Fake WW2 "Home Guard" Auxiliary Unit Badges on eBay

The sheer amount of fake and forged militaria hitting eBay is immense. The inability of eBay to efficiently tackle this avalanche of fakes is thought by many of us to support this criminal endeavour. A number of well-know forgers continually ply their trade there (and elsewhere). I have a dedicated page regarding the faking of ARP badges but the post-war commemorative Auxiliary Unit badges are now being faked. Sadly, buyers are not doing anywhere near enough research before purchasing these badges.

Auxiliary Unit badges are somewhat scarce and command a premium price - originals often go for in excess of £400. The below badge, from a well known shyster, has all the hallmarks of the faked ARP badges - the most obvious being the rear of the badge. So far, thankfully, the fakes have not been able to replicate the rear of the badges; genuine badges have a half-moon lapel fitting. The fitting on this badge is a fantasy and the addition of an acid dip to generate the verdigris is an aging scam seen many times on other fakes. Sadly, someone ponied up £196 (including shipping) for this piece of worthless crap. 

Buyers, for the love of Mary, do some research. One of the best resources for the Auxiliary Units is the British Resistance Archive (maintained by the Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (CART)) - this details everything you need to know about the stay behinds - the resistance forces engaging German invaders had they landed. Note that "Home Guard Auxiliaries" were women that volunteered to support their local Home Guard unit.

See an example of a genuine Auxiliary Unit stand down enamel lapel badge.

Fake WW2 Home Guard Auxiliary Unit Badges on eBay