Ayr 1962

Very simple this one and not in great condition, its a plain rectangular badge with a blue background depicting thistles and a sword. The pin is bent so trapped closed.

Made by Gaunt of London.

Ayr 1959

With my Ayr collection woefully thin on the ground this is a welcome addition to the fold. I is one of several colour variations for that year with this one being the yellow and blue version. This one was made by The Jewellery Metal Co of Dublin.

Ayr 1960

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.

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Ayr 1947 Replica 2

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.

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Ayr 1960 (Replica)

Another day another replica. This badge came with the 1947 issue and I don't hold it against the seller that they seemed unaware of its replica status.

It is a simple badge and I’m not really sure why its worthy of a replica, however it is in tip-top condition so ticks the box in my big chart-o-badges.

Here's some piccies

Ayr 1947 (Replica) and how to spot fakes and replicas

My next badge is an Ayr 1947, it features an excellently portrayed dancing thistle on a tartan background and is in fantastic condition.

There is no makers mark on the rear and the pin is in great condition. Surprisingly great. In fact something isn’t quite right…

Yes this badge is what is diplomatically called “a replica” whether a deliberate fake or a reissue by Butlins I'm not sure  but I suspect the latter.

How do I know it is a replica?

A lot of replicas are helpfully stamped as such on the rear but as you can see from the images, no such help her. However there are several things that make it obvious.

It has a clear acrylic cover over the enamelled surface, this never happed to badges of true vintage this is the cause of the strange reflection on picture 1. Additionally the pin is a rotational clip pin. Originals were far simpler.

The good news is rather than being a deliberate fake this is a true replica and still collectable, the bad news is that the closest this badge has been to 1947  is in the writing on the front.

On the subject of true fakes, the badges to beware of are the concessionary badges. These are rare and often fetch a higher price then the enamelled badges and are generally an un-enamelled version of that years badge. The unscrupulous can therefore make a reasonable fake by removing the enamel from a genuine badge and thus upping the value.

BUTLINS AYR 1965 (NEW ADDITION)

Ok if you will allow me a small nerdgasm here! I have received this morning a lovely Ayr 1965 badge. This has two distinctions. It marks the resumption of my active collecting and it is my very first Ayr badge. i am no longer an Ayr virgin!

Here's some piccys!

It’s a nice simple thistle design with very little damage. The few surface flaws have probably been there since making.

Made by our old friends Fattorini and his boys. The pin is pristine and in perfect order. All in all a great addition to the gang.