This collection of vintage U.S. military insignia is typical of the high quality items still available to militaria enthusiasts today. The sterling silver pilot’s wings are World War II vintage, while the 10 karat gold-filled Second Lieutenant officer’s bars are from the Vietnam era. Notice the pleasing, undisturbed patina on the pilot’s wings, which helps confirm that they are genuine vintage insignia and not modern reproductions.
Duty, honor, country. These are the three timeless words that began five star general Douglas MacArthur’s farewell speech to the graduating West Point class of 1962. But they are more than just words. They are core concepts that have governed the motivation and behavior of generations of U.S. fighting forces. These noble ideas are exquisitely encapsulated in vintage U.S. military insignia – personal items that are rich with both martial history and tradition.
Military insignia are cloth patches or metal pins used to denote rank, affiliation or technical qualification. They are distinct from medals, like the Purple Heart or Bronze Star, which are awarded based on merit. This article will exclusively discuss vintage U.S. military insignia that are made from metal, with the term vintage in this case referring to the 1970s or earlier. These highly desirable pieces of Americana have witnessed the most pivotal moments in 20th century military history, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the depths of the Cold War.
Vintage U.S. military insignia were generally worn on a soldier’s lapel, collar or hat and were an integral part of the military uniform. They were especially prominent on the dress uniform, where the rich warmth of gold and the subtle glint of silver endowed an immaculate, polished appearance. However these impeccable devices not only complemented a soldier’s image, but also helped instill a deep sense of esprit de corps and sacred obligation.
For most of its existence, the United States did not maintain a large standing army. Instead the country only fielded a small peacetime force that radically expanded during wartime. For instance, the U.S. Army was only 98,000 strong in 1914, but quickly ballooned to around 4,000,000 troops just a few years later due to World War I.
It was only during World War II that the U.S. Armed Forces became a permanently large standing force. This was driven initially by the exigent need to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. After World War II, the rise of communism forced the U.S. military to maintain its wartime footing in order to act as a global counterweight to aggressive Soviet expansion.
The United States Armed Forces has five branches – the Army, Air Force, Marine Corp, Navy and the often overlooked Coast Guard. The U.S. Air force is the newest of the armed services, having only come into being in 1947. Before this time, the Air Force did not officially exist. Instead, the responsibility for military aviation was divided among the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corp and Coast Guard. However, the United States Army Air Forces, or USAAF, was the most prominent of these pre-1947 air units.
Although they are rapidly becoming hot items in the militaria market, most vintage U.S. military insignia weren’t originally that rare. Millions of men and women served in the U.S. forces over the course of the 20th century and nearly all of them wore insignia of some description. However, the original ubiquity of vintage U.S. military insignia belies their true scarcity today.
It is estimated that only 558,000 of the 16.1 million Americans who served during World War II are still alive in 2017. As the veterans of this world-altering conflict have inevitably passed on, many of their military insignia have been accidentally lost or discarded. Sometimes the children or grandchildren of these veterans, not recognizing the historical value of these remarkable pins, simply threw them in the trash. And now that veterans from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts are also reaching advanced ages, vintage U.S. military insignia from the 1950s and 1960s are destined to soon become rarer as well.
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A wide range of materials have been used in vintage U.S. military insignia. The most common is probably brass or bronze that has been gilt or silver-plated, as appropriate. Brass has the advantage of being inexpensive and reasonably durable for field service. Less sturdy materials such as plastic or die cast zinc alloys have also occasionally been used during wartime when copper was in short supply.
Silver-filled and gold-filled metals are fairly common. Sterling silver was also readily employed, although its prevalence declined precipitously in the late 1960s due to the rising global price of silver. Very rarely, high-end pins were made from solid karat gold.
Perhaps the most commonly encountered vintage U.S. military insignia is the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, which was given to veterans who had been honorably discharged. It features a perched eagle within a ring about to take flight – usually rendered in gilt metal. This pin is colloquially known as the “Ruptured Duck”, ostensibly because the awkward eagle looks more like a misshapen duck than a majestic bird of prey.
The Honorable Service Lapel Pin’s original incarnation was in 1919 as a cloth patch. It allowed a veteran to continue wearing his military uniform after being discharged – something that was normally strictly forbidden by military regulations. This was particularly important in the immediate aftermath of World War II, when wartime shortages made civilian clothing difficult to procure. Most Honorable Service Lapel Pins were made from gilt brass, but plastic, die cast, sterling silver and karat gold examples all exist.
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One of the most highly coveted of all vintage U.S. military insignia is the U.S. Army parachutist’s badge, also commonly known as “jump wings”. This pin features a central parachute flanked by two feathered wings – all rendered in oxidized silver. The design was first created in 1941 as a way to recognize freshly trained U.S. Army paratroopers who had just qualified for this newly invented and highly demanding discipline.
The very first order of 350 jump wings was crafted by the Philadelphia luxury jeweler Bailey, Banks & Biddle. But over the years, many different private firms have manufactured these unique pins under official government contract. These pins are usually silver-filled or sterling silver.
