BUYING TIPS
SOME TIPS TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF INSIGNIA AND THE LIKE
Examples
of non-metallic insignia dating from prior to the late 1960s or early
1970s were made from natural materials & fibers, usually cotton
twill, cotton thread or wool felt.
These materials usually feel rather soft to the touch & have
a matte finish.
On the other hand, man-made materials & thread tend to have a
harsher feel & a more “shiny” appearance.
Insignia made of cotton tend to become rather limp with
successive launderings, but those made of man-made fibers retain
a certain amount of rigidity.
Another factor in this regard is the percentage of embroidery in
the insignia - the more embroidery, the rigidity the insignia will
retain with the passage of time.If
you suspect a cloth insignia claimed to be an original is, in fact, a
reproduction, check the back to see if there are any loose threads in
the embroidery - usually the case on all embroidered designs.
If they are present, carefully remove a loose thread or two &
hold them near a heat source such as a match.
Natural fibers will burn evenly, leaving an ash.
On the other hand, man-made fibers are usually petroleum
derivatives & will tend to “flare” & melt.
This is a useful ploy to use at a show or exhibition.
Should the dealer refuse to allow you to conduct this little
test, beware of the claims of originality if the insignia is purported
to date from prior to 1965 or so. It
is also a good rule to establish an ongoing purchasing pattern with a
dealer or dealers with you have done business in the past & can
trust.If
you plan to purchase items through a show or an exhibition, check with
the organization holding the show.
If the show’s promoters are reputable, they will bar dealers
known to have been caught misrepresenting their wares from the show.Regarding
metallic insignia, particularly those with any precious metals content,
these items are usually hallmarked by their manufacturer.
There are references in print that identify these hallmarks.Embroidered
insignia made within the last several years often have a stitch around
the outer edge like that use to finish a button hole, & there is
often a “pigtail” of the stitch which beyond the actual insignia
& is attached to the back with an adhesive of some sort.
An edge such as this is referred to as “merrowed.”
Regardless of the materials used in the insignia, this is a sure
indicator of a fairly new item because embroidery machines capable of
producing this merrowed edge came into use in the late 1960s.Most
machine-made Army, AAF & Marine unit insignia made from the 1940s
through the mid-1950s were embroidered on an olive drab or khaki cotton
twill material & the individual insignia were then cut from the bolt
of twill. On these insignia
a hairline width of the OD/khaki backing should be visible around the
outer edge of the insignia. Unless
the background color of the insignia was olive drab or khaki, it was
completely embroidered. An
exception to this that one encounters frequently are those embroidered
on wool felt backgrounds.With
regard to Marine divisional & corps-level, their wear was prohibited
in late 1947. To be
genuine, examples of these items must have been manufactured prior to
that date. Certainly,
examples of them existed
within the Navy supply system for many years after that.
These designs are still in use & are often applied to
everything assigned to the division except the uniforms of those
assigned to it. Due to
their manufacture prior to the end of 1947, they are genuine examples of
these insignia, but one will frequently encounter reproductions of them
for sale.In
1957, the Army changed their uniform color from olive drab to “Army
green.” As a result,
embroidered insignia made between 1957 & 1968, when the merrowed
edge came into widespread use, should have a thin outline of Army green
backing visible around its outer edge.Navy
rating badges have had the same general appearance since 1885, when the
navy’s rating structure was codified & rating badge designs became
official. However, there
are some tips that will them to be dated with some degree of accuracy.
Ratings have come into being & later abolished from time to
time. To use the rating
badge of a first class petty officers blue uniform for the purposes of
illustration, these consist of an
embroidered white eagle & rating device & three red chevrons.
Until the period immediately following the end of
World War II, the chevrons were appliqués - they were cut from
red wool felt & stitched on the rating badge.
From about 1948, they were embroidered on the badge.
The “issue” blue uniform is of Navy blue melton wool, &
the background of the rating badge was of
the same material. Private
purchase “blue” uniforms were frequently of black wool gabardine,
& rating badges were produced on the same background material. Although since 1948, all navy rating badges are worn on the
left arm, from time to time some ratings have been authorized to be worn
on the right arm. These
were general among what were considered to part of a ship’s ordnance
or deck departments, Boatswain’s Mates, Quartermasters, Gunner’s
Mates, Fire Controlmen & the like.
But like all regulations, there are exceptions.
For example, Pharmacist’s Mates wore right arm rates in the
early 1900s, & from the time of this rate’s establishment in 1898
until 1948, its rating device was a red cross.
After that date, the rating device was changed to a Cadesus.
Also, during World War II, several makers of rating badges
hand-stitched the year of manufacture on the back in the area of one of
the chevrons. Sometimes the
maker was also identified, such as NYEC, denoting the New York Emblem
Company. I have generally encountered fewer examples of fakes or
misrepresentations among navy rating badges than other forms of
American insignia, but they do exist as these items have become
more highly collectable. The worst example I have encountered was at a recent show at
which a dealer had several Naval Aviation Pilot (enlisted aviator)
rating badges for sale. Due
to their age (pre-1949) & as with all things concerned with
aviation, these are prized by collectors.
This dealer had several examples that were complete with 1943 or
1944 dates on the backs, but they were outright fakes.
The original rating device had been removed & the aviator
wings added in place of the original.
The giveaway was that the new embroidery was sealed with
something resembling epoxy! Again,
the best advice is to examine each item carefully & to try to do
business with reputable dealers.Frequently
in the case of the insignia
of numerically smaller
units, such as an aviation squadron for example, these were often made
by hand. Even on a
machine-made example, often only the actual emblem is embroidered.
leaving the background visible providing it is in the appropriate color.
Some examples from World War II & before were hand painted on
leather or were made by cutting out pieces in the appropriate color
& hand stitching them on to the background.
Again, unfortunately it is rather easy to produce a quite
authentic appearing fake of these leather items.On
old original examples of cloth insignia that were not fully embroidered,
a cotton gauze or cheese cloth backing was applied to protect the
stitching. This is most
often present on examples done on felt, but it is also present on cotton
examples.
Hopefully
these items will prove helpful to you.
If anyone has any additional tips to pass along, let us know,
& we will include them in later editions of our catalogs.
Perhaps the best advice is to do business with those who
guarantee their merchandise. Remember,
it is your money, so spend it wisely.Click on the pictures or the links below to find out how you can own a piece of history
