I am consistently amazed by people who repeatedly buy from sellers who have a seemingly unending supply of 'rare' cap badges from supposedly old collections. If a seller has sold the same rare 21st Lancers badge several times over then he is selling fakes. There seem to be some gulible people out there who don't ask 'why has this chap got a limitless supply of rare VB badges or cavalry badges'. Just how many members of the LRDG do you think there were??! Always look at the feedback - if the item number is hidden then ask yourself why - it could well be to hide the fact that he has just sold the same rare glengarry badge for the tenth time in a month. There are several sellers buying from a well known repro maker on the South coast and then selling these badges as 'original'. One even describes them as 100% original when they are 100% restrike. Watch out!

One well known seller has had the badges aged with a light reddish oxidant which gives them an older look but with a distinct colour. Another fraud in the midlands seems to bury his in the garden as they all have that same dug up look even the modern patterns; The Royal Hussars badge for example was only ever made in A/A from 1969 onwards and the regt wore private purchased metal badges in the 1980s, yet he still sells aged bi-metal ones.

Look through all a sellers badges - if he is indeed selling off an old collection of originals as claimed then there should not be fakes in there. if you learn to recognise the obvious fakes and he has some of these (or another set of 20 rare 1870 Glengarry badges (again) then chances are he is offloading fakes that he has bought from a repro maker.

All beware any seller with multiple sales of the same badge. Minicab drivers in particular are an untrustworthy lot always charging you a fare that is well over the real value of the trip. Please read my other 5 guides which specilise in one area of badges - cavalry, infantry etc

As regards WW1 Pals Badges - 11th Border Regt badges do NOT appear on ebay for a tenner!  For that matter every single Birmingham pals Bn badges on Ebay in the last 3 years except for 3 have been fakes!!!!   Tyneside Irish and Cardiff Pals badges were not designed as cap badges and were worn in the shoulder titles and collars - therefore either of these badges with sliders is a fake.

Infantry Volunteer Battalions dated pre-1908 so mostly should have lugs  on them - sliders were rarely put on badges before then - this particularly applies to Manchester badges! 

Late husbands and dead fathers do seem to have collected a rather large amount of rubbish copies in seemingly unending amounts.  Tina is a very unfortunate lady.

I am somewhat surprised by the number of 'not useful' votes for this thread unless of course they are from people trying to off load junk to the unwary.  Come on be honest - if it is a copy then say so!