Austria, II Republic. A Pilot’s Badge, Rothe Manufacture c.1970
(Flugzeugführerabzeichen). Constructed of gilded bronze with multi-coloured enamels, the obverse consisting of a green enameled oval oak leaf wreath, joined together at the bottom by an enameled monogram of Emperor Franz Joseph, topped by a royal crown, overlaid by an Austrian-style imperial eagle in mid-flight, the reverse with two visible rivets securing the obverse eagle in place, with a raised barrel hinge and banjo-style pinback meeting a rounded catch, unmarked but with the characteristics of a Rothe-produced replacement piece c. 1970, measuring 58.51 mm (w) x 63.38 mm (h), weighing 20.7 grams, in extremely fine condition.

