The Royal Navy Division Cap Badges - Fakes and Reproductions

Royal Navy Division cap badges are scarce, are highly sought after, thus command premium prices. As a result, they have been heavily faked. Here is a breakdown of each badge of the battalions and the features to look out for.

The analysis is kept simple, with good quality images, so that this post can be used as a free and quick reference for all, rather than having reams of text and descriptions, behind subscriptions and logins.

Original British Royal Navy division cap badges can be found here. Original British Army Cap Badges. Buy with confidence.

 

Here we start a new thread that aims to provide solid information on the much sought after series of cap badges of the battalions and units of The 63rd Royal Navy Division (RND). The division consisted of:

1st Royal Navy Brigade 

1st - 4th Battalions: Drake, Hawke, Benbow, and Collingwood.         

2nd Royal Navy Brigade

5th - 8th Battalions: Nelson, Howe, Hood, and Anson.

Each battalion came to have it's own cap badge circa 1916, aside from the Collingwood and Benbow battalions, which were decimated at Gallipoli and the remaining troops redeployed amongst the other battalions.

The Drake battalion cap badge

We start with the 1st battalion (Drake) cap badge. This is the ubiquitous faked example. It is easy to spot with the following features.

Central lateral line missing from the globe.

There should be a gap between the words "Auxilio Divino", on this copy version there is not.

The reproduction artists have developed their designs over time, modelling both originals and using feedback comments from sources of authentication.

This badge is what I believe to be a forgery also. Note though the the lateral line on the globe that was missing from the last version is now there, and also a small gap has appeared between the wording, although not quite sufficient enough. They turn up in variation of material thickness, mount type, and some with the faked GAUNT tablet, refer to my separate article on this. I'll call it the Gaunt style fake. They have also started turning up in greater numbers, dealers selling them for as high as £230. Don't be fooled.

A die stamped copy:

And a die cast copy with fake GAUNT tablet. Neither have I seen a genuine badge with a slider.

The genuine GAUNT produced badges have a slot in the rear of the ship (sweat hole) and a maker tablet applied to the rear of the Crown.

A second genuine type is known where the Crown is not voided. Here is an example:

The Hawke battalion cap badge

The first RND Hawke badge in review is the common fake. I've chosen not to compare it side-by-side with originals as the features are quite distinct, and just these images alone will help you to avoid them altogether.

This type of badge is not original. I've seen it sold on some dealer sites and eBay, also with a Marples & Beasley marked slider. It is a fake.

The con artists evolved their methods, a refreshed striking appeared in more recent times, more closely aligned to originals. Here it is and it will no doubt convince many that it is original. In my opinion it is not. Notice how the rear of the striking lacks detail. Something that is not seen with original badges.

The subsequent image will justify why I think that the above badge is a fake. Apart from the J.R. Gaunt London faked tablet, some other features are detailed.

The 3 circled features are a good starting point. Again on this fake the head is incorrect. On the mid-rift is a strange feathering pattern, poor die-making. Lastly, the bird's left leg shackle should be joined to the "Strike" banner; without a voided gap as can be seen on the fake. 

There are other details that you can observe. The general clarify of the original, the wing and feather patterns, the breast fleur, for example. A better view of both sides of the original badge.

Here is a gallery of fake Hawke cap badges to illustrate the diversity of material, finish, polishing, artificial aging, and mounts, seen on these reproductions.

The Nelson battalion cap badge

Was produced in two sizes, a regular sized XX mm [h] and a smaller 36.5 mm [h] badge. The smaller badge is always on a slider. The definition is very good, as shown.

Good versus bad

Here is a side by side of a good badge, left, and a typical faked badge, right. These fakes are found frequently, they are often sold as original. They are not.

A couple of obvious features to look out for are highlighted in the next image. The proper sail crease pattern and the Nelson letter style/font and the letter orientation are detailed, left. When seen the copy side by side like this, it is very easy to tell the difference.

It is less easy to see the difference with this convincing copy, right. Again next to the same original badge, left. There are some subtle differences to note, as boxed.

On the lower sail of the original, those small vertically running creases are consistent in length and alignment, whereas on the copy they are not.

Again, the Nelson lettering isn't right, wrong font and poorly defined.

The hull height on the copy is noticeably higher.

You can see how the people making the reproductions have evolved their design over time, probably in response to the research of enthusiasts.

These revised copies have emerged more recently and are often accompanied with a faked J.R. GAUNT LONDON maker tablet. These are detailed in a separate thread FAKE J.R. GAUNT LONDON TABLET.

The Howe battalion cap badge

A side-by-side frontal comparison of the genuine and a fake Howe Battalion cap badge. Circled are the two easiest to spot fake badge features. The letter O of Howe is much larger on fake badges, spanning almost the entire banner height. There are other traits, such as the rope thickness on the Crown. Take some time to see them for yourself.

Here is a gallery of fake Howe cap badges. They are all from the same die. Note the variation in voiding, mounts, artificial aging techniques, the fake GAUNT tablet.

The Hood battalion cap badge

Starting the look at the RND Hood cap badge fakes. Here are two varying examples of the fake Hood cap badge. The first, the older and often encountered fake badge. The second cap badge being a more recent fake which features our old favourite faked J.R. Gaunt tablet. 

More details will follow and a comparison with a genuine badge. But for now seeing the fakes is valuable in of itself, since many, especially the second fake, are being sold at a premium because it shares some similar characteristics with the originals.

A gallery of fake Hood cap badges, which demonstrates quite nicely the variation in material, colouration, mounts, and artificial aging techniques.

