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So I was wondering specifically about BA but about marines and legions in general,

did pre codex astartes marines still have colour coded helmets? I know lots of the modern codex chapters do but 2 of the founding legions who resisted codex astartes the strongest were the space wolves and the salamanders and afaik they dont have different colour designations (I know the SW are a different kettle of fish entirely)

also what kind of insignia and honours dd the legios have? I know the crux terminatus didnt exist but what about some of the other symbols like the laurel, iron halo (i know these probably existed but was there an honour attached as their is now) etc

It really depends upon the Legion in question.

Since this is Pre-Codex, many did whatever they felt like doing, in terms of decoration, organization, combat doctrines, etc.

The old "Index Astartes" articles help flesh out some of the pre and post Heresy distinctions - well worth reading if you can find them.

Seeing as the legions had up to 100s of companies, the colour marking sceme doesn't really work. Most art shows pre-heresy marines as not having coloured helms.

The color coding is from codex astartes. So Legions did whatever their Primarch deemed useful in organization and markings.
Only the Legion badge ( and the later chapter badge ) are common since space marines left terra to reunite with their Primarchs.

Some symbols were introduced in the heresy to differ friend and foe.
I'd guess old markings like laurels were always used , numbers should be there from start too.

well some legions were split into groups that had companies in them. lorgar for example had chaprters in his legion, notabbly the serrated sun which had three battle companies in it

The Horus Heresy art books are an obvious source for this kind of info, and to my knowledge the marine's shown (of all the chapters) just wear the standard chapter colours, no additional colours to represent companies, can't recall seing numbers either. You could of course difrenciate one company from another with honour markings or the like, but it seems that at least in the case of the art books that pretty much every marine just wore chapter colours (sept for say the Sons of Horus' Black Legion, least in the beginning). Paint them how you like, individual companies could be quite independant from their parent legions etc.