Fathers Day and Shield of Cholm

I had a nice bunch of presents today for Fathers day and then we went out to spend the day out and about. The original idea was to go to the park but that was hit on the head as it's closed due to a rock slide! 

Instead we went for an ice cream and a walk along the shops and the kids wanted to go into a shop selling various collectables and well junk. 

I was looking in the military memorabilia with a mix of British WWII Medals and cap badges etc when I spotted what I assumed was a replica of the Cholm Shield. Especially so as it was listed at £10. I actually left the store but decided that it would look cool attached to my dice tower and went back to buy it.

My interest was stirred because I have the excellent ASL module on Cholm by Le Franc Tireur (LFT) and I though this would be an excellent prop to have lying around when I play some of the scenarios or campaign.

Imagine my surprise when I took a much closer look and found it to be the real deal. Two variants of the badge exist, one with three pins holding the back plate in place and another with four pins (mine). Also note the H has the line across the uprights is lower than the middle, this is also a variant as it's available as both on specialist auction sites. The four pin, lower bar version seems to go for about $1500 in the States. 

The cloth background is available if Field Grey (Army and SS), Black (Panzer) and Blue (Airforce). Mine looks really fresh from the front but if taken off the badge shows some staining under the rear plate so I think it's been turned round to show it's best side.

So a really good find that added to what was already a great day.