The Big Kahuna and Holy Grail

Nov/Dec 2018 edition
Issue #2 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
Jerry Haussler

Decisions, decisions.... Where to start? First off, I prefer the path of education i.e. read, read, and read some more. That said, I have been known to stray from the straight and narrow on occasion… actually more occasions than I care to admit. I started collecting badges around the year of my two cars, but before too long things got out of hand… way out of hand. Can you say “slippery slope”? 

​Some themes to guide your collecting may include colors that compliment your car, or an event from a town where you grew up. I’ve seen folks run badges dated before their cars were built!  From my perspective that’s OK with me, after all, it’s their car, not mine! Others may hold to the old adage “I don’t know art, but I know what I like.”  Whichever camp you fall into there are certainly enough to choose from. Generally speaking the mid to late 1950s are at the higher end of the price spectrum and should be available in the $150 range for a local or regional non-Marque specific event. Once you throw in the name of a specific marque such as  Porsche or one of the more prominent events like Monte Carlo, the numbers start to get scary....$300 - $600 and up. 

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More recently with the popularity of early Porsche 911s on the rise I see a corresponding interest in badges from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Pay attention and stay on the trail. Eventually you’ll find something that has an overwhelming appeal or at a price too hard to pass up. As always, buy what you like. If the market doesn’t smile on you in the long term, you will still have something you enjoy.  

Let’s talk ‘grail.’ Could it be a ‘50s era Nurburgring badge with the correct Adam Donner maker mark for your 1956 550A Porsche Spyder? Maybe a vintage SCCA badge for your split window Corvette?  The first Porsche Ski Treffen badge for your ‘58 Speedster?  Or if it’s all of the above, then aren’t YOU the lucky one!  Naturally the answer will vary from one person to the next. 
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Monte Carlo a.k.a. “The Big Kahuna”. Starting at the beginning, there are at least three versions of this coveted badge. Concurrent for competitor, Equipier for support, and a third version carrying neither of the two aforementioned designations. This last version is considered a souvenir, and was available to a DNF (did not finish). 

​Generally prices are at the top of the heap. Typically $450 to $600, although recently, I saw a 1958 Concurrent badge change hands for under $275... a steal at that price. For the 1970 event the design of the badge incorporated a Fuchs road wheel. Here you’ll have a crossover effect where Monte Carlo collectors will collide with Porsche collectors and drive an already hefty price even higher.       

​Liege Rome Liege. Held from 1931 to 1960 before changing names and configurations, this was one of the premier sports racing events of the era. Unfortunately lost to history, its’ ephemera are rare, desirable, and therefore expensive.  Fortunately the badges are dated. Typically postwar examples will trade in the $300 to $400 range without an established provenance.  The example shown was originally presented to Herbert Linge for the 1957 event. More ‘grail’ next issue. 
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Jerry Haussler

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