Buck Rogers Sterling Silver Badge

[Nick Danger]

Apologies for adding this thread to the "Robot Talk" section, but the "Space Heroes" section seems to be locked for me (I suspect I'm missing something obvious).

 

I picked up something interesting...a sterling silver version of the brass Buck Rogers Solar Scouts badge from 1934.  At first blush, they look identical, but the dimensions of the silver badge are slightly smaller.  Also, the weights are different (6 grams for the brass versus 8 grams for the silver).

 

 

The differences on the reverse are even more interesting:

 

1. The brass version is lumpy and concave across the center where the text begins.  The silver version is entirely flat and smooth.  

 

2. The text and signature are closer together on the silver version.

 

3. The text and signature on the brass version are in relief or "engraved."  The text and signature on the silver version are raised or "embossed."

 

4. The phrase, "Made in the USA," is engraved or stamped at the bottom of the brass version.  In the same place in the silver version, the word, "Sterling," is engraved or stamped (NOT raised).

 

5. The pin is completely different.  The silver version is shorter and has a safety clasp.

 

 

I can't find any reference to this anywhere, including Lesser's book.  The fact that it's sterling silver leads me to presume it was not meant for children, and the safety clasp makes me think it's more recent than the 1930s.  Does anybody have any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[robert]

It might have been hand cast from a mold made from the original. Since molds tend to shrink a little maybe that would explain the size difference. No expert, just a thought. Nice piece though!

[Nick Danger]

Things got weirder.  After a bit of research, I located another BR badge with raised text in the collection at the Smithsonian, except this one is brass (not silver)

 

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/badge-buck-rogers-solar-scouts-brass/nasm_A19970930000

 

After a bit more research, I found one on eBay that I snagged so I could take a closer look...

 

 

 

This is obviously cast from the original, pressed-metal version.  The message ("TO MY SOLAR SCOUT PAL") and signature were cast from the original, then used to create a mold in reverse (i.e., the message and signature are raised, not embossed).  For whatever reason, whoever made the mold moved the message and signature closer together than the original.  The "Made in USA" message is gone.

 

Here's the kicker...the pin is identical to the original (unlike the silver casting).  

 

This is clearly a reproduction, but is it possible it is a PERIOD reproduction?  Apart from some minor degradation in detail, this is actually a nice casting.  I don't know how these were originally distributed (I gather there was some sort of mail-in campaign), but is it possible there were multiple sources, and some used the pressed-metal versions while others used the cast-metal versions?

 

For the sake of comparison, here are the three badges, side-by-side.  The original (pressed-metal) version is on the left.  The cast-brass version is in the center.  The silver-cast is on the right.  Another oddity...while the silver version is slightly smaller, the cast-brass version is the same size as the pressed-metal.  Does silver shrink during the casting process?

 

 

 

[Roboto]

Great additions along with their history!

[Fineas J. Whoopie]

Back in the 30's there was a Buck Rogers home casting set. So we know that some Buck Rogers fans were messing around with DIY casting. The silver version sounds like DIY to me rather than sterling silver being offered for sale as a kids item. Even though the badge isn't offered in the set, a kid or adult may have decided they wanted to recreate their badge in silver. 

[Nick Danger]

Good morning, Fineas!

 

I think the idea of a currently-unknown mold in a home-casting set is possible.  I'm not overly familiar with home-casting sets, but I've only seen them for casting lead.  Of course, there's no reason why someone couldn't use brass (or silver), but if they did, they made more than one (including the one in the Smithsonian's collection and a few others I've spotted on the Internet).  Also, this theory necessitates that the set would have provided the same pins as the originals and expected kids to solder them onto the finished product.  Again, it's possible.

 

I'm less convinced about the DIY angle.  This isn't a simple mold; they cast the message and signature in REVERSE.  Also, the silver version is stamped, "Sterling," which says to me that it was done by a craftsman and not a kid or a hobbyist.

 

The badge in the Smithsonian was donated in 1993, so I'm confident these were made before then.  Is it possible they were nostalgia pieces made during the Buck Rogers revival in the 1950s (or, for that matter, the early 1980s)?

 

It's a puzzle.  Any insights from any BR collectors, out there?

 

[Fineas J. Whoopie]

You make good points Nick. The DIY angle was just a thought. I guess I'm mainly stuck on the idea that it's unlikely that something priced for dime stores or toy stores was offered in Sterling silver. The possibility that it was a limited run for a club or an organization does make sense to me. In that scenario whoever cast them in silver would be garanteed to sell all or most of them. Just thinking out loud really. 

[Nick Danger]

Maybe the silver version was a prize or a special promotion?  Maybe a limited number of them were made to distribute to television stations or department stores as giveaways?  Like, it was a prize for the 20th caller to the radio station?  Something like that?