I just got this one in and I don't have my own photos yet, so I'll be showing the ones from the seller, but any thoughts on the legitimacy of this badge would be much appreciated since I know almost nothing about the construction of these.:o
The silver pieces appear brighter and polished in the photos whereas they are not that bright in normal light. Very small remnants of the gold plating is only visible under magnification.
I will post my own photos tomorrow, but I am trying to get a feel for this one.
Oh, I almost forgot, the actual words of the seller: "This is an example of an early-issue Soviet Deputy badge from around 1926. See Avers-5, page 270, item 1419. This example came from from the Republic of Georgia. No factory mark because this badge pre-dates them. They were all shop-made. This one does not have rays under the enamel."
I would be extremely suspicious of this badge. It's not hard to make and yes, "Mickey Mouse" screwback plates are faked too. Due to the few actual specimens not many could say authoritatively and the seller throws in the additional caveat of Georgian manufacture - I just don't get a good "feel" about its appearance or story.
I think I've seen this same seller before. He bought many things, especially things from the '20's and '30's - I remember a couple of aviation badges that I KNOW were bad. Caveat emptor.
IMHO, this type of all-union badge was manufactured by the Mint, not in some republican garage. That being said, I don't like it at all: enamel shade and appearance, screwpost, especially its base, etc.
