Identifying Genuine Badges - Downton, Speedwel etc.

[mk1]

Of all the things I receive emails about, one of the most common are people asking if this or that item, usually a badge is genuine. There are without a doubt a whole plethora of badges out there, good, bad & indifferent.

Some reproductions are made as exactly that, reproductions, these were never intended to fool anyone, there are however also fakes, these have been made with the specific intention of fooling people.

Over a few articles I will go through some of the more common or desirable tuning badges to tell you exactly how you can spot a fake from an original.

I hope that you will find this useful or interesting.

[mk1]

Downton Badge:



Comments:
Of all the tuning badges, the most sought after & desirable is the small brass badge supplied by Downton Engineering. This is without a doubt the most faked badge about, mainly because originals now command astronomical prices.

Size:
115.7mm x 25.5mm x 1.3mm

Weight:
28g

Fixing holes:
107.3mm Centres, 1/8" dia

Description:
Without exception, all original Downton badges are brass plates that have had the recognisable DOWNTON logo etched into the surface. The background is a green paint, not enamel & the DOWNTON logo is highlighted in silver coloured metal plating. The most common badge has 2 black painted lines highlighting the DOWNTON LOGO.

The rear of the badge can variously be brass coloured or plated with the same silver metal as the DOWNTON logo, this is however always unpolished & rather "tatty looking" even on NOS badges.

Variants:
The "UHR 850" variant.
This is generally the same as that described above, but where the usual black lines described above are, the etched brass has 2 raised "plinths" to accept the black paint. In the example that can be seen on UHR 850, the black paint has been totally rubbed away to reveal these raised areas. This is believed to be an early variant.


The UHR 850 Variant.

Reproductions / Fakes:
There is a reproduction Downton badge available from MK1-Performance-Conversions.co.uk which is correct in every detail, this is however plated & highly polished on the reverse to make it easily distinguishable from an original badge.

There was a reproduction badge offered by Minispares amongst others this is easily identified as a repro by the lurid green shade of the paint, the lack of "Italicisation" on the Downton logo itself & the total absence of the Black lines. These are very difficult to pass off as originals, despite being brass.


Reproduction Downton badge formerly offered by Minispares

There is a chrome plated die cast badge that is regularly offered as "genuine" at approximately 3mm thick with generally poor detail, cold cure green soft enamel & a tell tale chrome line around the black highlights, these are relativity easy to identify. It is badges of this type that have most commonly been offered as genuine & have often been artificially aged using sand paper.


Fake Die cast badge c/w fake packet


Laser etched version


Variant of the cast fake with no black lines at all.

[Prooij]

Indeed very usefull! Will follow this with great interest.

[mk1]

Die cast SpeedwellBadge:



Comments:
The original Die Cast Speedwell badge was produced throughout the 1960's & supplied with many conversions & on it's own. Usually supplied in a cardboard backed package with vac formed polythene to the front these badges were manufactured by J. Fray & Sons Birmingham. Fray's were the manufacturer of most factory supplied badges for the early marks of the Mini & as such the Speedwell badge was always of excellent quality.

Size:
129.7mm x 20.4mm x 4.2mm

Weight:
37g

Fixings:
2 x studs 1/8" dia on 4" centres.

Description:
Chrome plated die cast badge, crisp chrome lettering on a pebbled background, with an equally crisp chrome plated border. To the back there are 2 fixing studs that fit standard BMC "Mouse Condom" badge fixings. The markers Name "J. Fray Ltd.", "BS1004", and "DS 635 B" are cast into the reverse of the badge. The badge is chrome plated all over apart from the 2 fixing studs which are always unplated. The pebbled background is usually finished in gloss black paint.

variants:
The only known variant is the yellow variant where the black paint infill is replaced by pale yellow, the colour is very similar to BMC fiesta yellow.

Reproduction / Fakes:
There are various versions of this badge. These reproductions are always cast but are rarely if ever of anything like the quality of the original badge, with rounded indistinct lettering, a poorly defined "flying S" logo, poorly defined edges & a smooth or barely textured back. Most fake / reproduction offerings do not have any lettering or wording on the back.The dimensions are also invariably smaller than the original.

The 1990's iteration of Speedwell run by John Adair had a new version of the Speedwell badge made. these were of very good quality, but differed from the originals in a few minor features allowing them to be identified easily. The background of these badges were chequered as opposed to pebbled & the fixings were 2 small threaded studs as opposed to the smooth studs of the original.

[Pandora]

There is a reproduction Downton badge available from MK1-Performance-Conversions.co.uk which is correct in every detail, this is however plated & highly polished on the reverse to make it easily distinguishable from an original badge.

When I recently produced a very short run of Yimkin badges, a couple of which I gave to forum members as gifts, I deliberately left a 'mistake' in the spacing just in case in years to come any make their way on to the market, at least I won't end up buying one of my own as an original!

Al

[mk1]

Alexander "Shield" Type



Comments:
A much rarer, but sadly less sought after badge is the "Alexander Converted" shield. A badge that lasted from the mid 1950's through to the early 1970. This shield was fitted to all cars that had been converted by Alexander Engineering of Hadenham Buks.

Size:
56mm x 66.6mm

Weight:
30g

Fixings:
2 x 2BA studs spaced at 35mm centres.

Description:
Once again this die struck badge was manufactured by J Fray of Birmingham and is therefore of exceptional quality. The standard badge is a sheet of thin brass that has been die struck to give a 3D "embossed" design. The background & lettering are paint filled & with one exception there are two 2BA fixing screws to the back. If you look closely at the back of the badge you can see the makers name "J FRAY LTD BHAM" embossed on the lower back of the badge. Badges that are both plain brass "Gold Coloured" & Silver "Chrome plated" exist, the finish appears to depend on the paint infill chosen.

variants:


The Aluminium Variant - There is a variant of this badge that is not stamped Brass, but is stamped Aluminium that has been finished with a bright anodised silver finish. This example has no fixing studs, but does have 2 small (approx 2mm) mounting holes in the badge.


