German Kreigsmarine Eagle & Swastica Badge - Standard Vs Museum Quality

We thought it would be a great idea to point out the differences between the standard WW2 German Navy badge and the museum quality badge.

The first thing to say is that the standard badge is pretty good and works extremely well especially on aged caps as the bluntness of the finish actually augments the aged and worn finish.

The museum quality badge is slightly wider and taller than the standard badge, which reflects an original badge. We are only talking about 1 or 2mm.

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The reverse of the badge is pretty obvious - two flat pins instead of rounded pins but the rear is where the main difference can be seen - the original badges and the museum quality ones are made from pressed metal and not cast as in the standard one.

Again this is no big deal for a display model as the back can't normally be seen but shows the research and effort carried out to get things 'right'.

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The front of the badges are where the real differences come out. Notice on the museum quality badge (at the front) the eagle is not gleaming bright gold, it is a nice glowing gold metal finish.

Look at the detail on the two badges, the sharpness and quality detailing on the museum badge is outstanding. Again if you are ageing your badge then the standard badge is just as good as it can be made to look worn with the detail erased, but knowing the detail is there is a nice finishing touch.

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In summary if you are ageing a cap then the standard badge is fine. If you want a badge for a new hat or want to lightly age a cap then the museum quality one is the most accurate for the job and well worth the extra cost.

All our removable top Kreigsmarine U-Boat caps come with the museum quality badge. Here is an example of the museum quality badge being used on a very aged U-Boat cap.

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