There are several variations of the U.S. Army parachutist’s badge. In 1950, the Senior and Master parachutist’s insignia were authorized. Both of these pins are identical to the basic U.S. Army parachutist’s badge, except the former has a star on top of the central parachute and the latter has the same star within a wreath.
An unofficial modification that was frequently made to jump wings by many soldiers and vets was the addition of small bronze stars to represent the number of combat jumps conducted. The maximum number of these “combat jump stars” is always five. While not originally sanctioned by the U.S. military, this common practice was eventually made official in 1983. Vintage jump wings with bronze stars are highly desirable in the collecting community, so buyers should beware of fabricated examples.
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The U.S. Marine Corp’s Eagle, Globe and Anchor is also a ubiquitous symbol among vintage U.S. military insignia. While the eagle and fouled (tangled) anchor were used to represent the U.S. Marine Corp since the early 19th century, the current Eagle, Globe and Anchor design was only adopted in 1868. The Eagle, Globe and Anchor, also known among collectors and Marines as the EGA, consists of a globe showing the western hemisphere with a fouled anchor behind and an American bald eagle surmounting both.
While there was a lot of variation in EGAs through the late 1950s, by the early 1960s they had been standardized. Since that time, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor for enlisted men has been all gold in color while officers’ EGAs have been all silver except for the anchor and continents on the globe, which are gilt. Because the number of active Marine Corps members has always been small compared to the other U.S. Armed Forces, their pre-World War II insignia are relatively uncommon. A detailed, albeit dry, history of the Marine Corp EGA can be found here.
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Another attractive vintage U.S. military insignia that is quite popular with collectors and history buffs is the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Warfare pin. It shows a central, oncoming submarine flanked on either side by two sea monster-like dolphins. The Submarine Warfare insignia for officers are gilt while enlisted men’s pins are all silver in color. Because submarines are a relatively new technology, the U.S. Navy Submarine Warfare pin was only first designed and issued in 1924. Vintage examples of this desirable pin can be found in silver-plated (or gold-plated) bronze, silver-filled (or gold-filled) and sterling silver (or gold-filled over sterling silver).
It is also quite common to come across officer’s pins while searching for vintage U.S. military insignia. Although relatively simple in design, these important emblems of rank helped identify officers at a glance. Below is a list of military officer ranks and their associated insignia. I’ve included the equivalent U.S. Naval and Coast Guard ranks in parenthesis. All U.S. military branches – the Army, Air Force, Marine Corp, Navy and Coast Guard – share the same officer’s insignia:
- Second Lieutenant (Ensign) – One vertical gilt bar
- First Lieutenant (Lieutenant Junior Grade) – One vertical silver bar
- Captain (Lieutenant) – Two vertical silver bars
- Major (Lieutenant Commander) – A gilt leaf
- Lieutenant Colonel (Commander) – A silver leaf
- Colonel (Captain) – A silver eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch
- Brigadier General (Rear Admiral – lower half) – One silver star
- Major General (Rear Admiral – upper half) – Two silver stars
- Lieutenant General (Vice Admiral) – Three silver stars
- General (Admiral) – Four silver stars
- General of the Army (Fleet Admiral) – Five silver stars in a circle
It is important to note that the very highest rank of General of the Army or Fleet Admiral has not been conferred on any member of the U.S. Armed Forces since World War II. As you can imagine, general’s stars are rather rare and highly coveted in the collecting community. Fakes abound and great caution is urged when looking to purchase these items. The novice (and perhaps even intermediate-level) vintage U.S. military insignia aficionado would do well to stick to the rank of colonel or lower.
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A huge number of private companies have received official U.S. military contracts for pins over the decades. In addition, there have been a fair number of “unofficial” suppliers as well, especially for pre-World War II officer’s pins. As a result, it is not possible to list all of the different makers that one might encounter on vintage U.S. military insignia.
However, there are a handful of companies that manufactured a disproportionately large share of vintage pins. These include Balfour (often abbreviated LGB), Luxenberg, Amico (American Insignia Co.), Gemsco, H&H (Hilborn & Hamburg) and N.S. Meyer Inc. The aspiring vintage U.S. military insignia collector should take note that these makers are the most frequently faked too. I’ve found this militaria site to be a useful reference for legitimate hallmarks.
For the serious connoisseur, the ability to accurately date vintage U.S. military insignia is a requirement. One of the best ways to do this is via the attachment mechanism on the back of the pin. The two earliest types of fasteners are the screw back and the pin back. The screw back fastener employs a threaded post soldered onto the back of the pin which is secured via a (usually) brass retaining nut. This type of fastener first appeared in the 1890s and persisted until the World War II era. Likewise the pin back fastener, also known as the jeweler’s pin or safety pin fastener, was also used from the late 19th century straight through to World War II.
During the 1920s a new type of fastener, called the Phinney clutch (after its inventor), pull clutch, or piston clutch came into widespread use. This fastener used a small, smooth post secured by a mechanical brass clutch. The Phinney clutch was superior because its modestly-sized, smooth post did not make a large hole in uniforms, unlike the older screw back version. It was easier to use than the fussy pin back fastener as well.
