20 June 2009, 08:45 PM

999 out of 1000 of the ones you see on Ebay are repros, though some of the sellers try to pass them off as originals.

Kanone · 22 June 2009, 07:40 AM

I went to Der Dienst, but they don't have photos of all their items so I'm not sure what I'd be getting.

On eBay found a repro Pilots badge for $15. Thats cheap enough considering I'm going to glue it to a motorcycle fender.

From what I've been reading replica WWI medals, badges etc. have been around since almost Day #1. Seems that even the "experts" are often fooled.

Jim · 22 June 2009, 03:12 PM

That's why irrefutable provenance is so important on these things. Without it all you can say is something is XX% likely to be real, and of those, YY% are going to be postwar reproductions by the companies that made the wartime versions but were then selling them to military men as replacements for lost or worn out originals. For example, men in WW II who were in WW I when they earned their original badges were still buying replacements.

The most dangerous fakes and reproductions are both the very old and the very new ones. The old ones are so dangerous because they have a great deal of real age on them. The new ones are so dangerous because modern manufacturing technology and chemistry is combined with forgers who actually take the time to see what real ones look and feel like to get the smallest details perfect. Sure there are still forgers who crank out easily detectable junk, but the good ones spend a bit more time and care and money to fool even the best experts.

Willi Von Klugerman · 28 June 2009, 05:04 PM

Not related,but just as good!

Heres where you can get a replica WWI Austrian pilots badge!

Worldwide Military LLC: Imperial Austrian Pilot Badge

bristol scout · 29 June 2009, 10:25 AM

And a good rep. at 'THE HISTORY BUNKER' for 30$ --here in england but P&P should not be bad.

Dave.