Silver & Blue variant - Chrome plated brass with light blue paint infill.

Reproduction / Fakes:
There are reproductions of the Alexander Shield available. these are made in China, are pressure die cast and are available in Gold / Black & Silver / Red. They are easily identified as the badge is thick, solid & heavy with a perfectly flat back.





There are also modern Gel Domed versions that bear no resemblance to the original badge.

[mk1]

Aquaplane



Comments:
The Aquaplane badge is a very rare tuning badge, or rare in Mini circles anyway. Beautifully produced by an unknown manufacturer this lavish chrome & enamel badge really lends a degree of sophistication to any Aquaplane converted vehicle..

Size:
50.7mm dia

Weight:
28g

Fixings:
1 x 2BA centere fix stud

Description:
Beautiful in every detail this badge really is one of the best ever. a domed brass badge that has been finished in chrome & vitreous enamel to give a truly special finish. The logo is picked out in bright yellow & black with silver lettering. Exceptional quality.

variants:
No variants are known.

Reproduction / Fakes:
No known reproductions or fakes.

[mk1]

Janspeed



Comments:
An early Janspeed badge produced in the mid 60's shortly after Jan Odor left Downton to set up his own business specialing in the tuning of Minis & the production of performance exhaust systems. Almost certainly manufactured by the same supplier as the Downton badge.

Size:
109mm x 30mm x .7mm

Weight:
19g

Fixings:
2 x 1/8" fixing holes on 95mm centres.

Description:
In many details this badge bears a striking resemblance to a Downton badge. A thin rectangular brass sheet that has had the Janspeed logo etched into it and has been paint filled with red paint. The background has then been plated with a silver coloured metal, probably actual silver. There are no makers marks & the back of the badge is silver plated in a similar way to the front. The silver plate on the front is often worn off.

variants:
There is 1 known variant that is exactly the same in all details, but is a little thicker at approximately 1.2mm

Reproduction / Fakes:
No known reproductions or fakes.

[mk1]

Sprinzel



Comments:
Another very nice badge that was occasionally used on Sprinzel modified Minis but was more usually spotted on Sprites & Midgets.

Size:
83.6mmx x20.4mm x 1.9mm

Weight:
25g

Fixings:
2 x 1/8" fixing studs on a 63mm spacing

Description:
This SPRINZEL badge is not as first appears die cast, but is actually struck with the fixing studs having been applied afterwards. These badges are relativity heavy at 25g and are finished in silver metal & bright blue infill. To the rear of the badge you can clearly see the reverse lettering where the die struck.

variants:
No known variants.

Reproduction / Fakes:
Reproduction / fake examples of this badge do surface from time to time. The fakes can usually be identified by the fact that the paint fill is a darker colour & there is no evidence of the reverse printed lettering on the back of the badge.

[mk1]

Alexander (Rectangle)



Comments:
A far more simple badge than the Alexander Shield is the rectangle. These were often used on rocker covers & were fixed with double sided adhesive tape. This may explain why this small badge is so difficult to find 60 odd years on.

Size:
89.3mm x 33.3mm x .4mm

Weight:
9g

Fixings:
None visible

Description:
A very thin brass sheet that has the design etched into the surface, background fill is either black or red. The background fill is not a paint, but apears to be more like a die. Although I have to admit I don't know exactly what it is.

variants:
2 variants, Black or Red infill both with a silver design.

Reproduction / Fakes:
This was at one time a widely faked badge, but as Downton & Speedwell seem to be the only tuning firms that people are interested in nowadays, the incidence of this badge being reproduced seems to have diminished. Most reproductions were a vaguely similar shape & design but were almost exclusively anodised Aluminium with a red & silver grey design.

[Pandora]

The background fill is not a paint, but apears to be more like a die. Although I have to admit I don't know exactly what it is.

Looks like it's almost screen printed into the very shallow etching marks? effectively 'wiped over' with an suitable ink?

Al

[mk1]

Exactly my thoughts.

The fill certainly looks translucent.

[mk1]

Speedwell (First Version)



Comments:
A very rare Speedwell badge is the first version, designed by John Sprinzel in the late 1950's. There is no evidence of this badge ever being used much after 1959 - 59. Seen on a few Frogeyes & A 35's it is a very, very rare badge indeed.

Size:
126.8mm x 12.8mm x 2.3mm

Weight:
33g

Fixings:
2 x 1/8" studs 82.3mm centres

Description:
A heavy stamped brass badge cut to the profile of the SPEEDWELL logo, that has been bright chrome plated & finished in yellow enamel. Both fixing lugs on the back are unusual in that they are approximately 20mm long, much longer than any other badge fixing.

variants:
No known variants

Reproduction / Fakes:
No commercially available fakes known. But many years ago I lent the badge to someone who had at least one reproduction 3D printed. These were at one time offered on a 3D printing internet site. I do not believe these are available any longer.

[mk1]

Speedwell (Rhombus)



Comments:
Another unusual Speedwell badge. Purchased by myself many years ago I have never seen another one of this particular type. Undoubtedly commercially produced, it's story remains a mystery.

Size:
58.6mm x 60.8mm x .8mm

Weight:
25g

Fixings:
2 x 4BA fixing studs at 45mm centres

Description:
A thin etched brass badge that has been domes, chrome plated & treated in Yellow & black enamel. It has 2 fixing studs soldered to the back & is generally of a very high quality of construction.

variants:
No known variants

Reproduction / Fakes:
No known reproductions.