I now have a badge to represent Minehead in every year, a benchmarch for me :D Here is the replica of the 1962 badge that completed it for me. Its a nasty plastic skim style but helps to show what to expect once i get the real one. Which I will. As a replica there is no makers mark.
COMING UP:
A single photo timeline showing the complete Minehead run. Updates will be slower from now on as we have explored most of my existing collection. As I acquire new finds they will be blogged.
This lovely badge depicts a happy child skipping to the sea and depicts everything that makes the seaside great. It WAS in great condition until Royal Mail got their big trotters on it and managed to snap the pin. Thanks Guys. This one was made by The Jewellery Metal Co of Dublin. It survived 52 years intact.
A last month I posted a replica Ayr 1960 replica well here we have the real deal. Made by Fattorini it is in great condition and looks so much better then its replica with thicker lines and no horrible plastic skim. A lovely effective 2 tone badge.
Now this is how to do it. This 1939 replica is in great condition. Not surprising as it really isnt that old at all. It is collectable, fills a gap in my collection that will cost me a lot for the original version and was excellently described on the auction. Everbody wins and I am sure that the seller got a better price simply by building an honest description. No maker for this and it is stamped replica.
Aesthetically I actually find the badge rather lacking and, demand for the item notwithstanding, I certainly will be reluctant to spend a lot on the real thing. I bet it is expensive though.
Remember i mentioned bad auctions that do not indicate that they are replicas? This is a perfect example. It is a replica of the 1947 badge but unlike the one I blogged HERE this has no acrylic skim and given a poor auction photo could easily pass as the real thing. Luckily its a replica version that I haven’t yet aquired so the 99p spent was fine for the product. When you consider that 1947 is the first run year for the camp somebody could have bid a considerable amount on it without being aware of its nature. The buyer did remember to tick the “new” box in the auction. Its rather disappointing that people make either so little effort in posting auctions or seek to deliberately mislead buyers. Here is the money shot of the rear showing the big REPLICA stamp so its not even an oversight on the sellers part.
A slightly different badge for today's offering. This is a generic multi camp badge, maker unknown. Its a nice simple bit of advertising but unfortunately I know virtually nothing about it!
I’m guessing it was either a promotional item or something available to buy? Maybe a visitor can enlighten me?
UPDATE:
Some very helpful input from a reader Skegness Magazine:
Before Butlins opened his Skegness Camp (Ingoldmells) in 1936, he had an amusement park on the central foreshore in Skegness. This was opened in 1930. Strangely enough, the signage to the amusement part had the words "Hurrah! It's Butlins". It's not very clear, but here's a picture of it http://skegnessvideo.com/photos/displayimage.php?...
This gets me wondering if this badge is connected to this early amusement park, pre-dating the holiday camps? The Butlins slogan changed, did it not, when the camps opened? As I said, I'm no expert - just something to ponder...
Here is that image, and yes it does indeed say Hurrah, It’s Butlins. I believe the later slogan was Holidays are Jollydays.
This seems to be a modern reissue of the item I blogged HERE however I would not go so far as to say its a replica as the original was a cut out badge and this is a simple rectangle. It has an acrylic skim and a modern safety clasp. A handsome badge but certainly one that is in the collection purely because it exists.
Here we have a staff badge, maker unknown, in a lime green. Unfortunately that's about all I know. It does have engraving to the rear which is tricky to make out but may say 107.
1961’s badge was made by reeves and features the familiar Jolly Fisherman. In blue, yellow and red this one is in great condition. The face is actually silver but has become black with the reflection.
Here is the Clacton Badge from 1967. Made by Gaunt it uses a clever shape to give the illusion of depth, to great effect.
One thing pivotal to my Badge Blog and that I am rather pleased with is the macro photographs of the badges. Obviously without this it would be essentially pointless. One thisng that people have commented on when they see the badges is how small they actually are. For comparison here is one with a penny for size.
My “studio” is massively complex! I use a plastic storage box and blue tack as my stage.
Extra lighting is provided by a USB lamp.
The real magic is performed by my beloved camera, a Fujifilm Finepix s1000FD the pivotal function of which is the “Super Macro” mode which allows ridiculously close photographs to be taken. 
Without this the blog wouldn’t even exist.
The last badge issued regularly for Bognor this is a nice and simple design but still quite pleasing to the eye. It’s a shame that from this point there are no more dated badges but it also gives us an easily dated peek into the past. This badge was made by Gaunt.
This one is a new acquisition today and goshdarn if it isn't just lovely. Bright red welsh dragon on a mainly silver badge with yellow inserts. This is a more then welcome addition and is in fantastic condition. This is a Morton T. Colver badge
This is an interesting design, quite brave and innovative but for me fails to evoke the spirit of summer holidays, maye its the colours, maybe its the shape. Actually its probably because it looks like a snowflake. Made by Gaunt this one and stamped on the rear.
As opposed to the excellent hexagonal badge posted HERE this was an alternative design issued in the same (obviously very busy) year. This one shows the Clacton ship in full sail and in this colour variation has pink sails. Try as I might i cannot see what the maker stamp says so I’d be grateful if anyone can shed some light on it.
As promised here is the genuine article of a 1962 Bognor badge. Silver as opposed to the gold of the replica and with a two piece clasp. This one is stamped by the maker who is Reeves and the design is simple but effective. This particular badge is in fantastic condition.
This is a replica of the 1962 rising sun badge from Bognor identifiable as such by the clasp and acrylic skim. The real one tomorrow.
