** UPDATED / PICS ADDED ** 7/27/2007   Having been involved in collecting many items, in my life, I found collecting badges (Primarily Police, and some Fire), thru the internet, to be a bit more complex than I would have imagined.  Having collected watches for about 35 years, when I decided to begin collecting badges, I WAS SHOCKED to discover, early on, that there were many pitfalls, that I had not encountered in the watch collecing arena, and so when I saw that eBay allowed for the creation of GUIDES, I decided to write this guide, to address some of them.  Here they are, and I hope this assists at least one person, in their next purchase of a badge.

When looking at badges listed on eBay, I have found the following:

 - GREAT LEGITIMATE BADGES (Such as those pictured below):

- FAKES: (defined by me as having been made simply to deceive), and of relatively NO collector VALUE.

- REPRODUCTIONS: (different than fakes, as they were not made to deceive - only now, when being resold, they sometimes are passed off as originals), and of VERY LIMITED COLLECTOR VALUE - good at perhaps holding a place until the real deal comes along.

- PARTS BADGES: (badges put together after the fact, by someone other than the original manufacturer - sometimes to deceive, other times, without that intention, but now, always with the potential to be sold as originals), again, with VERY LIMITED COLLECTOR VALUE, although there are now some who collect some of the older "ABC Jones" parts badges, in their own right.

- NON-DEPARTMENT ISSUED badges PORTRAYED AS DEPARTMENT ISSUED BADGES: (badges made sometimes by the badge company that currently has the contract, sometimes by the badge company that used to have the contract, and sometimes by a badge company that NEVER had the contract - NOT NECESSARILY classifiable as fakes, NOT NECESSARILY classifiable as reproductions, and DEFINITELY NOT classifiable as parts badges), but ALWAYS CLASSIFIABLE AS NON-DEPARTMENTAL ISSUED BADGES, which means that these badges were never ordered by the department, nor issued by the department (and if that means anything to you, then it would be important for you to know that before you made a purchase!).  Typically, these badges were obtained by an individual with a LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION from the department, or were made by the badge company for a member of that department, as a SECOND BADGE, upon verification that the individual did in fact work for that department (ie., by seeing a department ID).  One sees examples of this by finding a San Francisco Police Department badge with an Ed Jones Hallmark, or an Oakland Police Department badge with an Irvine & Jachens Hallmark.  And, as much as we would like to believe that this does not exist, sometimes, a badge company will make a badge for a "friend", although, given today's environment, usually, they will only make a badge for which they DO NOT have the current contract, for even for a favor for a friend, losing a major contract is too hefty a risk to take.  So, some NON-DEPARTMENTAL ISSUED badges could be AUTHORIZED, while some cound be UNAUTHORIZED.  These badges can have some good collector value, especially if they are done in precious metal, and to many, are as valued as a departmental issued badge.  That will have to be a personal choice you make, as you collect, BUT you HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW - DON'T FORGET THAT!  Withholding that knowledge from you, or portraying the badge as department issue is wrong, in my opinion.

- AUTHENTIC BADGES THAT HAVE BEEN MODIFIED: (These would be badges such as those which were not originally hallmarked, but have had "authentic" HALLMARKS ADDED LATER, badges which have had a T-Pin added, later, to make the badge look older, badges that have been ARTIFICALLY AGED to appear older, badges which have had ADDITIONAL WORDING ADDED to the badge (a generic badge with a city, county or state stamped into it, later).  These badges would all be classified as having been MODIFIED TO DECEIVE, and thus, any value they might have had, before they were modified would, in my opinion, be lost.

So, now knowing this, how does one go about minimizing the risk, especially when making an online purchase, when one cannot hold, and properly examine a badge before it's purchase.

FIRST, knowledge and experience are EVERYTHING.  So do whatever you can to become MORE knowledgeable, for ultimately, it's BUYER BEWARE!  Whenever possible, go to badge shows, antique shows, gun shows, and even live auctions, and look at as many badges as possible.  Ask lots of questions, and if the answers don't seem to make sense, pay attention!!  Compare pricing and scarcity.......while sometimes possible, it is rather unlikely today, given the internet, that someone will properly describe a rare badge, and then price it extremely below it's value - very often IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, it is!! 

Whenever possible, purchase books with photos, to act as your resource.  Purchase hallmark books, so you know what hallmarks were from what period of time, so you can tell if a hallmark goes with the time period of the badge.  Again, look at hallmarks of badges you know to be correct, study what they look like, how they are stamped, where they are stamped......so that you will notice if something seems amiss, and remember, NOTHING IS CAST IN STONE!  None of these items were made with the collector in mind, and thus, while the badge company would usually stamp things the same way, much of the time, a mis-stamped badge IS NOT NECESSARILY A FAKE, OR WRONG - just make sure that everything else about it makes sense, before buying.  That being said, there are some badge companies that hallmark badges made with a letter of authorization differently than those which are department issued......learn those little nuances!  And, of course, use the internet as a resource........you can find many collectors who post pictures and descriptions of badges on personal websites.......some of what you will see will be real, some not, but all will be potential resources, allowing you to learn, and become a better informed BUYER!

