185th Pursuit Squadron Patch

[trenchbuff]

I got this patch about 9 years ago from a diehard aviation collector who had two of them. One was on a uniform jacket and this one was in the pocket of the jacket. He would not part with the jacket, but agreed to sell me the lose one. What do you guys think? Should I continue to hound him for the uniform?

[Gary Cain]

Can you take some good photo's of the stitching? So far it looks too nice to be real but the truth of it will be in the construction methods.

Cheers
Gary

[Steven M]

Hi Mark,

That is INCREDIBLY symmetrical and precise for the era. Also, a bit unusual to have no cross arm on the "A". This one gives me a bit of concern on the points I noticed. Maybe someone with more experience than I will set me straight if my concerns are unfounded. Thanks for posting.

[Skyspy12thaero]

I would say that the cockade in the absence of the cross member of the A is not an issue. I think my end all be all would be a photo of it being worn in a squadron yard long or vintage photo. Also if this was manufactured with this amount of detail and quality there should be others floating around. Just my 2 cents for what its worth.. Paul

[trenchbuff]

These are all good points! Gary, what should I be looking for in the stitching? I'll get some additional close-ups posted tomorrow. I believe there may also be more to this group in addition to the uniform. A period photo would be nice, wouldn't it?

[CThomas]

Mark-

Welcome! I'm pleased to see you made it to the forum.

It's a very interesting patch that you posted. I haven't been so lucky in finding supporting evidence for you. Needless to say, I'll be very interested in the outcome of this thread.

Again, welcome!

-Chuck

PS I still like that "Hello" girl disc I picked up from you at the MN show a while back.

[John Cooper]

Mark - do you happen to have or can you obtain a photo of the patch on the jacket to compare to the one you have. Actually beter yet if you are still in contact some current photos of the patch and jacket along with the stitching.

Just my 2.5 cents worth (the .5 is for inflation
John

[Belleauwood]

Personally, I like it. .....My 3 cents worth. Not sure I've seen die cut repos before of this era. .... 3.5 cents for living in the "Liberal North East"

DJ

[trenchbuff]

For sure, this is one of those items that requires provenance or photo evidence to verify authenticity. Although you don't often see patches this perfect from WWI, and it naturally raises a large red flag, they certainly had the technology and craftmenship to produce them. Usually the fakes hit the show circuit and ebay like the flu. Doesn't seem to be the case here. Just a uniform in the collection or a trusted aviation collector and this second patch in the pocket. Since I never considered sellilng it, I've been a little lazy about putting together any available provenance on it. A foolish mistake in today's collecting environment. Now I see I need to get off my rear, check out the uniform, get some photos, etc., etc... I'll keep the forum posted and would appreciate any additional info from anyone should something pop up.

Kind regards,

Mark

[Gary Cain]

Hi Mark,

What you want to look for is the type of sewing machine used to put it together. Modern machines have a very characteristic way of stitching materials together.


Cheers
Gary