How to Spot Fake Cap Badges and Medals: Construction, Key Features & Original vs Reproduction Guide
Introduction
Understanding how cap badges and medals are made is one of the most reliable ways to separate genuine militaria from modern reproductions. From metal composition and strike quality to reverse hardware, finish, and ageing patterns, construction tells a story that cannot be faked easily. In this guide, we break down the key features of original items, the common shortcuts seen in reproductions, and the critical details collectors should examine before making a purchase.
This article focuses on British issue cap badges and medals. The principles discussed can be applied to most other nations. Although some nations do/did officially employ some of the methods being discussed. That fakers themselves would go on to use.
PART 1 — CAP BADGES
Original Cap Badge Construction: Key Characteristics
A cap badge is a decorative "motto" or badge, worn on military headgear, that identifies the military unit (battalion, regiment, brigade, corps).
A serviceman of the West Yorkshire Regiment wearing the service cap with cap badge.
The cap badge was introduced in response to the evolution of the British Army headdress regulations.
Visit our post on a brief history of British Army headdress.
For the most part, cap badges were manufactured in either white metal (nickel), gilding metal (a brass type alloy), or with parts of both types. Common brass was also used to some extent.
Badges were either die stamped sheet metal using hardened steel dies, or die cast.
The following images demonstrate the sheet metal die stamping. The stamping would then be cut from the sheet. Originally an arduous job performed by hand, later by machine.
An example of a Royal Artillery helmet plate die stamped and pierced, ready to be fretted. It is cut to a rough shape for edge working.
Not all badges were fretted. Some remained whole. This is commonly referred to as being voided (fretted) or non-voided (whole).
During World War One. Many regimental cap badges were produced in gilding metal only. These were known as 'war economy' cap badges.
Similarly, during World War Two, many cap badges were produced in Bakelite plastic. These were molded. Employed to reduce the quantity of base metals being used in cap badge production.
During the post-World War Two era, production changed to the 'Staybrite' badge. This removed the need for polishing (bulling). An activity long associated with service life. Substrate material was changed to aluminium as a cost saving and simplification measure. It was anodised in a silver and/or gilt finish, thus mimicking the original cap badges themselves.
Mounting
Devices for mounting the cap badge to the cap itself usually consist of either: round wire loops or lugs, shank pin or slider, and bladed tabs for officer grades.
Round wire lugs were solely employed until the early 1900s, when they began to be phased out in favour of the slider. The lugs were secured using a brass cotter pin. The same is still used today on badges with lugs.
The following illustration is taken from the J. R. Gaunt sales catalogue. These are the range of round wire lugs employed by this manufacturer and it can be safe to say by the others, Firmin in particular.
A commonly believed notion is that lugs should not have feet. To mean that the lower base (foot) should not protrude outward. As can be seen, apart from staple 114, there are feet to some degree. Another is that the lug should appear to 'grow' out of the badge. This kind of evidence dispel some of these notions.
But what we can do is show what the lug 'feet' should not look like. The lug on this Royal Artillery forgery has a noticeably wider foot.
To come in this section: sliders and bladed mounts.
Construction quality
What is meant by construction quality, is the quality of the materials employed, the dies themselves used during stamping and casting, the attaching parts and attachment thereof (brazing), and process itself.
There are three types of cap badge that can be characterised as not original.
- Fakes or forgeries. Those made from dies cut to represent the originals.
- Restrikes. Those that are struck from the original dies obtained by means of the open market.
- Cast copies. Badges that are copied from originals using the sand casting method. Of note that this method was employed to make service used cap badges in overseas theatres. This was widely employed in India and Africa.
The close up of this Middlesex Yeomanry cap badge forgery reveals very poor definition. As does the lettering around the border. The result of poorly cut dies and inconsistent striking by the presses.
Die flaws are a useful indicator to ascertain originality. Although some original dies and production runs of badges had flaws. Differentiating comes with experience.
Work in progress - please check back regularly for important updates.