I'm sure some were zinc but I checked and this is magnetic so it's steel. 

There are early Type V discs made during WWII to save brass also why they are thin stamping rather than the earlier solid discs. I believe the backing is zinc not steel. Once the restrictions on brass were lifted they were made of all brass and eventually back to the solid ones.  

Thank you for your input, and yes I plan on enjoying this piece for years to come so there really is no problem. The reason I ask this in the first place is just for documentation purposes. I have almost everything in my collection on a list with listed provenance, and what bin it’s in (if not displayed in my collection or somewhere else) plus an estimated price. And this is an Item I know could go either way so that is why I came here to get some other opinions to get an estimate other than my own.

Ethan O would get google lens or eBay to check on this stuff.  Saves lots of time and money and answers most questions about what you are looking at 

Wade, I think they priced it right about where it should be.  To me the zipper issue is a fatal flaw and I would not have purchased it. I know it can be replaced but it is not an easy job and finding a correct zipper might be a small challenge.  Either way it was only $125 so no big deal, if you are happy with it that’s all that matters.  I did a quick ebay search of completed m55 auctions, they Range from less than $100 up to $3-400 depending on size and condition. Remember with eBay you have to factor in fees, taxes and the time and that accounts for about 30% of the selling price. So if it sells on eBay for $100 it’s probably really worth between $60-$70. I would definitely get an ebay account to check prices prior to buying.  It’s not the end all be all but it does help. Worthpoint is good too but you have to use it in conjunction with eBay to get a fair value for an item.     I didn’t know values weren’t given in this forum???  That was an odd statement from the previous poster.

Nice one!

Another day, another fake. Back in Post #475 it was noted that a supposed Civil War buckle of the black troops of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry was a fake. Here’s another, this time a supposed Confederate Andersonville Stockade buckle from 1863, with an eBay starting price of $100:         The bail (also called a “bar” or “swivel”) on the left in the bottom photo wasn’t a feature until the 1950’s and didn’t really become common on buckles until the 1960’s. Don’t waste your money!

Given a consensus on originality can’t be reached (and can never be), the value range will be from $50 to whatever an 100% original with provenance goes for.  I can’t imagine someone offering you a “really nice trade” for something that “might” be ok, but then again may very well not be.   But you like it and don’t plan to sell it, so all’s good.  

Here’s a way you can tell. Look at the material of it. Ww2 and Korean War enlisted service green uniforms were wool. Also look in the armpits for the quarter master date. You can also tell by the ribbons if it has any but that’s not very helpful considering lots of marines from ww2 went on into Korea.  

Thank you for your input.   I wonder what caused this accident.