Doubly disappointing this one and i am kicking myself for not noticing. Not listed as a replica i though i was bidding on a genuine vintage badge. I noticed that it was a replica after winning it. As the price was still low I still paid. Then the postage was underpaid (admittedly Royal Mails pricing is as opaque as the Trains).
Overall it is a nice replica… just not what I bid on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hers a quick comparison for you, all of my badges have been bought from eBay as it is a brilliant resource for these at at the moment It certainly fills all my meagre needs (this may change if i ever get more discerning.)
Here is a very bad eBay style picture of two badges. One is real and one is replica. Normally you don't get to compare the two side by side but I’m feeling generous today.
Which is a genuine 49 year old badge, which is a more recent replica? In this case the badge is very common so price differences are not that huge, however some badges are very rare indeed and buying a replica when you are after the real thing may be a very costly mistake.
As I am feeling generous here is a better picture.
Any the wiser?
Time to talk about the badges anyway. This is a fantastic little design, the 1st pennant reflects that this was the opening year for Bognor which has had some very nice designs over its 7 year badge issuing period. The original was made by W. Reeves of Birmingham and the replica is stamped replica on the rear. The job of spotting it is made harder by the fact that there is no acrylic skim on this issue so cosmetically it is very similar to the real thing.
Ok here's the answer. Or rather here's how to work it out. The original is likely to show more wear to to metal and will not look quite as symmetrical or perfect as the replica. The original badges were more often silver in colour. The real test is the rear. The real badge will have a pin with two points of joining, the replica will have a single piece pin mechanism normally of a safety type. The real giveaway is the big REPLICA stamped on the back of course. Sadly few ebayers thing to photograph the back of a badge but if it doesn't state replica in the auction you may have a recourse to return or complain.
If you bought the badge on the left congratulations…its a 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 
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.
So often after great joy comes slight disappointment. As is the case with my delivery this morning. Now dont get me wrong, as a replica I paid a fair price but the description was so poor that I wasn’t quite sure WHAT i was getting. An eBay seller to avoid I think. 
Anyway today's entry is a replica of the 1946 Skegness badge with a gold effect centre and a blue rim. If it was original it would be great but as a replica it really isn't that special. I will have to see what Mr Posty brings me next.
