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WWII & Pre-WWII Submarine Dolphins


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Hi,

What's your thoughts on this meyer full size sub badge. It has the maker shield along with N.S. MEYER Inc. NEW YORK along with 1/20 SIL FLD .

The color of the badge is gold and you can see a couple spots were the finish worn off and reveals the silver. Are these ww2 era or post war?

 

post-2501-1297628059.jpg

 

post-2501-1297628075.jpg

 

Jason

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Hi,

What's your thoughts on this meyer full size sub badge. It has the maker shield along with N.S. MEYER Inc. NEW YORK along with 1/20 SIL FLD .

The color of the badge is gold and you can see a couple spots were the finish worn off and reveals the silver. Are these ww2 era or post war?

 

scan0005.jpg

 

scan0003.jpg

 

Jason

 

 

Hello Jason,

With that "1/20 SIL FLD" stamp on the reverse, I believe your Meyer hallmarked sub badge is post-war (1960's) produced. A nice crisp example none-the-less.

 

Russ

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Here's a comparison shot of the NANCO hallmarked badge above the VANGUARD example. Two different patterns...especially in the design of the scales. (I didn't think Dolphins had scales!)

IMG_2029_crop.jpg

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They do have scales Russ! That brings up a great point- these were not modeled after the mammal called the dolphin, but instead the dolphin fish, AKA dorado or mahi mahi.

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Hello Jason,

With that "1/20 SIL FLD" stamp on the reverse, I believe your Meyer hallmarked sub badge is post-war (1960's) produced. A nice crisp example none-the-less.

 

Russ

Thanks Russ,

I've never seen that mark for SIL. before. I got them cheap enough so I took a chance.

Thanks again,

Jason

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I'm fairly certain this is a WWII era sub badge, but I don't know who made it. It's similar to the Vanguard hallmarked badge.

IMG_2034_crop.jpg

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This sub badge closely resembles a badge Josh illustrated for us in Post #7 and Post #8 of this thread. The fine detail and open "C" style catch is indicative of an early war, or possibly pre-war badge. The front highlights are beautifully burnished and the waves are very three-dimensional. My photo doesn't properly portray the front of this badge. Now the back of the badge is a different story. The back is rather rough and crude. This is a die-struck piece, even though the back gives it the appearance of being cast. Any thoughts, or comparison examples out there?

IMG_2044_crop.jpg

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Thanks for posting Russ! This is undoubtedly from the same maker as the three I posted earlier. The backs of these range from neatly done to awful! The gold wash lines one the reverse are characteristic, the 'C' catch is identical, but here's what seals the deal for me on this pattern: look closely at the scales on the dolphins- see the fine lines in each? This maker is one of the only that I've come across that took the trouble to detail each scale- this is true in my sterling example from them as well. I'd really love to know who made these! They are really high quality as far as the strike goes- so much depth.

 

Josh

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This sub badge closely resembles a badge Josh illustrated for us in Post #7 and Post #8 of this thread. The fine detail and open "C" style catch is indicative of an early war, or possibly pre-war badge. The front highlights are beautifully burnished and the waves are very three-dimensional. My photo doesn't properly portray the front of this badge. Now the back of the badge is a different story. The back is rather rough and crude. This is a die-struck piece, even though the back gives it the appearance of being cast. Any thoughts, or comparison examples out there?

I had one of these badges as well -- rough back, "C" catch, etc. It was a nice piece. One is shown in David Jones's book on WWII dolphins so I would tend to think that they are original to that era.

 

Man, I have to stop browsing this thread, it makes me miss my collection too much.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Back of the 1.5 inch Submarine badges. Note the two different H&H hallmarks. For overseas cap wear and sweatheart handouts.

IMG_2166_crop.jpg

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Back of the 1.5 inch Submarine badges. Note the two different H&H hallmarks. For overseas cap wear and sweatheart handouts.

 

From the original regs, the half-size dolphins (1.5 inch) were meant to be worn above the mini-medals for "mess-dress". They were re-purposed for sweetheart pieces and to decorate belt buckles, lighters, etc as well. I've seen them mentioned for wear on the overseas cap, but have never actually seen a picture of a sub officer in the period wearing them like that. Does anyone have any such images to share?

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Another LGB hallmarked example. The LGB Submarine badge posted by JLENG in Post #42 is pin-back and marked "1/20th 10K GF." This WWII gilt variation is clutch-back and marked "STERLING."

IMG_2177_crop.jpg

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Here's one I believe was made slightly after the gold-plated bronze (with "C" catch) examples in posts 7, 8, 91 and 92 by the same producing firm. This is the second example I've seen of this variant with roller catch instead of the simple "C" style, but all other details seem pretty much identical. This badge was sold by Ron Burkey of Flying Tiger Antiques, and this image is being used with his permission.

post-6517-1300503232.jpg

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