Images of original German 1957 silver wound badges.  

 

The first two images show: left, a zinc badge;  center and right, silver plated tombac badges.  Obviously, all from different eras, the right being the most recent.

 

The third and fourth images, a silver plated tombac badge generally attributed to Steinhauer & Lück of  Lüdenscheid (Lüdenscheid is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region, and 1945 - 1955, was part of the British Occupation Zone).

 

Steinhauer & Lück was founded in 1889. During the Third Reich Era, they made an array of awards and party badges.

Even after 1945, S&L kept producing Third Reich era awards for the collector market. The company retained their original molds and continued manufacturing these awards until the 1990s. This paragraph's source:

https://medalbook.herokuapp.com/makers/steinhauer--lück

 

 

Great info, thanks for sharing! 1957er medals become more and more collectible, at least over here.

Strange but true... 

 

1957 version badges were curosities, primarily to American and British servicemen in the 1970s and 1980s.  A few made their way across the Channel and the Atlantic.  Interest has heightened such that these badges are now being reproduced in quantity, and in some instances, being sold as genuine 1957 version badges.

Here is an example of the earlier S&L version of the 57er gold wound badge.  Notice that the hinge is a solid piece whereas the later versions have a hinge that is open in the center.

 

 

Just curious...  Is Steinhauer & Lück still in business?  Were there any other legitimate makers of the 1957 awards?

 

That is an absolutely stellar 1957 Gold Wound Badge.

Yes, they are still in business.