Filey 1945

I have done it, picking up what has to be my most expensive single purchase (£35) I have finally managed to plug the 1945 Filey urge. Its is an unusual badge in several ways. 1945 was the opening year for Filey which had be semi completed whren war broke out. Used as an RAF base the camp was completed and repurchased by Butlins at a knock down price and was the only camp to manage to open in 1945. Skegness remaining in Navy hands and Clacton being unfit for use.

The theme of the badge is obvious with a nice bold V for victory. Rather unusually the rear has no makers name but rather is inscribe with the phrase “Holidays are Jollidays. Very pleased with this one, after all they wont be making any more!

One final thing, no the dates on the blog are not wrong. There has been over a two year gap between posts for the simple reason that I haven't collected any badges in that period.

Clacton 1966

Showing a seagull on a blue field this a nice simple badge that works well by breaking the edges of the frame. Made by Reeves this badge is in good condition but sadly the clasp has been squashed.

Skegness 1963

Continuing the run for Skegness is this nice rectangular pin depicting the jolly fisherman. Made by Reeves and Co of Birmingham.

Skegness 1962

Yes its true. I am NOT dead. Simply resting.

I am reaching a tricky stage in collection where I have picked up the common stuff and, bar the odd one or two, am now finding myself looking at pricier pieces. That isn’t likely to happen with my current income though.

Anyway here is a straggler from Skegness.

This one was made by W.Reeves of Birmingham and is stamped as such.

Pwllheli 1954

A challenge issued to my daughters was the cause of this purchase. Find me a badge that I don’t have for a maximum of £20. Not only did they find a Pwllheli badge that I had never seen, they found an early 50s one and for under £8 including postage. A little distressed this one was made by an unknown maker but I am pleased that the fine face detail is intact. Well done kids.

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.

Clacton 1961

Depicting a deckchair, this a a fairly distressed badge but helps to fill my Clacton run. Produced by Gaunt in London.

Ireland 1949 (replica)

My Ireland section is woefully thin so to bump it up with a replica is a good move. Initially disappointed to find a replica I fired up eBay to find that that was exactly what I had bid upon!

This one is an Irish harp on a blue field with a green banner. It is deistinctive as a replica with its gold rather than silver metal and all in one modern style safety pin. The real giveaway are the words replica which are stamped upon it.

Maker unknown.

Filey 1960

Hands up those of you that thought I had died?

Well after a protracted buying break I am now back and spending my pocket money on little bits of tin once more.

This one is a Filey 1969 in blue, yellow and silver. Its a little tarnished but the pin is intact and is a welcome addition to the clan.

Made in London by J. R. Gaunt.

Skegness 1966

This is the last badge of my current batch. Funds are low for a while but I will be buying again soon. This is a classic seagull design in just two colours. It lacks some of the flair of previous designs and seems very much a “make do”design. This one was made by Gaunt.

Filey 1965

Todays  offering is a Reeves made badge from 1965. This one from Filey has a simple rose motif but is effective nonetheless. It has survived the years in excellent condition.

Skegness 1960

For this one it is Skeggys Jolly Fisherman skipping gaily across the beach The breakout on this is his pennant. This badge was made by Reeves and Co.

Clacton 1956 (Alternative)

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.

EDIT: As the colour Variation posted HERE was made by Empire Jewellery Co I am guessing that this must also have been.

Clacton 1956 Colour Variation

Time for a colour variation badge, This is a different version of the previously blogged badge HERE which has pink enamel replacing the white here. Sadly the white is quite discoloured but unless it is very faded is not the pink version. Badge was made by The Empire Jewellery Co.

Barry Island 1967

Another nice and simple badge here, this is the Barry Island 67 badge and has a well rendered Dragon on the centre. The overall impression is very striking. Made by Fattorini.

Clacton 1963

A lamp design on this one. Its in good condition but what makes it stand out is the maker. In this case W J Dingley of Birmingham. A new one in my collection.

Skegness 1965

An addition to the Skeggy collection today with this depiction of the towns Jolly Sailor, simply depicted in yellow red and blue the badge uses the pennant at the top to break the frame. In great condition this one was made by Reeves and Co. and is stamped as such.

Barry Island 1965 (replica)

This is a replica of possibly the most sought after Butlins Badge. If you have an original one you will stand to make a lot of money from it, how much a collector will pay I don’t know as they so rarely come up. Barry Island resort was supposed to open in 1965 but it didn't. The badges were made but never distributed so are now exceedingly rare. I imagine this is as close as I will be getting.

Second Week

An odd badge this one, im not sure where it falls in the lexicon of Butlins. The writing is certainly a later style and this is backed up by the unique pin construction. I have only seen this in replicas, however this does not appear to be one. The badge is undated but is likely post-war and was made by Firmin, another first.

Clacton 1949

Another fiddle to my Clacton bow this badge accompanied a mistaken purchase of a second Clacton 1946 badge. 2 is better then none i suppose. This one has several colour variations but is particularly striking by its design. Made by  Reeves and Co. This is also my first badge from 1949.