Browse Items (284 total)

grace_line2-1.JPG
Ca. 1950s. This cap badge is of the woven type popular with managing operators after the close of the Second World War. For expediency's sake, steamship companies used stamped metal and enamel flags on their cap badges; post-war saw a resurgence in…

grace_line1-1.JPG
Ca. 1920s. This cap badge was worn by a Grace Line ship's officer. The low profile and construction of the badge is consistent with cap badges from the 1920s.

gulf_and_south_american-ss-1.JPG
Ca. post-1952/53. Flag which comprises of central element of a licensed officer's cap badge.Hallmarked Gemsco A.G.O G2; G2 is an Army Insitute of Heraldry (IOH) manufacturer hallmark - A.G.O. "Army General Order" was found on insignia items from the…

isthmianssco-1940s-1.JPG
Ca. early-1940s. Cap badge worn by an Isthmian Steamship Co, officer; badge is woven with embroidered details. Distributor tag is All-Bilt.

mm-luckenbach-01.JPG
Ca. early-1940s cap badge & post-1955 wool backing. Cap badge is early 1940s vintage as the materials and GEMSCO hallmark attest; the backing's keeper pins are positively dated to post 1955 per the configuration of the dimples (two pairs of two).

mm-luckenbach-01.JPG
Ca. 1930s. GEMSCO, Inc. cap flag is circa late 1930s; backing is of indeterminate age. Luckenback SS Co. was in operation from 1850 through 1974.

mainemma-1-1.JPG
Ca. unknown. Cap badge worn by a Maine Martime Academy Cadet. Device is without a hallmark. Cap band stitching suggests 1960s.

matson-woven-1.JPG
Ca. 1950s. After the Second World War, shipping companies reverted to using traditional embroidered cap badges in the place of stamped metal badges.

milwaukee_yc-1.JPG
Ca. 1930. Milwaukee Yacht Club Member. Enamel button on wool and bullion backing.

nommp-officer-1943-1.JPG
Ca. 1943-1944. The cap badge in context may be found here: http://ianewatts.org/nommp-not-ussb

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admiral_line-1.JPG
Ca. 1930s. Cap badge worn by a ship's surgeon aboard a Pacific Steamship Company, The Admiral Line ship. Although the badge is without a hallmark, the keeper screw "The Victory" was a common device from the mid-1930s.Pacific Steamship Company was a…

panamamailssco_ceng-1.JPG
Ca. 1930s. Panama Mail Steamship Company was a subsidiary company of Grace Line (W. R. Grace & Co.) and was in operation from 1923 through the 1940s - when its ships were requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration. This cap badge was struck…

panamarrssline1-1.JPG
Ca. mid-1940s. Cap badge found on caps of Panama Railroad Steamship Line crewmembers.

portugal-merchantnavy-officer.JPG

stanvac-1.JPG
Ca. late-1940s. Badge for a licensed officer serving aboard a STANVAC tanker.  Flag is unable to be removed for inspection, but appears to be of NS Meyer construction; the distributor tag if Appel of New York - with design from…

states_lines1-1.JPG
Ca. 1940s. This cap badge was worn by a ship's officer. It was acquired along with a USMS cap badge that dated from 1942-1945. I do not know which was worn first; although I suspect the States Line badge was first as officers, once they joined USMS,…

IMG_3822.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945

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IMG_3823.JPG
Ca, 1941-1945.

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uk-cunard-1.JPG
Ca. 1960s. Cap badge of the United Kingdom-flagged Cunard Line. The company is now a subsidiary of the ill-fated Carnival Cruise Line.

uk-gpo-cable-1.JPG
Ca. 1930s-1940s. Cap badge worn by an officer aboard a United Kingdom cable ship operated by the General Post Office.The badge is woven and embroidered with a central device depicting an hourglass in the hand of Old Father Time being shattered by an…

1940s-uk_merchantnavy-cpo2.JPG
Ca. 1940s.

1940s-uk_merchantnavy-officer1.JPG
Ca. 1940s.

uk-mersey-lockkeeper-1.JPG
Ca. 1940s. Cap badge worn by lock staff at Merseyside. These individuals were called "Marine Operators" or "Lock Keepers."  The cap badge is gilt-brass and is without hallmark.The design of the badge mirrors that of train and land transit…

trinityhouse_assistant-keeper.jpg

trinityhouse_principal_keeper.jpg

trinityhouse_pilot-1.jpg
ca. 1940s. Bullion wire on wool backing.

trinityhouse_pilot-2.jpg

usace-dredge1-1.JPG
Ca. 1960s.

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usace-dredge2-1.JPG
Ca. 1967-1970s. On Denmark's Military Equipment Corporation manufacturer/distributor card.

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geodeticsurvey-1940s-1.JPG
Ca. 1940s-1950s. Cap badge worn by United States Coast and Geodetic Survey commissioned officers; the Gemsco General Embroidery and Military Supply Company) tag and logo is consistent with late-1940s and 1950s manufacture. In terms of construction,…

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254_original.jpg
1923. In use between Spring and Summer 1923 on SS Leviathan.The backing is wool and eagle device is gold-plated copper or silver; stitched thread along the seam fluoresces under a black light indicating post-1950 repair. All other components of badge…

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1929-usl-officer1-1.JPG
Ca. 1931.

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1929-usl-officer1-1.jpg
Ca. 1929-1931.

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1932-usl-officer1-1.JPG
Ca. 1932-1938. Potential Able Seaman cap badge.

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1927-usl-officer1-2.jpg
Ca. 1927-1929. Badge does not glow; thus is period. Wire is non-magnetic and not tarnished, thus may be aluminum and not silver with a copper core.

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1943-usl-officer1-1.JPG
Ca. 1943.

