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ARTIFACT:
This is an extremely rare Polish 111th Fighter Squadron Enlisted Man's badge from the 1930's. The badge is a curved disc, die struck in brass and silver plated,
The insignia carries over from the 1918-20 period when the unit was the 7th Air Escadrille, also known as The Kościuszko Squadron.
The insignia has the traditional Polish four-cornered rogatywka set against a field of 13 vertical stripes from the flag of the United States. Behind the rogatywka is a pair of crossed scythes. Thirteen blue stars encircle the badge, representing the thirteen original American states. The rogatywka cap and scythes commemorate the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794: ten years after General Tadeusz Kościuszko returned to Poland from America, and led the Polish people, many armed only with scythes, in an attempt to liberate Poland from Russia and Prussia.
This badge is similar in design to the officers badge of the 7th, and the 111th, except that the pebbled stripes would have been cut out on the officers badge, exposing red wool behind to make the stripes red and white, when the now-tarnished silver was in bright polish.
Over the years I have had many people with little or no knowledge of this badge tell me that I have a fake badge here.
They will try to tell me that the badge needs to be enameled, like that of the WWII period 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, official name No. 303 Squadron RAF. But that badge was invented, and beautifully made, in England during WWII.
Or they will tell me that the badge is supposed to be made of silver, and the pebbled stripes are supposed to be pierced. Comparing the badge to the MUCH Earlier badge of the 7th Air Escadrille, the Original Kościuszko Squadron.
Yet, no one has EVER been able to show me ONE other of these purported fake badges. This badge was made with a high pressure die stamping and cutting machine. Individual dies were made for the stamping, and then the cutting out, and then the shaping/curving, of the badge. And then the brass blank had a screwback braised onto the back. And then the entire piece was silver plated. This was a heavy silver plating, and only some of the very highest points of the badge show wear through the silver to the brass. The edges show lovely shear marks from the process of the die cutting.
No one makes fakes in this manner. It was expensive to make the dies back in the 1920's - 1930's, and it would be almost impossible to find someone who could even make the dies today. Fakes are cast off originals, or completely made up by computers, or hand made from silver because it is so easy to work with. Fakes are not die struck and cut in one metal and then plated in another.
And if they are manufactured in the fashion that this badge was, then there are many of them made, to help cover the costs of making the necessary dies.
So, please, if this a a fake, someone show me all the others out there.
Meanwhile, pay attention to what you are looking at, as it is extremely rare.
VINTAGE:
Circa 1920's - 1930's.
SIZE:
Approximately 34 mm in height, by 33 mm in width.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Die struck and die cut silver plated brass.
ATTACHMENT:
Machine formed and die cut convex brass backing disc.
MARKINGS:
N/A.
ITEM NOTES:
This badge is from a Polish militaria collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. ebay VABCX08 LHEJX05/10 SLAFGEX05/15/22
CONDITION:
8 (Excellent-): Badge has a moderate overall tarnish and some small spots of wear through the heavy silver plating on the high points, and extremities.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
