Bob, hardware featured on those EGA's could be found on fake German Infantry Assault Badges - marked BSW (BSW mark was used by Brüder Schneider AG from Wien). But BSW marking on fake German Infantry Badges is not important here because it was put there only to deceive. I have no idea who the real maker is behind those fake Infantry Assault Badges, but they have originated in some numbers from England and those were featuring the same type of the hardware as used on EGA’s. So this lead me to conclusion that this EGA maker was involved in some black market activities on the German Awards side…I hope you can follow me here…

 

Nope - Sorry, doesn't work for me. I don't follow your logic.

"Hardware" is exactly that. Its type is often in common usage by any number of manufacturers in a given country, having been purchased from wholesale vendors. The loop catch and the pin are not where the distinctive differences in most insignia lie. Unless they appear on an emblem that is known NOT to have used that particular "hardware". The differences are mostly found in the die used to strike the insignia and therein are found subtle differences which will distinguish the makers and often the period originality of a piece of insignia. For example, most U.S. badge collectors can talk about the N.S. Meyer Company and the USAAF wing badges they produced before, during and most importantly, AFTER WWII (as in the last 20 years). Here the hallmark, the metal content and "hardware" and how it works, will generally distinguish the period in which the wing badge was produced using original dies. (Not unlike pieces by "R.S." Rudolf Souval of Wien who was the most prolific post-WWII Nazi badge maker.) Again, I don't think your fake Nazi badge "hardware" logic applie here.

Bobgee

Heres a recent addition to help shed some light on earlier discussions.  A full set of  single piece construction, Gaunt factory unfinished emblems