Collecting Military Insignia: Collectorspeak for the Beginner

As with any hobby, Military insignia collecting has a language all its own, a language you must master before you can talk to fellow collectors as a peer. Fortunately most of the terms used are quite literal, and once the term is matched up with some sort of visual aid, it makes perfect sense. While each subset of the insignia collecting hobby has its own terms it uses almost exclusively, the hobby as a whole shares a basic vocabulary. While not an all encompassing dictionary, the following basic definitions will get you started speaking the language, and at least sounding like a collector.

Original, Reproduction, Fake

Original is as straightforward as it gets. It's simply the real deal, manufactured during the correct time period with the right materials. This is what the collector strives to add to his collection. Reproduction and Fake are a bit harder to define. The best all around definitions I have heard go like this:

A reproduction is manufactured specifically as a stand in for insignia that is either too rare or expensive for the average collector. Reproduction insignia are also used as movie props, and on occasion are manufactured for various Veterans groups for reunions and whatnot. A Fake is manufactured specifically to defraud the collector. Reproduction and Fake are terms often used unchangeably due to the sad fact that many reproduction insignia get pawned off as original to the unwary collector.

Variation

Simply put, a Variation is a difference between one example of a specific insignia and another of the same insignia. Variations occur due to changes in Government Specifications, more than one vendor manufacturing the insignia, a manufacturer's change in machinery, or any of a dozen other reasons. Some collectors specialize in this area. They collect, catalog, and research every variation of a single unit's insignia, and can spend the rest of their lives doing it.

One of the more popular area's of this sort is the "Theater Made" insignia. This is insignia made for our troops overseas by local manufactures. While this is a popular area of collecting, with much on the market at any given time, I would advise the beginner to stay away. Some types of insignia are heavily faked, and new collector and his money will be parted quite quickly with nothing more than junk to show for it.

Cut Edge, Merrowed

Cut Edge, sometimes referred to as Flat Edge, and Merrowing are methods of how a US Military cloth insignia is "finished" by a manufacturer. A Cut Edge patch is one that has been cut from the parent piece of cloth on which it was embroidered and called good. A Merrowed insignia has been taken one more step and has had a border that wraps around the perimeter edge added. A usual feature of a Merrowed insignia is a small "tail" that is a result of the process. This tail is often taped or glued to the back of the insignia.

It is generally accepted by most US Military Insignia collectors that Merrowed edge patches made their appearance in 1968, give or take a few years. While there are many exceptions to this rule, such as Air Force Squadron Patches, the type of finished used will give a clue as to an era in which the insignia was manufactured.

White Back, Green Back, Cheese Cloth

These terms refer to what you see when looking at the back of an Embroidered US Military Shoulder Insignia, and they are quite literal. All are a result of the embroidery machine technology, and materials used around the time of WW2, thus are another clue when dating an insignia.

If you were to look at the back of almost any US Military shoulder patch produced from, roughly the late 50's on, you would see a mirror image of the front with an occasional odd colored thread. WW2 era insignia, and those produced for roughly the next ten years, would have a large amount of either white or green thread obscuring the design. I have heard the phrase "looks like a snowstorm" when referring to a White Back.

Before WW2, and into its early stages, many US Military shoulder insignia were not fully embroidered (entire surface including background), rather they had the basic design embroidered on felt of the proper color. This process involved placing a "backer", usually a cheesecloth type material, behind the felt to give some reinforcement. After the embroidery was completed, usually this backer was left in place. Due to the poor wear qualities of felt, mint examples of these insignia are relatively rare and highly sought after.

Multi-piece

This is another literal term. During WW1 most cloth insignia consisted of pieces of felt and or wool cloth pieced together to make the desired insignia. While this process ceased for most cloth insignia by the 1930's, it did continue to be used to produce some items, such as chevrons, into the first stages of WW2.

Bullion

Bullion insignia are produced using a metallic thread, or wire. This insignia is usually reserved for very formal wear such as "mess dress", or for ceremonial occasions. The exception to this rule has been the individual serviceman who obtains bullion insignia from a local source to wear with his best uniform so he looks "extra sharp" when out on the town in a foreign land, or going home. This type of insignia falls under the "Theater Made" variety, and caution should be exercised if you plan on collecting these. Bullion insignia is very popular with foreign militaries for several types of insignia such as beret badges, and jump wings.

Padded

A Padded Insignia is a cloth insignia that has had padding inserted between the insignia itself, and a backing cloth. This insignia "pops out" from the uniform and is believed to be visually appealing. This type of insignia is most commonly found within the British Empire, both current and former, and tends to be confined to specialty insignia such as pilot and jump wings. Padding is often used with Bullion insignia.

Full Color, Subdued

During the Vietnam War, it dawned on the US Military that a soldier wearing a red, white, and blue shoulder patch, a gold and black US Army tape, and a white name tape was hard to conceal in the jungle. So in the late 1960's subdued insignia made its appearance. Initially this insignia featured the insignia design rendered in black thread embroidered on olive drab twill cloth. Within a short time, fully embroidered, merrowed edge, subdued insignia became the norm.

Clutch, Screw, Pin, Lug

These all refer to the basic methods of attaching a metal insignia to a uniform. Lugs are circular posts mounted on the back of an insignia that require a hole in the uniform to pass through and are secured with something along the lines of a cotter pin. A Screw Back is just that, and also requires a hole to pass through and is secured with a nut. A Pin Back features two posts and a pin. The pin is attached to one post, slides into then back up through the uniform and is secured by some form of "catch". A Clutch Back features a simple sharp post that pokes through the uniform, and is secured by a "clutch".

DI, DUI

Both of these refer to Distinctive Unit Insignia, and are interchangeable. A DUI is a small metal badge that shows the soldiers parent unit. Currently these are mostly seen worn on a soldier's beret and are often referred to as a "crest".

Flash

In the US Army a flash is the patch worn behind the DUI on a soldier's beret. In the case of Special Forces, Airborne, and Ranger units, the flash also denotes which unit within the parent organization the soldier belongs to.

A Final Word

I have been fairly generic in my definitions here, which is sure to rattle some cages among the purists within the hobby, but that is the nature of things. It is for the sake of brevity, and the wish not to induce "information overload" to a new collector that I have written in some fairly broad terms.

So, to the new collector I say: Go forth with a little bit more information than you had 15 minutes ago and pursue your passion. Just remember that to almost any rule, there is an exception. The trick is to know if the exception is real or not.