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"30" Wounds Badges made by Hauptmünzamt of Wien


don

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Some shots of my 30 wound badges.30 maker is Hauptmünzamt from Wien.

First is a gold zincer

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Next up is black marked 30.A bit rare and I have only found in brass

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Next up is a silver tombak flat pin.I have no bar pin :huh:

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Now for the needle. :mellow:

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Review ;) First the tombak in bar then the flatpin then the needle.Then came the zincers :huh:

As far as I know.This silver has a gold pin ;)

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Group shots :o Group shots ;)

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Lovely collection Don, is the badge with the gold pin not a Gold Wounds Badge?

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Thats what some collectors think...If a gold pin must be a gold badge.This was a late war badge and at that time I think they used what ever they had.I cant see any gold on the badge .I am sure it is a silver.I have seen other silvers from this maker with a gold pin.So if you used up all the silver pins?

don

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:thumbsup:

 

Great collection Don!

 

Interesting point. The Germans often had to use whatever was to hand at all times in the war but particularly near the end.

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Yes it's a difficult one to call ,as you say there seems to be no trace of gold, however zinc badges sometimes absorb the gilt finish this is often encountered on Kriegsmarine badges, as the pin is made from a different material that is maybe why it has not discoloured. The others seen with a gold pin perhaps the same thing has happened to them.

My gut feeling is it's a gold, which in my opinion is better anyway but who knows as you say they did use what was available I have a numbered Panzer badge with a split pin instead of a rivet, it's one of these things you really need a time machine to know for sure.

I got in a Black wounds badge on Saturday I'll try to post it on the Forum on Tuesday if I get a spare moment.

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Yes zinc badges will abzorb the finish..Some will turn almost black.zinc 30s are not a great badge to hold their finish.Like I stated I have seen other silvers from this maker with gold pins.

I still say they used what they had at this time frame.This talk is nothing new.

Anyways.

don

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yes it could be either way, hard to say for sure

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Another silver with a gold pin I found on a site ;)

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Yes there does seem to be allot of them, come to think of it I think I've had a few 30's with gold pins too, did you see the black wounds badge I posted in the Silver W/B "4" thread Don?

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Yes I saw it...Picture a bit dark.Looks good.Not sure of maker.Learning the makers of unmarked blacks

was never my cup of tea.I dont keep massive files

don

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  • 8 months later...
  • 10 years later...

"Gold" pins were simply remaining stocks of brass examples, which were used up when the transition to zinc took place, due to war shortages, brass was no longer available, reserved only for use in production of munitions. It was the same story in WW1.

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  • 1 year later...

Here is a 30 I got in today, it has minute traces of gilt to the edge, could this be the proof we are looking for? 

WW2 German Gold Wound Badge

Only minute traces of gilt wash remain to the edge of the badge around 10 o'clock on the badge which can be seen the photograph. Maker marked '30' for 'Hauptmunzampt ,Wien' with gold pin. Many think these '30' badges with gold pins are actually silver wounds badges with gold pins as stocks had ran out of silver pins. However this is the first '30' badge I have encountered with small traces of gold still remaining. The gilt finish is very minute and you need a magnifying glass to see it, however I think it does prove the fact these are indeed gold badges with the finish absorbed into the zinc rather than a silver with gold pin. Either way it is a rare gold wound badge or a nice example of a silver.        

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  • Kenny Andrew pinned this topic

Most likely remaining stocks of brass needles, not "gold". Otherwise the only alternative would be iron, as zink is not suitable for needles for obvious reasons.
The gold pin has nothing to do with the colour of the badge itself. Earlier black wound badges were made of brass, including the pins, the traces of gilt on the badge may be  the remains of a silver finish, which has turned a yellowish tone with age.

Many collectors tend to jump to conclusions, such as the legend that "an EK with a brass centre has to be Kriegsmarine". There were no official variations of the Iron Cross. Material used is another point, a brass centre, brass being softer than iron, was easier to manufacture, more easily formed and a lower melting point, the manufacture of iron, being harder, reduces the lifespan of the tools and dies considerably. The main point to consider is that after 1940, a shortage of non-ferrous metals and alloys, copper, brass, nickel, silver, etc. became acute, the same applied to aluminium, which was needed for the aircraft industry, so therefore zink was increasingly used. The same shortages applied to most other materials.

The two wound badges to left and right in photo both have brass pins.
30 / 107 / unmarked

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The mystery continues, pity there was only minute traces of gold. I am now keeping an eye out for these 30's as I have had many in the past but never checked for remnants gold wash. Hopefully next one will have more gold, but of course what you say is most likely correct, better evidence is needed.        

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  • 6 months later...

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone can tell me the significance of the “30” on the back of the badge? I am searching through my great uncles things and he has one of these badges. Thank you. 

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Hello Alexandra, the 30 is the manufacturers Prasidialkanzlei number which was used for issue awards rather than the LDO numbers which were used for privately purchased awards. The number 30 is the PK number for the maker Hauptmünzamt which is the Austrian Mint located on Heumarkt 1 in the 3rd district of Vienna Austria. The mint is still in business as can be seen by this coin produced in 1986. Imagine how many badges came out of this building during the war!       

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  • Kenny Andrew changed the title to "30" Wounds Badges made by Hauptmünzamt of Wien

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