Campaign Memorabilia
Civic Groups
Fraternal Groups
Politicians
Subjects
Other Political Collectibles
AD
X
Vintage and Antique Police Collectibles
We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
Pop culture is crawling with cops, from the bumbling Keystone crew and hapless Inspector Clouseau to the grim-faced detectives who populated “Hill Street Blues” and “The Wire.” In a few cases, the fictional artifacts of police work are also...
Pop culture is crawling with cops, from the bumbling Keystone crew and hapless Inspector Clouseau to the grim-faced detectives who populated “Hill Street Blues” and “The Wire.” In a few cases, the fictional artifacts of police work are also famous, as in the TARDIS time machine from the “Dr. Who” television series, which hides in plain sight by disguising itself as a U.K. police box. Of course, most former police officers, their families, and advocates of law enforcement don’t collect police boxes to show their support for the men and women in blue, but they have been known to accumulate actual examples of policing such as vintage handcuffs, batons, and badges.
Handcuffs have been around since at least the ancient Greeks, who forged shackles of iron to bind the hands of prisoners and slaves. By the 19th century, hinged handcuffs were common in England, but the arms of the cuffs required a screw key to be locked, which was next to impossible when a prisoner was struggling to get free. That’s why the ratcheted handcuff designed by W. V. Adams in 1862 was such a breakthrough—it allowed a culprit to be cuffed securely without having to fumble with a key. This basic design was subsequently tweaked by manufacturers such as Bean, Peerless, Smith & Wesson, and Tower, whose cuffs were used by U.S. police forces until the middle of the 20th century.
Batons, billy clubs, truncheons, nightsticks, and espantoons (as they are uniquely called in Baltimore) have also been essential tools of the law-and-order trade. While many of these wooden sticks were used to subdue suspects during apprehension, batons that find themselves in police-memorabilia collections are often those that were made as presentation or parade items. Some of these ceremonial nightsticks are engraved with an officer’s name and rank, others are decorated with carved finials and dangling tassels. But whether they were used on the beat or for show, batons all share the characteristic of having one blunt end and another that serves as a handle, with lathed ring or "fingerlock" grips.
Shiny police badges are also popular with collectors, although in the mid-19th century, they were crude creations, usually cut from tin into the shapes of stars by their wearers. Eventually, local blacksmiths were hired to make five- or six-pointed stars for the local constabulary, until they were put out of business but badge manufacturers, whose offerings included stars, circles, and the now-familiar shields.
Police patches were similarly shaped, although embroidered patches can take the shapes of everything from states to arrowheads. Unlike badges, which are relatively more expensive to produce, patches are cheap, which means they can identify a wearer’s particular area of expertise, be it defusing a bomb or riding a horse.
Police whistles, particularly those manufactured by a Victorian Era Englishman named Joseph Hudson, are also fun to collect. Hudson’s Acme Whistles is still in business today, but collectors look for the firm’s vintage, cylindrical Metropolitan police whistles, whose pair of air ducts makes sure they can be heard blocks away.
Continue readingPop culture is crawling with cops, from the bumbling Keystone crew and hapless Inspector Clouseau to the grim-faced detectives who populated “Hill Street Blues” and “The Wire.” In a few cases, the fictional artifacts of police work are also famous, as in the TARDIS time machine from the “Dr. Who” television series, which hides in plain sight by disguising itself as a U.K. police box. Of course, most former police officers, their families, and advocates of law enforcement don’t collect police boxes to show their support for the men and women in blue, but they have been known to accumulate actual examples of policing such as vintage handcuffs, batons, and badges.
Handcuffs have been around since at least the ancient Greeks, who forged shackles of iron to bind the hands of prisoners and slaves. By the 19th century, hinged handcuffs were common in England, but the arms of the cuffs required a screw key to be locked, which was next to impossible when a prisoner was struggling to get free. That’s why the ratcheted handcuff designed by W. V. Adams in 1862 was such a breakthrough—it allowed a culprit to be cuffed securely without having to fumble with a key. This basic design was subsequently tweaked by manufacturers such as Bean, Peerless, Smith & Wesson, and Tower, whose cuffs were used by U.S. police forces until the middle of the 20th century.
Batons, billy clubs, truncheons, nightsticks, and espantoons (as they are uniquely called in Baltimore) have also been essential tools of the law-and-order trade. While many of these wooden sticks were used to subdue suspects during apprehension, batons that find themselves in police-memorabilia collections are often those that were made as presentation or parade items. Some of these ceremonial nightsticks are engraved with an officer’s name and rank, others are decorated with carved finials and dangling tassels. But whether they were used on the beat or for show, batons all share the characteristic of having one blunt...
Pop culture is crawling with cops, from the bumbling Keystone crew and hapless Inspector Clouseau to the grim-faced detectives who populated “Hill Street Blues” and “The Wire.” In a few cases, the fictional artifacts of police work are also famous, as in the TARDIS time machine from the “Dr. Who” television series, which hides in plain sight by disguising itself as a U.K. police box. Of course, most former police officers, their families, and advocates of law enforcement don’t collect police boxes to show their support for the men and women in blue, but they have been known to accumulate actual examples of policing such as vintage handcuffs, batons, and badges.
Handcuffs have been around since at least the ancient Greeks, who forged shackles of iron to bind the hands of prisoners and slaves. By the 19th century, hinged handcuffs were common in England, but the arms of the cuffs required a screw key to be locked, which was next to impossible when a prisoner was struggling to get free. That’s why the ratcheted handcuff designed by W. V. Adams in 1862 was such a breakthrough—it allowed a culprit to be cuffed securely without having to fumble with a key. This basic design was subsequently tweaked by manufacturers such as Bean, Peerless, Smith & Wesson, and Tower, whose cuffs were used by U.S. police forces until the middle of the 20th century.
Batons, billy clubs, truncheons, nightsticks, and espantoons (as they are uniquely called in Baltimore) have also been essential tools of the law-and-order trade. While many of these wooden sticks were used to subdue suspects during apprehension, batons that find themselves in police-memorabilia collections are often those that were made as presentation or parade items. Some of these ceremonial nightsticks are engraved with an officer’s name and rank, others are decorated with carved finials and dangling tassels. But whether they were used on the beat or for show, batons all share the characteristic of having one blunt end and another that serves as a handle, with lathed ring or "fingerlock" grips.
Shiny police badges are also popular with collectors, although in the mid-19th century, they were crude creations, usually cut from tin into the shapes of stars by their wearers. Eventually, local blacksmiths were hired to make five- or six-pointed stars for the local constabulary, until they were put out of business but badge manufacturers, whose offerings included stars, circles, and the now-familiar shields.
Police patches were similarly shaped, although embroidered patches can take the shapes of everything from states to arrowheads. Unlike badges, which are relatively more expensive to produce, patches are cheap, which means they can identify a wearer’s particular area of expertise, be it defusing a bomb or riding a horse.
Police whistles, particularly those manufactured by a Victorian Era Englishman named Joseph Hudson, are also fun to collect. Hudson’s Acme Whistles is still in business today, but collectors look for the firm’s vintage, cylindrical Metropolitan police whistles, whose pair of air ducts makes sure they can be heard blocks away.
Continue readingMost Watched
ADX
ADX
AD
X