The Anson battalion cap badge

The Anson Battalion cap badge can be a tricky one to judge, especially as the fakes have developed over time to include traits of the originals. I'll point those out here.

The next image is a side-by-side of an original and a reproduction Anson cap badge. The repro is what I consider the early and most encountered variation.

Features like the spearhead, flower, crown borders, and the void underneath the crown, amongst others, are great indicators. They show themselves clearly.

Here are some detailed repro features for further confirmation.

Die flaw on the middle flower, right of centre.

The rear of the same leaf does not have clean break edges. This is actually a great example of the type of finish that a worn die produces. Con artists making poor quality dies and striking them too many times. That die flaw is clearly visible thanks to the old trick of lathering the badge of badges in polish.

The diamond on the crown has a strike shadow, again probably from die wear.

Another great example of a trait to avoid. The lug with expanded feet at the base.

A gallery of earlier faked Anson cap badges. A careful eye will ascertain that they are all from the same die, and that varying degrees of die wear is evident.

This next badge is what I deem to be the next evolution of the RND Anson cap badge forgery. Here I show the side-by-side rear view of an original and the fake in question. 

This later version of the fake Anson badge has some similar features to the previous fake. The spear head, flower, crown border, and the voided section are all differences again. There is no die flaw on the flower. These are important points as the reverse of the fake, as you'll see here, is what the fakers are gambling on to fool the collector.

Genuine Anson cap badges almost always have a tie rod to the rear of the spearhead to give it rigidity. Fakers are now copying this trait (note the first fake omitted this feature). We can see thought that the tie rod execution isn't right.

The genuine tie rod is a brass strip. Also on this badge there is the genuine Gaunt tablet. On the fake badges the tie rod is a piece of thin brass rod, cut to random lengths, as shown in the two examples. The central badge has the fake Gaunt tablet. The badge of the right has been artificially aged.

Royal Navy Air Service Armoured Car Section

A comparison of the a highly sought after badge of the Royal Navy Air Service (R.N.A.S.), Armoured Car Section. The badge is a collar badge rather than a cap badge, a common misconception. 

Width - 41.8 mm, height - 48.3 mm.

The next image is a comparison of a reproduction badge (left) and an original (right).

Originals are die stamped on brass and have a chocolate bronze finish. Most reproductions encountered lack this finish and are usually brass.

Points to note:

The crown is a dead giveaway. On copies it has high sides, noticeably so, the red line that has been drawn up the fake Crown height has been copied over the original. There is a distinct lack of jewels on the copy. Some other easily spotted differences are circled. The background field on the copy is heavily pebbled like a driveway.

On the rear, that pebbling shows through again on the copy. The lugs of the copy tend to be positioned wide apart near to the rim, whereas on the original badges they are narrow set in above the wheels of the vehicle.

Being a collar badge, it should always have lugs fitted. Badges have been seen with the officer's blade type mounts, on badges that have characteristics of originals. I can only surmise that these have been fitted in place of removed lugs. Why, I don't know.

Royal Navy Division Machine Gun Battalion

This badge, in my opinion can be the trickiest to figure out. It took me some time. It was a workshop made piece. Made by the joining of a Machine Gun Corps (M.G.C.) cap badge with a Royal Navy Division (R.N.D.) curved shoulder title [1]. 

Therefore I find the best method of determining authenticity is to look at the shoulder title itself as the primary feature. Since many forgers attach fake R.N.D. titles to genuine M.G.C. cap badges. This is partly what make this badge tricky to deal with. To date, I do not recall seeing this the other way around, a genuine R.N.D. title on a fake M.G.C. badge. But certainly the combination of a fake M.G.C. cap with a fake R.N.D. title exists.

This brings a bonus as we can identify correct R.N.D. shoulder titles, and M.G.C. cap badges, these are heavily faked also.

We start with a gallery of fakes, front and rear. Top row are both the same cast title. The bottom title is punched brass. I have never seen a punched should title before. A clear red flag. That bottom title has been heavily polished to a shine yet the badge has not. Another red flag worth remembering for badges of multi-part construction in general.

The rear view gives more detail along with variation in mounts, attachment of parts, and artificial aging techniques.

A comparison of the fake R.N.D. titles versus a genuine R.N.D. title (centre). Valuable information on the genuine title can be found at reference [2].

There may be other variations of the genuine title over what is shown here. But the fakes are consistent in their design; incorrect fonts and large dots are often encountered.

There are badges out there with the straight R.N.D. title attached. These buck the trend entirely. It is plausible that these were produced using available titles. Personally I would avoid them, but ascertaining cap badge and title authenticity, along with joining method is a sensible approach.

Cap badge and shoulder title joining method

Coming soon.

A genuine R.N.D. Machine Gun Battalion cap badge (coming soon).

RND Petty Officer's Cap Badge

This badge often causes much confusion. It is very scarce to find. The fakes are good quality reproductions of the originals. This clear side-by-side comparison and a few pointers will help. 

As you can see. Side-by-side they are very similar. I have marked a couple of details on the fake badge to look out for. Notably the chain layout. The red lines on both clearly show that directional difference. The link sinks in to the anchor on the fake.

On the reverse, true badge always have blade mounts, or at least signs they were there originally if they are replaced. Almost all fakes have lugs mounted top and bottom.

Surface finish is a good indicator. Not just for this badge but all period darkened badges. The fake badge shown has clearly been painted and then rubbed. Note the shine. Whereas the originals went through a baking process that produced a matt finish that did not shine.

References

[1] Headdress Badges of The British Army, Volume 1, Arthur L. Kipling, Hugh L. King.

[2] Plate 104. Collecting Metal Shoulder Titles, R. A. Westlake.