WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE - Stars required

If your BADGE GUIDE is one of the older editions, make this note on your West Virginia State Police page. The "department issue"  West Virginia State Police badge is slightly larger than the "stock die" reproductions that are showing up. Also, to be a "valid department issue" West Virginia State Police badge, the stars in the round ring MUST have tiny a metal star within the star, or a tiny metal dot.  Make sure it isn't just a dot someone entered after the manufacturing process. It must be centered, and you can detect an add-on dot easily.  There is a photo below that shows this. Make this note in your BADGE GUIDE so you will not be fooled by the slightly smaller stock die "reproduction" of this hard to get badge.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE
July 27, 2004

Here is an interesting West Virginia State Police reproduction.
This one was made with the tell-tale stars that often document the real "department issue" badge. That is normally the first dead give-away that the reproduction is just that, a reproduction, no stars within the stars.

There are several things wrong with this West Virginia badge. Can you spot them before you read any further?

First, as stated in the BADGE GUIDE, the higher ranks of West Virginia are not numbered. As you can see, this CAPTAIN badge displays a number.

Next, the badge, although reported to be a solid back, is not hallmarked with the name of the contract holder, Blackinton. And, finally, the crest on the top of the badge is also a dead give-away that something is not quite right.

This reproduction would make a nice addition to any collection of reproductions and fakes. It should be valued at best, somewhere around $25 to $30. If you have this badge in your collection, and paid more, you have been had.