Posted 9 years ago
SCPODan
(4 items)
I'm writing a book on the U.S. Navy's Use of Law Enforcement Style Badges.
The two badges pictured here, from my collection, appear to be jeweler or silversmith made. Very rare for military police badges. Not so rare for civilian law enforcement "presentation" badges.
They are from the 1937-42 time frame and the one with "Silver" and "Y.T.K." on the reverse might have been produced around Los Angeles, Calif., or Honolulu, HI. My own research has turned up two more silver pieces with Sterling, Y.T.K. on the reverse. One of the other pieces is also tied to the U.S. Navy, the USS Northampton, which was tied to Los Angeles and Honolulu in the late 1930s, early 1940s. Pre-Dec. 7, 1941.
The second stamp kinda' looks Asian, perhaps. Not sure, but was for the enlisted men's club on some U.S. Navy base, likely pre-1942. I know USN badges, can't find much help with jeweler's marks.
"Y.T.K." is not listed in my American Silver smith books by Kovel so it may not be an American made badge. The other is probably Japanese or may be Chinese. Both look to be private purchase badges. Neat badges, good luck.
Great badges-- I have no hallmark/ maker information. Good luck with the research and the book!
scott
Thanks, Militarist,
I also believe they are private purchase. If one of the two "Y.T.K." pieces I found in my research hadn't been a silver art deco vase I would have believed that piece was foreign made. The silver napkin ring and the silver female figure flower vase with Y.T.K. have me believing the Y.T.K. piece was West Coast or Honolulu, where the USS Northampton hit port in those days.
The pocket clip is consistent with the pocket clip usage on the oldest USN MAA badge I've found in my research. The USS Chaumont from the mid-1930s.
Most all other MAA and PPO badges from 1941 on used some variation of the Burgess clasp or the bent wire clasp.
Thanks for looking.
Thanks, Scott.
Book is almost complete.
Another possible search area is local jewelry manufacturers. Cities like San Francisco and Honolulu must have had some. In my collecting area many if not all the Milwaukee presentation badges are made by jewelry makers.
Thanks, looking at CA, West Coast and Honolulu.