Thread: Period Grille Badges - And Other Works of Art

At home I have a radiator muff that actually covers the entire grill opening for the winter. Plenty of air still gets through, mainly from under the grill.

Originally Posted by 107gus

At home I have a radiator muff that actually covers the entire grill opening for the winter. Plenty of air still gets through, mainly from under the grill.

Mainly through the gap between the radiator support panel and the chassis. Good idea to block this gap off if driving offroad, otherwide all the grass seeds end up in the radiator core instead of the chaff guard on the grille.

John

Originally Posted by Scallops

Neil,



Ah, the excitement of the hunt! Godfrey is a good man. I look forward to viewing the kill.

PS - I would have thought, dear chap, that any Black Rhino in your environs would be anything but imaginary, let alone anything one might wish to attack! Please - don't let Godfrey lead you astray, good man. The mission shall be the AA badge!

Dan,

Hello from back in the land of the living.

Well part of my pre-trip prophesy came true.

I did get to ride in one of these:



The handsome devil, and proud owner, is young Godfrey - and why wouldn't you smile when you own a Land Rover?

And also saw quite a few of these up close:



Plus some of these blocking the road:



However, the elusive Zim AA badge remains elusive for the time being - next time I am assured....................

Still, the pastime of fishing is usually called 'angling' rather than 'catching fish' for good reason. By the same logic I think 'fossicking' for badges might be a better descriptor than 'picking up' badges....

But its Friday, now where did I leave that bottle opener?

Cheers,

Neil

Originally Posted by Scallops

The badge in question is, unfortunately, sold. I shall keep an eye out for another, if you like.

Dan,

Hello again from Brisbane.

Thanks for drawing my attention to the rather nice RSAC badge in the earlier posts - I hadn't previously been aware of their existence.

I have been looking around the web lately for a good example and have come to the conclusion that they are probably better described as "scarce" rather than "rare" - and the prices vary widely (wildly perhaps).

There were actually 3 of them listed on UK eBay this last week. One was listed by a seemingly mad Jerry for USD$239, which draws to mind the classic punchline from the The Castle. The other two started listed for starting bids at around GBP10. The better of the two finally went for GBP41.50 after 10 bids and the lesser which looked a bit well-worn on the enameling remains unsold until early tomorrow after 3 bids at GBP11.50 - based on the previous price my guess is it is likely for sell for around GBP30. The three bidders also bid on the first badge, although none of them won it.

I had intended to bid on the better of the two with a limit that would have been competitive with the final call - however, two of the bidders had long records of bidding/buying car badges and I figured that it was going to go into the GBP40-50 range. After postage this was going to put it into the $90-$100 range which was a bit steep for something to stick on the cave wall so I kept my hands in my pockets for now. Also Mrs S3ute is waging a fairly determined austerity war at the moment which is largely, but not exclusively, targeted at my small truck.

So, for now one waits patiently for the opportune time. Good generals, and even some of us lesser mortals, know when and where to pick our fights. Also, I am not sure how much longer I can get away with pretending that the bull bar is part of a funny looking ladder and the Roamerdrive is really a spare engine for the Victa........

Cheers,

Neil

Thomas has joined the AA & the RAC just in case. AA badge from Ebay USA, & RAC (Vic) from Ebay AU.



He has also joined the RAF, well he is RAF Blue Grey in colour, & I was an honorary crew member of RAF 201SQN Crew #9 - a long time ago.



Cheers Nigel

Originally Posted by S3ute

The better of the two badges finally went for GBP41.50 after 10 bids and the lesser which looked a bit well-worn on the enameling remains unsold until early tomorrow after 3 bids at GBP11.50 - based on the previous price my guess is it is likely for sell for around GBP30.

Well a bit surprised here - the 2nd badge which was considerably worse for wear than the other one actually sold overnight for GBP 44.70. The silver plating was fairly tarnished and the enamel finish on the saltire was probably beyond cleaning up without re-enamelling it.

Beauty must be in the eyes of the beholder....

Happy to keep looking as one will turn up one day.

Cheers,

Neil

Hello from Brisbane.

Still on topic - bought a RAC badge the other day ex-Scotland for the wall collection that is a bit different to the usual diamond shape deal:



Early 60's "modern" style. Came in at about the right money unlike the RSAC badges mentioned before.

However, prices out in badge-land still never fail to impress me. I noticed an AA Zimbabwe badge, similar to the one I have been harassing poor old Godfrey and the beaters about, listed on UK eBay this week. At the time of posting this had hit 21 bids and GBP49 (about $90 before postage) with still a day to go....

Since I am expecting to offer little more than about USD$35 in Harare to get something better, it is an incentive to get the tribe actively beating the bushes again. Failed to get a bead on one last time but neither Godfrey nor I were there to supervise the hunt and the crew was probably looking in the wrong places or going slack on the job. No doubt a damn good thrashing might have been the order of the day in pre-independence times. However, my experience here at work, where senior management attempt to try it periodically to boost morale, is that the strategy is more likely to win begrudging compliance than enduring brotherly love. So, it might have to be something more tangibly attractive like a free feed of peri-peri chicken and a Zambezi or two for the successful scout.

Cheers,

Neil

Hello again from Brisbane.

Well, the eBay auction finished on the AA Zim badge overnight and, again, I am bemused at what people will pay for the things - 36 bids and a closing score of GBP95.99 or AU$176.58 plus postage of around $10.....

Amazing.

Needless to say, an even greater financial incentive to fire up the boys for another hunt of the boneyards when I get back to Harare and Bulawayo next month. Bayete.

The willing crew:



Cheers,

Neil