Do we think this is real? 358th FS Leather Patch...

[spencer.hoglund]

Its late notice but it caught my eye.

That said it looks too good, and we all know what they say...

Any opinions?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111600927421?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Without any research, right off the bat, I'd say a period piece for sure. Done with a metal die pressed into leather. It would be quite a lot of trouble to do this for to deceive or as a single piece. Possibly a reunion item, whatever it is, friggin cool. A similar method was used for the U.S. Navy Sundowners patch that I recently hammered out by hand with a texture tool and a mallet so i can say the method was used for official patches.

 

[spencer.hoglund]

Thank you Sean. Always appreciate your expertise.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

How big is it? I'd sure love to cast that thing to make a die and reproduce them.

 

[spencer.hoglund]

The seller says "Patch measures 4-3/8" across".

To me, that seems small for the vintage...

 

[a2jacketpatches]

I can't find another type anywhere so this is probably a reunion patch but i'll keep poking around. Antone else have some ideas? Interested in your assessment UG.

 

[unclegrumpy]

I can't find another type anywhere so this is probably a reunion patch but i'll keep poking around. Antone else have some ideas? Interested in your assessment UG.

Don't know on this one. It is not a version I have encountered before...maybe Jeff has seen one.

I have seen the Sundowners patch you mentioned though....

 

[TankBuster]

I can't find another type anywhere so this is probably a reunion patch but i'll keep poking around. Antone else have some ideas? Interested in your assessment UG.

Don't know on this one. It is not a version I have encountered before...maybe Jeff has seen one.

I have seen the Sundowners patch you mentioned though....

I agree. I'm not sure on this one either. Seems like more of a reunion/post war piece to me. These embossed/debossed patches did exist in WW2 however. I learned a long time ago to never say never. If you are asking for a opinion...if I saw this at a militaria show, I would pass it by.

 

[CBI]

post ww2

 

[Roughwear]

I had this one pressed last year.

 

[shedonwanna]

The leather looks dry and appears to have a legitimate age/patina. May have been a two piece embossing die and then some hand tooling/beveling for added details. This could be 50+ years old but I don't believe WWII. Wartime groups/squadrons didn't usually identify the units on the patch by number; usually a symbol or groups of stars etc.. to represent a number. Without photos or written documentation we may never know. If they were mass produced we should have seen more of them over the years. Don't think it is a recent knockoff but may have some collectible value to the right person.

 

[JDAM]

I had this one pressed last year.

Yeah, sounds about right. Of course it's post war.