Civil War 15th Corps Badge (1st Division)

[fordmustanggt_350]

I came across this corps badge and from everything I can see it is consistent with how a Civil War corps badge was made. However it is missing the pins on the back of the badge. Does anyone have any more experience of knowledge on these?

[fordmustanggt_350]

Back

[Legion Para]

Although long out of print, Stanley Phillips book on Corps badges is a must have for the serious collector. It's a sought after book so don't expect to find a copy for a cheap price.

[Legion Para]

2nd Brigade, 15th Corps HQ Guidon.

[Irish69]

Your example appears similar to #6 in Stan Phillips book shown above. I have one in my collection like #4 with the raised cartridge box made by Tiffany, but also missing the back pin like yours. The 15th Corps Badges were very late war 1865 period, they are iconic because they appear in so many cdv's of Atlanta Campaign veterans.

[Steve Rogers]

Unfortunately the badge belongs to one of the several types of fake and imposition badges that have plagued the market over the last twenty years, but particularly after the advent of Ebay and other online venues. Before that the creators and sellers had to rely on small venues, flea markets and the like. They now have a huge market to tap.

In this case the sloppiness of the enamel work is a warning. Enamel was a more expensive proposition at the time: even the Tiffany badges, both marked and unmarked, used it only on the cartridge box portion of the badge. The division colors were applied with paint- which makes sense since there would be variation in the colors to be supplied. Most of the expensive jeweler made badges even use paint in the recessed areas to designate divisions.

The construction is also not particularly Civil War. The Tiffany style badges use a raised cartridge box form, this one simply has a brass plate soldered to the reverse.

This particular “school” of forgers usually left the back without loops or pins, though I have seen several with holes punched through the corners of the badge to explain how it was worn.

I should note the Tiffany style badges were made with loops, not pins or wires. These were simply soldered on the reverse and could easily come off. In two cases I have seen the badge retrofitted with a long pin or with a T-bar clasp to enable it to be worn on a coat without damaging the fabric excessively, as would be done forcing the loops through to be secured by wedges, etc.

Lastly, Phillips is a basic tool and good starting point, but he was not infallible. Of his Fifteenth Corps badges, #2 is probably a postwar GAR felt badge; #4 is not well pictured but would also seem to be postwar, if not modern, since it is described as brass with enamel, a type that is all over the place now; #5 is a fake created by a New England dealer to satisfy an eager fan of the 15^th Corps. The rumor is that he made 30-35 of these. Having a background in the jewelry business probably helped.

I should also note that Phillips, in addition to being a good resource for the collector, became a pattern book for fakers very early and a selling tool. Many of the “Hayward” and “Clagston” badges offered for sale bear a superficial resemblance to those pictured in period advertisements reprinted in Phillips, but are not like the originals at all. Similarly, many of the fakers based their creations on postwar veteran badges, not realizing the difference and sometime misinterpreting what they saw in the photos.

As ever: “caveat emptor.” If you like CW corps badges, get to some CW shows and familiarize yourself with original material. It is unfortunate that the sheer volume of fakes and impositions out there has given them a credibility they do not deserve. Real ones have always been fairly scarce.

[ludwigh1980]

Unfortunatey I have to agree with forum member Steve Rogers. The stamping in both style and font is inconsistant with the period. The style is consistant with a well known faker in the midwest that attempts many venues: law badges, indian artifacts, old west memorabilia, Civil War artifacts. Many of his pieces ended up in a Pennsylvania Museum that was recently sold at auction. Period dies stamps have a much more stylized font, usually with serifs. Though this is not difinitive as 19th centry letter die stamps do exist and can be found once in a while most fakers at this time use modern die stamps like those shown on the badge in question.

[kanemono]

Here is an original Corps Badge.