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1943-usl-officer2-1.jpg
Ca. 1943-1945

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1931-usl-officer2-1.jpg
Ca. 1931

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1951-usl-officer1-1.JPG
Ca. 1951

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1951-usl-officer2-1.jpg
Ca. 1951

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1929-usl-steward1-1.JPG
Ca. 1931.

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1951-usl-steward1-1.JPG
Ca. 1951

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1941-usl-steward-uss_westpoint.JPG
Ca. 1941-1945

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1920-usmailssco-1.jpg
Ca. 1920s. Also knows as U.S. Mail Line.

1920-usmailssco-1.jpg
Ca. 1920. Manu. S. Appel & Co., New York.

IMG_0002.JPG
ca. 1939-1941.

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1938-usms-officerinductee-1.jpg
Ca. 1938-1939 (1940-1942?). Cap badge issued to "officer enrollees"; the earliest image of cap badge is from Hoffman Island in 1939.

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usms-1938_42-officer.jpg
Ca. 1938-1939 (1940-1942?).Manufacturer: N.S. Meyer. Cap badge worn by officer trainees of the U.S. Maritime Service at East coast training stations. Record includes collar dogs of the same.https://ianewatts.org/usms-cap-badges/

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IMG_4084.JPG
Ca, 1939-1942

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IMG_0003.JPG
ca. 1939-1942.

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usms-1938_42-cpo_standard_type1-brass.JPG
Ca. 1938-1942.

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usms-1938_42-cpo_standard-type1-nickel.JPG
Ca. 1938-1942. Manu.: American Emblem Co. Associated collar dog matches that of the USMS officer trainee from 1938-1939; there is no associated nickel collar dog.

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usms-1939_41-cpo_garrison-aeco-type1-nickel-obv.JPG
Ca. 1938-1942. Manu.: American Emblem Co. Kepper post sawed off and replaced with straight pin.

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usms-alcoa-1.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. No hallmark, but similar to Hillborn-Hamburger; the reverse of the eagle-shield device has "wavey channels."

This variation of the cap badge follows the woven badge…

usms-apl-1.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmarked Hillborn-Hamburger; the reverse of the eagle-shield device has "wavey channels" albeit they are in low relief.

This variation of the cap badge follows the…

usms-ah-1.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmarked H-H (Hillborn-Hamburger).

This variation of the cap badge follows the woven badge carefully - it employes cables to secure the laurels.

The house flag is…

1942-usms-off.jpg
Ca. 1938-1942

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1940s-usms-officer-capbadge-vanguard-1.JPG
Ca. 1942. Manu. Vanguard, New York.

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IMG_4556.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. No hallmark; however quite similar to Hillborn-Hamburger and is possibly an N.S. Meyer product.

This variation of the cap badge follows the woven badge carefully - it…

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usms-1942-45-officer_standard-vanguard-type1-obv.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmarked Vanguard, New York.

This variation of the Vanguard cap badge follows the woven badge carefully - it employs a smooth grommet with beaded borders (recalling…

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usms-officer-vanguard2-1.jpg
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmarked Vanguard, New York.

This variation of the Vanguard cap badge follows the woven badge carefully - it employes cables to secure the laurels.

Note:…

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usms-1942-45-officer_standard-vanguard-type2-obv.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmarked Vanguard, New York.

This variation of the Vanguard cap badge follows the woven badge carefully - it employes cables to secure the laurels.

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usms-robin-1.JPG
Ca. 1942-1945. Three-piece construction, full-size for wear on combination cap. Hallmzrk unknown as device keeper corroded firmed to screw shank. The eagle-shield device is of Hillborn-Hamburger type.

This variation of the cap badge follows the…

237_original.jpg
Ca. 1943. Clutch fastener positively dates insignia to 1943.

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1940s-usn-officer-capbadge-gemsco-1.JPG
Ca. 1940s. Manufacturer: Gemsco, New York.

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msts-rev2.JPG
Ca. 1960s. Three-piece construction. No hallmark.

This is the second design of the cap badge; the globe element harkens to the reach of the service.

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msc-rev2-1.JPG
Ca. 1980s-2000s. Three-piece construction. No hallmark. It was distributed by Vanguard Industries and has the same design as the old Hillborn-Hamburger badge.

This is the second design of the cap badge; the cap badge was redesigned to emphasize…

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usn-waves1-1.jpg
Ca. 1945. A metal pin-on device worn on Enlisted WAVES garrison hat; no hallmark, only "Sterling."

At the outset of the WAVES program, in 1942 WAVES only wore a service cap with a cap band with the motto "U.S. Navy." This device was authorized in…

powersquadron-squadron_cmdr-1.JPG
ca. 1940s. Cap badge worn by a Squadron Commander within the civilian organization, United States Power Squadrons (USPS). The central device does not have a hallmark.From present regulations (2020): "Cap device. The insigne worn on the uniform cap…

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usphs-nurse-copy1-1.jpg
This is a cast copy of a Blackintron cap badge of the 1943-pattern of the USPHS Nurse cap badge.

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IMG_2712.JPG
Ca. 1943-1945. The hat badge belonged to an employee of the WSA that worked aboard a WSA-owned and operated vessel as a ship pilot.An analysis is here: http://ianewatts.org/war-shipping-administration

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usms-1942_45-cpo_standard-type2-variant1.JPG
Ca. 1942-1045. Manu. Coro.

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usms-1942_45-cpo_standard-type2-variant1-toned.JPG
Ca. 1942-1947. Manu.: Coro.

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usms-1942_45-cpo_standard-type2-variant2-toned.JPG
Ca. 1942-1947. Manu.: Coro.

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usms-1942_47_cpo-standard-type2-variant2.JPG
Ca. 1942-1947. Manu.: Coro.

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