Are Enamel ARP Badges Being Reproduced / Faked & Sold As Originals?

The simple answer appears to be yes. Over the past year a large number of fake ARP and home front badges have reached the market that have distinctly modern manufacturing processes on them. More fakes are being detected every week. The key pointers are:

1) verdigris on the back (which is probably from dipping the badge in acid of some sort),
2) all with pin attachment (most wartime badges, esp. ARP ones are lapel fitting),
3) no maker's mark (this is one of the key giveaways of being a fake), 
4) a stippling to the rear where originals are often smooth and well finished,
5) modern letter fonts (letters are machine cut using modern day fonts).

These fake ARP badges often have dings and marks to the front surface in an attempt to age the badges.

The fake ARP badge fronts appear to be well made (the enamel is not up to the wartime standards though) but the backs all appear very similar. It's peculiar that if someone is going to the effort of faking industrial ARP badges then omitting to cast the rear correctly is somewhat odd. It is probably down to the reproducing manner being unable to copy makers' marks. The flip of this is that the badges are readily selling online and at auction houses. Most of the badges are selling for over £100 to £150. 

​I have a collection of a few hundred WW2 Home Front badges and not a single one has this verdigris on the reverse. Other collectors have also noted that their badges are also without this colouration.

A small sample of the fake ARP badges being reproduced are:

1 - A winged AVRO ARP badge. There is a triangular badge that is genuine (and without a maker mark) but the winged AVRO ARP badges all have the verdigris and poor pin manufacture. They are without maker's mark. Badges have sold on eBay fro between £100 and £150 and the badge has also been sold at an auction house.

Fake winged AVRO ARP badge

2 - Women's Home Defence shield. All original badges have the maker "Collins London" on rear and a sturdy brass pin. The fakes omit the maker mark and have a poor pin assembly. They also carry the verdigris. Selling on eBay for over £50.

Fake Women's Home Defence badge

3 - Austin Motor Works red ARP Controller badge. The original badge has a half-moon lapel fitting and maker's mark. The fakes all have a pin and no maker mark with verdigris to back (and sometime front). Several copies of this badge suddenly appeared on eBay in the last six months (date March 2020). Copies selling for over £100 on eBay.

Fake Austin Motor Works ARP Controller badge badge

4 - Rolls Royce R&R ARP badge. More of the same here with the back identical to other forgeries. One sold on eBay on 30 December 2019 for £260. Another almost identical badge was listed for sale on eBay on 15 March 2020.

Fake Rolls Royce ARP badge

5. Coventry ARP First Aid. Same pin, stippling and verdigris as the others.

Fake Coventry ARP First Aid badge

6. Handley Page Ltd ARP Badge. Same condition as others.

Fake Handley Page Ltd. ARP badge

Others
- Auxiliary Home Guard blue and red shields. These are poor fakes as the the front enamelling is much poorer than the examples above. The poor example on eBay was pulled after the seller was inundated with messages about the originality of the badge.
 - London Housewives Service. This circular badge is also now being faked. It is based on an original from a different area. 
- WW2 Free Czechoslovak Field Ambulance England badge. Another verdigris fake that omits the maker of Miller found on all the originals. This fake also has the completely wrong style of pin that is found on originals. Below an original on the left and a fake on the right.

Fake reproduction WW2 Free Czechoslovak Field Ambulance England badge