EQUALLY IMPORTANT AS KNOWING YOUR COLLECTIBLE, is KNOWING WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH.  If you are serious about collecting, go to your local shows.......go to the National.........be gregarious, and meet people.  Talk to people, and you will find out who has been in this hobby for a long time, and you will hear opinions about everyone, from oh so many people......feel free to politely listen to everyone, and get to know everyone......then make up your own mind!  Many eBay sellers can be found at shows, and knowing who they are....having met them, and possibly already having dealt with them, face to face, can be a great asset, in choosing which auctions to bid on, and which to stay away from.  When you find a COMPETENT AND HONEST eBay seller, stick with them!  Watch for their auctions.  Let them know what you collect.  Also, BE CAUTIOUS of sellers who state NO RETURNS for any reason....who say things like, "I don't know badges, so I can't guarantee authenticity"......in those cases, unless you are absolutely sure, don't buy!  Also, BEWARE of sellers who don't properly answer questions, who list badges, implying that they are something they are not, but who don't really state that they are.  FUZZY AND UNCLEAR DESCRIPTIONS, unless you know for sure what you are looking at, should make you very cautious.  As should FUZZY AND UNCLEAR..........personally, I don't buy unless I can clearly see what I am buying, and if a seller tells me they just can't take a good picture, well, I don't "buy" that!  Looking at a picture of a badge that looks like it was taken 10 feet away is absurd....how can anyone tell what they are buying!  If they are in the business of legitimately selling, they will post good pictures, and write good, informative descriptions.  BEWARE of sellers who don't list the size of the badge (or who list in MM, rather than inches - I have seen mini badges pictured VERY LARGE, and listed in MM....when I converted, they were about 1/2 inch so, unless the lister is from then UK, BEWARE of dimensions in MM), or who don't post a picture of the back (or send it to you upon request).....doesn't cost much to post pictures......BEWARE of sellers who insist on strange ways of payment, such as moneygram or western union.  Stick with paying via PayPal, or by sending a United States Postal Service Money Order......PayPal affords you some protection, and if you send a USPS Money Order thru the US Postal Service, and ndon't receive your item, well that's mail fraud, and you again have some recourse.  Finally, look at the sellers feedback, and see if they have previously sold badges before.  And, when you become more proficient, and knowledgeable, look and see who is bidding.....there are usually only a handful of people who bid on certain types of badges, and if you know who those key players are, then finding them bidding on, or having win a badge will kind of tell you that the badge is probably good.............and conversely, their absence on an auction, once the auction has closed, might be a sign that the badge in question was not right.  And ALSO, BEWARE of those SELLERS and BIDDERS on eBay who will MANIPULATE an auction - BEWARE of SELLERS who use SHILL bidders to drive up the price, BEWARE of auctions where you see BIDDERS WITHDRAW THEIR BIDS, so as to make others nervous, so that they might make other legitimate bidders WITHDRAW their bids as well, or stop bidding, or make other bidders who were going to bid, decide NOT to bid......AND WHO THEN JUMP BACK IN, AND BID AT THE END, USING ANOTHER EBAY ID!!! - I RECENTLY SAW THIS ON A BADGE AUCTION, AND IN THE END, SAW THE VERY PERSON WHO WITHDREW THEIR BID, stating that they could not contct the seller, ULTIMATELY WIN THE BADGE FOR HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS LESS, BIDDING AT THE END WITH ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR EBAY IDs.........a totally IMMORAL act, and against eBay policy......BAD FOR THE SELLER, BAD FOR YOU AND I, AND ABSOLUTELY BAD FOR THE HOBBY!!!!!  -  REPORT THIS ACTIVITY TO THE SELLER, AND TO EBAY, IF YOU SUSPECT IT IS GOING ON!!!!!!

When you have found a few "mentors" they will gladly help you learn, and if they become true friends, they will steer you away from bad deals, and towards good ones!  When you see a badge, and are unsure about it's authenticity, ask your friends!!  If you get really serious, and collect California badges, consider joining the California Police Historical Society.  If other than California, look for a similar organization, where you live.  Perhaps get your friends together and start your own!  Another good resource is to call a department and ask to speak to their historian......some departments historians will be helpful, others might be less so..........no matter what, always be polite, and most times, you will find a helpful soul.

