Chev CMP Enamel Dash Badge

[David Dunlop]

I am not sure how many of you Chev CMP owners were lucky enough to acquire a vehicle with the original General Motors Maple Leaf Enamel Pin still fitted to the dash (not sure if it was ever included in the armoured vehicles GM built in Canada) but I thought I would toss out a brief history of the maker of these badges.

The Breadner Manufacturing Company was established in Ottawa around 1900 and was a large maker of silverware. Their hallmark was "BMCo", which can be seen on the back of the Chev CMP Badge. The company was located in a large building situated at 1000-1002 Somerset St. West in Ottawa until 1930, when they relocated to Hull, Quebec, across the river. At this time, they also renamed the company Breadner Company Limited.

During World War II, Breadner was a very large maker of Military Cap Badges, buttons and other insignia for the Canadian Military. At the end of the war, they briefly entered the radio business under the brand name "Bradna", specializing is small portable radios. This only lasted a few years and they reverted to their roots in jewellery and silverware. Today they are the largest maker of Sterling silver souvenir spoons in Canada under the same BMCo hallmark. Who knows, they may still even have the original dies in storage for the Chev CMP Enamel Dash Badge.

David

[RichCam]

David,

Thank you for the background on the CMP Chev "Dash Jewel". I was fortunate enough to have found one during a retrieval of a C-15A CMP.

Regards, Richard

[motto]

Brian Asbury had some of these badges manufactured many years ago. I still have the one he gave me on his Australian tour. It's attached to my hat and has travelled extensively including the 2009 Istanbul / Normandy tour.
They are an attractive little badge.

David

[David Dunlop]

Thanks for jogging my memory. I also have one of the repros, but could not remember from whom I obtained it. It is a little more robust than the original, same size and with a bit finer detail on the face of it. Photo attached.

On the late issue Cab 13 Chev CMP's with individual instruments, this badge was located to the left of the dash panel, between the lamps switch plate and instruments. It mounts into two small holes vertically oriented. A 1mm hole about 1/4-inch above a 2mm hole. The upper smaller hole took a locking pin on the back of the original badge that prevented the badge from rotating when the hex nut on the centre stud was tightened down.

Not sure where the badge was placed on the earlier Chev dash, or when GM even started using the badge in their vehicles.

Wonder how many were removed by drivers and sent home as souvenirs to their families during the war?

David

[Brian Gough]

Hi David,

Thanks for your informative posting and providing some background on the GM "Dash Jewel".

Going from memory, it is shown in the interior drawings in the MB-C1 and MB-C2 service manuals but is not identified. Also, it is not listed in the parts book. I have seen a reference to it in one of the GM service bulletins on another subject.

I have repros from both Brian Asbury and Dirk Leegwater, both are very nice but not identical. They come in 2 mounting styles, for the dash and for cap/lapel wear.

Cheers,

Brian

[Keith Orpin]

Guys,
I was lucky enough to have an original dash jewel on my C30 when I bought her for restoration, several years ago. Attached is a picture of the early dash and dash jewel, it's approx 2" to the left of the instruments. As David points out, I'm sure quite a few were taken off the vehicles.
Keith

[TCLARK]

One of the reasons I started on my c15a cab 12 was that the original jewel was there. I have now restored the dash with the jewel in place!
Terry

[8threcce]

Dirk Leegwater has repro's for sale

[M.Morren]

I know this is an old thread, but since this is the best info I've found on these, I'm asking here.

I currently own three of these badges but noticed some slight differences in the lettering and maple leaf. Turns out that I actually have two variants.



I have two of the right one, but only one of the left variant.
The left variant does not appear on any of the photos I can find online, while the right one seems to be exactly the same as all the ones I can find. But both of the ones I have don't have the BMCo markings on them, while the one on the left does have the markings that are described in the first post.


(the center one is the type I've never seen before)

It seems like there were different types, but I'm wondering if both of these were present in CMPs.

[David Dunlop]

Hello Marty.

That is a very interesting find.

Based on the distinctive variations in the vein pattern in the maple leaf and the flow of the lettering, I would say a second engraver was definitely involved in the production of these dash jewels for General Motors. The mystery is whether or not these two engravers worked for the same company, BMCo, or were two different companies involved in the production?

Do you know the vehicle history behind your three pins by any chance? if we could assemble enough data from these items surviving on the actual equipment they were installed on, we could build a better image of their production evolution.

One possible line of events could be that BMCo got a small contract from General Motors for a limited run of pins and did not bother stamping them with their ID, so early pins would be unmarked. That contract may have suddenly grown and they added their ID to be consistent with all their other wartime badge and button production, along with other larger contracts by the way. They then found themselves unable to meet the demand for this item and a second manufacturer was brought in to assist.

Thanks for taking the time to post.


David

[Harry Moon]

I got mine from a batch procured via Brian Asbury that as i recall are reproductions.

[M.Morren]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Hello Marty.

That is a very interesting find.

Based on the distinctive variations in the vein pattern in the maple leaf and the flow of the lettering, I would say a second engraver was definitely involved in the production of these dash jewels for General Motors. The mystery is whether or not these two engravers worked for the same company, BMCo, or were two different companies involved in the production

What is interesting to me is that the odd one out is the only one that I have with the BMCo markings on the back. I assume that the one pictured in your first post also has these markings? If so, that would make it different from mine.

Do you have a photo of the markings on the one you have?

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Do you know the vehicle history behind your three pins by any chance? if we could assemble enough data from these items surviving on the actual equipment they were installed on, we could build a better image of their production evolution.

Sadly, I don't have any other info. All three were found in the UK and came from collectors of enamel pins and badges, or were inherited by the seller. So no luck there

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

One possible line of events could be that BMCo got a small contract from General Motors for a limited run of pins and did not bother stamping them with their ID, so early pins would be unmarked. That contract may have suddenly grown and they added their ID to be consistent with all their other wartime badge and button production, along with other larger contracts by the way. They then found themselves unable to meet the demand for this item and a second manufacturer was brought in to assist.

That would mean that the one with the extra vein would be a later version. As stated earlier, the other two don't have the markings. Would be interesting to know if the one with the extra vein is also original to CMPs, or if it could be post-war. it is the best preserved of the three, but that does not really tell anything.



I cleaned and polished them a bit more to bring out the shine. They really are beautifull!
(the background of the one with the chipped enamel is not a shiny as it looks in the photo. That one is also missing some of the enamel in upper part of the maple leaf)

Repro badges



For the sake of completion, here are the two best images I could find of the two repro badges I know of. To my knowledge, the left one came from LWD Parts, while the right one came from Brian Asbury. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Any other info on these, or other repro badges would be very much appreciated!

[M.Morren]

I just received two more. No BMCo markings on either of them. And both have had their studs replaced. Or at least, the safety pin seems to be added later. The other one could be original.

[Lang]

Marty

Is that first one from a set of cuff-links? I know such cuff-link badges were handed out by many different make car dealers in the 30-60 period.

Lang

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Lang

Marty

Is that first one from a set of cuff-links? I know such cuff-link badges were handed out by many different make car dealers in the 30-60 period.

Lang

Morris-Commercial did the cuff links ... they often turn up on ePay

[M.Morren]

It seems quite large for a cufflink, but could very well be one indeed. My guess would be that this is a lapel badge though.