Please post your Blockade Breaker badges here for views and discussions.
--dj--Joe

Bill,
Your Blockade Breaker badge resembles more the A.G.M.u.K. Gablonz than the Schwerin made badge.

How is yours marked on the reverse?

Link with some excelent close up images.
http://lbmilitaria.homestead.com/index.html

Regards,--dj--Joe

Hello,
Joe thanks again for reply. I've posted a pic of the reverse of my badge,don't know if it's clear or closeup enough to help at all. Checked out that site you sent a link to and the reverse of mine looks closer to the Schwerin badge but there are differences I can see also,namely the top of hinge on mine seems to differ somewhat from the schwerin badge pictured there and also my catch while similiar seems a little more elongated(?) than the one in the picture...to my eyes. LOL,that's why I generally don't buy war badges,and the fact that they don't turn me on as much as other stuff. I do thank you for your help and info. Any other imput you or others may have is much appreciated also. Hate to find out down the line sometime if I had to sell it and it turned out to be a fake. Again thanks
Bill

Blockade runner badge

here is one I have

rear

Andy, thanks for posting your example, appears to be a scooped back zinc alloy example.
My example follows.
Obverse.
--dj--Joe

Close up, bridge and port holes.

Close up, eagle.

Reverse.

Close up, maker mark.

Close up, hinge.

Bill, there are the pictures of my example. My pin will not raise to scan the maker mark unobscured. We so far have three different reverse set ups. Andy's example would appear to be a set up for a zinc alloy base metal badge.
My example conforms to accepted originals with a non zinc alloy base metal.

The only rule of thumb for repro's. that I recall is the second from last row of portholes should number seven total on original examples.

I do not believe that in line lettering on the makers mark is a good sign. Check my example the R's and L's especially are not in alinement.

As time allows will do some further research.

--dj--Joe

Hello again all,
Here are a few more pics,again don't know if they help or what. If any other pics needed please let me know and I will post them. I hear what your saying regarding the makers marking being inline. I do also notice a difference in the catch attachment & hinge attachment on mine compared to yours and Andy's and I do believe mine has the correct number of portholes,but I can't say one way or the other regarding authenticity of the piece so I am glad to hear and listen to others assessment of it. Would like to find out the consensus on this piece in any case though. Again thanks and await all opinions regarding it.
Bill

pic:

Bill your # of port holes are correct, beyond that I can not say yet. Your hinge set up would be for a zinc alloy base metal badge but usually (not a written in stone rule), the catch would have a round plate beneath.

I have been checking about, repro sites dissolve on me as fast as I can locate them. I only saw examples of the six porthole second to last row repros.

--dj--Joe

Bill, Some other things may give us a clue even though cases and badges and pins can be switched around over time and passing through many hands. Could you get a shot of the catch on the case? Not wanting you to destroy the case but if you tug gently at the base does it come out revealing the interior? If so is it marked? I'm not sure how much help it would be to see the reverse of the miniature but it may not hurt.

--dj--Joe

Hello again,
Joe I will see if I can take a few closeup pics of the reverse of the miniature and I will also try to see if the base can be removed without destroying it. I do notice that there is no round plate underneath my clasp either. Again thanks
Bill

The more I look into these badges the more questions arise.

I see examples with O's similar to an egg shape and 0's more flat sided.

Will keep looking and wait for more images.

--dj--Joe

Bill, in defense of your reverse set up there is an example on the Collectors Guild Inc. site that looks very much like yours. No plate under the catch. Except it has 0's like my example. You may wish to contact the site, they might send you some better images.

Sorry I do not have their link saved. Let's see what this link does.
http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Kriegsmarine/photos/K15354.html

--dj--Joe

Hello,
Here is a picture of the catch and reverse of the miniature. Joe I tried prying up the base and on one side it started to come up but the other side wasn't going to easily so as I've learned in the past...don't force anything,and so I didn't. With my luck it'll break or something LOL. In any case here are the pics. I will see if that site will supply me better pics perhaps. Thanks
Bill

Reverse of miniature:

Bill,
Found an example like your badge. Check out W6418 .

http://www.nicholasmorigi.com/new_items_catalogue.php

Hello,
Joe, yes indeed that badge certainly does look very much like mine. I have seen this guys site in the past but don't usually save certain sites. As I said I don't collect these items so I couldn't tell an original from repro. That being the case I certainly don't envy you guys who collect Kriegsmarine badges or any other war badges for that matter. I'd hate to find out I had a collection full of bad badges. I'll have to start paying more attention to items I don't collect just in case I run across any in my travels. Again I thank you for your help and information.
Bill

Bill, you should have someone take a look at the case. The catch did not have the tell tale sharp peak of known repros. but I can not tell otherwise. It is claimed that excellent reproduction cases are being made but I have not had the opportunity to view a Blockade Breaker case close up.
I do not know about the mini.

Check W6424 .
http://www.nicholasmorigi.com/catalogue.php?sid=AWARDS%20-%20CASED%20SETS

Let us know how it compares with yours.

--dj--Joe

Hello,
Joe I'll have to bring it with me to one of the shows & ask about the case. I have had this item for quite a number of years and never had it checked out before. As I say it's not something I really collect. Again thanks for your help and info.
Bill

Any one with other examples? Any other cased examples?

--dj--Joe

Here is a blockade Runners badge that I have. I have been told it was good and been told it was bad! Opinions Please
SSman

Picture 2
SSman

Picture 3
SSman

Last Picture
SSman

I am going to have to do some looking and thinking!

--dj--Joe

Thanks for your input Joe
SSman

SSman, I have looked and looked and thought, now to respond.
Can you make out what the base metal of your example is?
From the grainy appearance, the badge appears to be cast and not the results of zinc erosion.
The set up is confusing and not one that I could find a supporting example of. The hinge is usually seen on a tombac base badge but the catch plate is found on zinc/alloy base badges. The catch plate shape is not of the norm, I have only observed round examples on Blockade Breaker badges.
The pin appears to be on backwards.

If original it has been corroded from improper storage or forces of nature, refinished and the hinge, or pin, catch and or plate were reapplied.


An opinion only,--dj--Joe

Joe. It looks to me like it is made of zinc! The pitting could be the result from a faker using a rubber mold? So much fake stuff out there anymore that this hobby is actually getting boring because you have to waste so much time trying to figure out if something is original or fake. Not speaking about everybody getting bored but it is sure making me lose interest very quickly!
SSman

Rod, it can be disheartning, just have to look at it as a challenge.

As long as we as collectors bounce questions off of each other we stand a good chance of avoiding repros.

The pitting could be the results of a mold, but the fakers do not usually use zinc, just a white metal. When they are not using brass or copper.

Regards,--dj--Joe

These are reported to be fake sets, made in England in the '80s. I guess many have been broken up and sold individually. This is from WAFs reproduction gallery.
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102011

Here is mine as requested on your very first post.
slingshot

Another pic of it.
slingshot