In addition to the above, one needs to become PROFICIENT AT LOOKING AT AN AUCTION AND DECIDING IF EVERYTHING LOOKS RIGHT! 

If a badge is purported to be OLD & OBSOLETE, look at it carefully.  Does it look like what you might expect a 75 year old USED item to look like?  Is it worn, or does it look brand new.  If worn, is it evenly worn?  How does the stamping look?  If the badge is hallmarked Irvine and Jachens, as an example, one would not expect sloppy lettering, uneven lettering, lots of different fonts, for most of these companies produced good quality items.......a poorly manufactured badge with a major badge company hallmark might very well be a fake........  And TOTALLY DISCOUNT SUCH NONSENSE AS:   "I FOUND IT IN AN OLD BARN", "MY GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS GIVEN THIS BY AN OLD SHERIFF", "DUG IT UP IN MY BACKYARD", and the like.  Unless the seller has excellent provenance, such as a picture of the guy wearing the badge, I discount most of what they say, and rely on how the badge looks, to me!  REMEMBER, ALL THE HYPE YOU SEE IN BADGE LISTINGS IS USUALLY JUST THAT - HYPE!! 

Again, look at the HALLMARK..........many hallmarks are being duplicated, some better than others.  Personal knowledge of what the correct hallmark LOOKS LIKE (versus just knowing what it says) can be the difference between finding out you just spent a bundle for a badge that is worthless, and finding out you just scored!  Also, look at the PIN AND CATCH.......see if they appear to have been replaced, and if so, if that was done long ago, or recently.....see if they look age appropriate........THINK!!!  If a badge looks very old, worn, and beat up, but the pin looks as sharp and unused as the day it was made, does that make sense? 

For Sterling and Precious Metal HAND ENGRAVED Badges, look at the wear.  Unless it is a presentation badge, not necessarily expected to be worn, a 75 year old Sterling Silver badge with sharp edges, or sharp engraving, might very well be a recently made badge.......so be thoughtful, and although we all hate to lose out on a badge, in my opinion, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MORE BADGES AVAILABLE TO ME THAN I HAVE MONEY TO BUY, so if I let one go, on the side of caution, I still have money to spend next time.

A final note.......many badge fakes are CAST from real badges.  Almost NO good, authentic old badges were cast (I personally would say NONE, but since I don't know everything, I leave it as I stated)......so know how to spot a cast badge.......you can usually see the GRAINY texture of the badge of the badge.  THAT CAN BE A CLEAR GIVE-AWAY THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT A FAKE OR REPRODUCTION!!  A number of companies have made CAST REPRODUCTIONS, WHICH SOLD FROM $10.00 TO MAYBE $100.00 (if done in Sterling Silver).  These unfortunately were not marked as reproductions, and many were also made hallmarked with proper hallmarks, were the badges real......these now routinely find there way onto eBay..........so beware!!

BOTTOM LINE:  BE CAUTIOUS, BE THOROUGH, AND BE THOUGHTFUL....DON'T GET INTO THE HYPE.....MAKE YOUR DECISION BASED ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE, ASK FOR HELP IF YOU DON'T KNOW SOMETHING, STAY AWAY FROM SELLERS THAT MAKE YOU NERVOUS, STICK CLOSE TO SELLERS YOU HAVE HAD POSITIVE EXPERIENCES WITH, AND ALWAYS KEEP LEARNING!  DON'T LET YOURSELF BE MANIPULATED - BY UNSCRUPULOUS SELLERS, AND/OR BIDDERS! 

KNOWLEDGE WILL ULTIMATELY SAVE YOU, TIME AND TIME AGAIN - PASS IF YOU ARE UNSURE, AND IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO PASS, BUT YOU SEE SIGNS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT, WELL,  IN THAT CASE, IF YOU MAKE THE PURCHASE AND FIND YOU HAVE "GOOFED", LEARN FROM THAT MISTAKE. - NEVER STOP SEEKING OUT KNOWLEDGE!!!!!!

As I just wrote this in an hour or so, I may come back and edit/improve it (I just did correct some typos, and add content January 6, 2007).  If you spot an error on my part, or disagree, please let me know.....I don't purport to know everything, and this is just my opinion, and how I do things....I hope it helps a little..........and if so, that it keeps the hobby safe and enjoyable for all!  Thank you for taking the time to read this little guide! 

If this guide appears to be helpful, PLEASE CLICK "YES" BELOW.

If you are a seller, I have also written a guide on how to effectively list/sell a badge - do take a moment to read that guide as well.  I will try and do a guide on how to bid, to try and maximize your probability of winning an auction, for the least amount of money, in the future.  Again, if you found this guide, and/or the pictures posted useful, do vote YES below.

Thank you for taking the time to read my guide!