Winged Bird-in-Flight Metal Badge, Silver-Tone, Vintage Uniform/Cap Device

This is a small cast metal badge depicting a stylized bird in flight with swept, ribbed wings and a distinct forked tail. The piece is finished in a white-metal/silver tone with a soft aged sheen and crisp line work in the feathering, especially along the wing ribs and the tail striations. The body is sculpted with light relief, giving the bird a clean silhouette that reads well at distance—exactly what you want from a cap or lapel device intended to “pop” on a darker cloth.

The reverse shows an older-style applied attachment consistent with a uniform or cap badge rather than modern jewelry hardware. A vertical post/wire element is present at the center, with a crosspiece/retainer form visible in profile; it presents as a period, utilitarian fastening solution meant to hold securely through cloth. No maker mark is visible in these photographs.

Bird motifs like this sit squarely in the visual language of early flight and air-minded organizations. Long before standardized wings and qualification badges became universal, many military and civilian aviation groups used birds—swallows, gulls, or abstract “flight birds”—as shorthand for speed, lift, and modernity. In the German context in particular, flight symbolism spans the Imperial era’s aviation enthusiasm (airship and aeroplane clubs, patriotic aviation fundraising, and pre-war flying associations), the First World War’s rapid professionalization of air services, and the interwar period’s heavy emphasis on gliding and air sport culture. Even where official insignia differed by branch and period, the underlying theme stayed constant: birds conveyed the romance and technical promise of flight in a way that was immediately understood by the public and by uniformed wearers.

From a collector’s standpoint, this type of badge is attractive because it’s visually strong, compact, and cross-collectible. It can play in multiple lanes: early aviation memorabilia, uniform insignia groupings, cap/lapel devices, or broader “flight iconography” displays. The design is also clean enough to pair with period photo groupings or with other small insignia without looking busy. In a display tray, the silhouette reads instantly, which matters when you’re building curated lots or themed boards.

Condition is consistent with age and honest use. The face shows light surface wear and micro-scratching to the high points, with minor softness at some edges from handling. The reverse hardware appears intact in these views, with no obvious fresh breaks visible; however, because the photos show it at an angle, the practical note is that the attachment should be treated as period and handled carefully—these older soldered/wire fittings can be structurally sound but do not like aggressive bending. No cracks or major losses are apparent.