However, in 1942 the B.A. Ballou Company of Rhode Island made a breakthrough in clutch technology. They developed the eponymous Ballou clutch, a fastener made entirely out of thin sheets of stamped brass. It was used on smooth posts, much like a Phinney clutch, except the user squeezed two tabs on either side of the clutch between his thumb and forefinger. The U.S. military loved the Ballou clutch because it was easy to use, cheap to manufacture and used very little brass during a period of intense wartime demand. The Ballou clutch rapidly displaced all other fastener types, which are only infrequently encountered after World War II. The patent on the Ballou clutch expired sometime during the 1950s or 1960s, allowing other firms to manufacture clones after that time.
It should be noted that the clutches of some vintage military insignia have, either accidentally or intentionally, been swapped out over time, making this a fallible dating method. However, screw back and pin back fasteners are very difficult to alter without leaving tell-tale evidence. Despite its drawbacks, the fastener type is still a key method for dating vintage U.S. military insignia.
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Another way to date more recent vintage U.S. military insignia is via date codes. These were alpha-numeric codes assigned to pin manufacturers that had received official military contracts. Sometime between 1953 and 1960, insignia contractors began using a code consisting of a single letter followed by a single number. For example, B-1 stood for Balfour. Around 1965, the code was changed to a single letter followed by double digits. For instance, M-22 represented N.S. Meyer. This code system is still in use today.
The U.S. Navy also adopted its own unique code system of a single letter, double digits and the letter “N”. The navy has used this code from 1974 until the present. It should be noted that these alpha-numeric codes only applied to official military suppliers; unofficial pin suppliers did not use them.
Quality counts when looking to invest in vintage U.S. military insignia. You want a damage-free pin with lots of crisp detail and little or no wear. Does the eagle on your World War II era Ruptured Duck pin look like he just lost a drunken bar fight? Then walk away and search for another, better example.
I personally believe that vintage U.S. military insignia made from precious metals are substantially more desirable than those that aren’t, all else being equal. However, most insignia collectors out there right now don’t agree with this assessment. They largely collect based on era, military branch or type. But I think that the use of precious metals grants an additional dimension of investability to vintage insignia that does not exist otherwise.
Therefore, I recommend buying solid sterling silver or (admittedly rare) karat gold examples. Prices for sterling silver vintage U.S. military insignia are hardly any higher right now than similar pieces in brass or silver-filled/gold-filled, but should have greater future return potential. While I don’t normally like gold-filled antiques or jewelry for investment purposes, I think that sterling silver vintage military pins with gold-filled trim are entirely acceptable.
In fact, a lot of vintage U.S. military insignia are gold filled over sterling silver, which is far superior to normal gold electroplating. This is sometimes abbreviated as GoS, or gold-on-silver. Keep in mind that you will have a very hard time finding affordable sterling silver or solid karat gold specimens from before World War II due to their rarity and desirability. For these earlier eras, any material is acceptable.
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It is vital to favor pins that have an even, undisturbed patina. This will help you avoid specimens that have been harshly cleaned as well as modern reproductions that are sometimes sold as vintage pieces. It also isn’t uncommon to find new-old-stock, or NOS, insignia from several decades ago in their original retail boxes. These will nearly always have some patina if they are truly as old as they claim.
Some collectors of vintage U.S. military insignia avoid NOS pins because they want items that were used in active service. I, however, am indifferent to this preference and believe the final choice is up to the individual collector.
The biggest challenge for the vintage U.S. military insignia aficionado is to avoid fakes, reproductions and fantasy pieces. This has become more of a problem over the past 10 to 15 years as the militaria collecting niche has absolutely exploded in popularity. This trend has been partly driven by the passing of the World War II generation and the melancholy realization that the remaining survivors will not be with us for much longer.
Unfortunately, persistently rising militaria prices have induced some unscrupulous profiteers to fabricate, modify or otherwise fake vintage insignia. Knowledge is the collector’s best defense against being defrauded. As already noted, don’t purchase a vintage pin that does not have a good, natural patina intact. Also, make sure that all parts of a pin are period appropriate, including the fastener. Familiarize yourself with the common manufacturers of the era you are interested in and their hallmarks. Lastly, buy only from reputable sources; this will help save you money and heartache in the long run.
Pricing for vintage U.S. military insignia can vary considerably depending on the pin’s age, condition, material and type. Higher-end materials, like sterling silver, command a surprisingly modest premium over more pedestrian metals like brass. Earlier military insignia, especially pieces from before World War II are especially desirable and expensive.
However, the collector’s market for these martial relics is still in its infancy, resulting in an inefficient market with wildly differing prices for similar pieces. Pricing can range from an unbelievably low $10 to $20 for a relatively common World War II era sterling silver Ruptured Duck pin to a few hundred for a desirable pair of early Army Air Corps wings. Only a few of the very rarest specimens exceed $500 in value, giving savvy collectors of modest means a unique opportunity to “buy the best of the best“.
It is shocking how undervalued high quality vintage U.S. military insignia are right now. This is one of those few categories of antiques where less than $100 is enough to start a meaningful collection. With a variety of attractive specimens available for around $50, duty, honor and country has never been a better investment.
Read more in-depth Antique Sage militaria investment guides here.
