Description

This listing is for a rare, and guaranteed original, Edinburgh Fire Brigade cap badge. This badge was introduced in the 1920’s and is die struck in nickel-silver with copper lugs. Also included is a large nickel-silver Edinburgh Fire Brigade button of the type used on the undress uniform only during the 1930’s. The undress uniform was the smart uniform worn for travelling to and from work and for official engagements.

I was born and brought up in Edinburgh and my interest in the city’s fire brigade goes back to schooldays in the 1960’s. I served as a fireman in the city during the 1970’s and was closely involved with the original Edinburgh Fire Brigade museum.

The red cloth backing on the cap badge, whilst correct, is not original, it is a modern replacement. The badge listed came from a small remaining stock of unissued badges still held in the brigade stores in the late 1960’s. None of those badges had the red cloth backing. I am assuming, therefore, that the backing was a local initiative rather than something that was provided by the manufacturer, Firmin and Sons.

This cap badge has been copied, with the fakes first appearing around twenty years ago. The copies appear to be made from cast brass with a silver plated finish. One seller tried to convince me that these were silver plated officers cap badges. However, no such badge ever existed. Officers were only ever issued with wire embroidered cap badges.

All the fakes exhibit the same two flaws, presumably copied across from an original. and these are circled in red on one of the listing photographs. They consist of a nick on the inner rim above and to the right of the letter G in BRIGADE. This has almost certainly been caused by the saw when fretting the original badge. There is also an indentation on the inner rim above ‘E’ in ‘BRIGADE’.

The button was manufactured by Kirkwood and Sons, an Edinburgh based, high quality, medallist and engraver. They were established in 1826 and are still in business to this day.

The winning bidder will also receive the fake badge along with the original.  

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Returns

I offer a full refund of the purchase price if you are not satisfied with these items as long as they are returned to me in exactly the same condition as when received.