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What are the top 3 most desirable EGAs?


cutiger83
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I searched the forum and don’t see this topic so forgive me if it has been mentioned before. I know this question is probably too ambiguous but I was thinking about this while rearranging my very small EGA collection.

 

What would be considered the most desirable EGA? I have seen MANY beautiful EGAs in all different price ranges but which ones are the overall collector’s “holy grail”. Are there certain manufacturers that are rarer than others? I know the older EGAs are more expensive but are they really more desirable to collectors? It probably boils down to personal choice but I wondered if there was a consensus on the top 3 most desirable EGAs.

 

I think the Fire Bronze EGAs are the most beautiful but that is just my personal opinion. I have seen EGAs called “the beast” that seem to be desirable. I cannot WAIT for the new book about EGAs to be published! :)

 

Anyway, what are your top 3 most desirable EGAs?

 

…Kat

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This is a great topic as I am trying to learn about this area too. I've seen some forum members list some custom EGAs made by jewlers that are out of this world. So very much like patches, you have the standard made ones, and then the theatre and/or stateside specialty ones that deserve their own category.

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Probably any of the Officers Jeweler made emblems from the inter war or Pre WWI era would be at the top of Most peoples lists.

 

The focus of My Collecting has become Marine Helicopters, but I still enjoy getting ANY EGA that I didn't previously have. For some reason I am particularly fond of the 1937 Pattern Emblems. This is probably because they are fairly inexpensive, accessible and there are so many variations / manufactures out there.

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We have a thread that shows how small the Marine Corps has been over the years and EGA's from certain eras would be extremely rare, especially for officers EGA's: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9349-usmc-force-sizes-how-rare-are-egas/

 

As noted in that link, "In the 1890's (actually up to 1903) the authorized force size was 278 officers and from 1800 to 1900 a TOTAL of 738 men served as Marine Corps officers!"

 

So imagine how many (or really how few) of these circa 1890 officers EGA's survived? Like all officer's EGA's from then, these would have been custom made by a jeweler.

 

ega1900.jpg

 

ega1900back.jpg

 

Value on something like that? Seven years ago it was $3,000!

 

One of our members with a large EGA collection has estimated, if I recall correctly, that he has seen something like 600 variations of EGA's and when you consider that EGA's became standardized 50-some years ago, that is a lot of variation in a fairly short time.

 

With that much variation there is still a lot of room to create a diverse collection without having to spend thousands on single pair.

 

One thing to watch out for is the "modern" EGA's. You can easily tell those by the "dot" on the upper anchor fluke:

 

anchordot.jpg

 

The modern style began in 1955 for enlisted and 1962 for officers and about the only modern style worth anything is the officers EGA's made in sterling and gold plating. Even among the modern style, the ones from the 60's and 70's look a lot better than what's being produced now, but don't spend more than a few dollars for one of the modern pieces that isnt' sterling.

 

If you're starting a collection, I'd say first go for my favorite, the droop wing gooonie birds: to me this style says "Old Corps." Notice the variations among this one style:

 

goonie1.jpg

 

goonie2.jpg

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It appears that the consensus on the top EGA is the Officer Jewelers made emblem.

 

What would be the number 2 and 3 most desirable EGA? There have been a couple of suggestions. Anyone else want to chime in with their choice? :)

 

...Kat

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...

Thanks Bob! I wanted to get into collecting EGAs on the side a little, even though I mostly collect army DUIs, but had no idea where to start. That part about the dot in the upper anchor is especially helpful!

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I would say the droop wing enlisted barracks cover ega would be high on a serious collectors list for a strong #2. And not ruling out modern EGAs, I would say the Brown M62 officer Barracks emblem would be high on a list for a completionist.

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And not ruling out modern EGAs, I would say the Brown M62 officer Barracks emblem would be high on a list for a completionist.

 

Very interesting. I am not sure that I have ever seen this one. Is this the one you are talking about?

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9789-current-issue-ega-for-barracks-cover/

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Droop wing covers are sought after due to scarcity, as are fire bronze. Also, the spiked helmet emblems are coveted, as the vast majority out there are fake. Fire Bronze is a very popular emblem in any pattern. French and Australian made collar emblems are highly sought, as are collar disks. Hard to narrow it down to just 3 specific emblems

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Probably any of the Officers Jeweler made emblems from the inter war or Pre WWI era would be at the top of Most peoples lists.

 

The focus of My Collecting has become Marine Helicopters, but I still enjoy getting ANY EGA that I didn't previously have. For some reason I am particularly fond of the 1937 Pattern Emblems. This is probably because they are fairly inexpensive, accessible and there are so many variations / manufactures out there.

 

And under appreciated. I believe I have around 40 enlisted M37 cover variations currently, and a few dozen pairs of collars!

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unfortunately, this is the only one I have ever seen, in person or online. Not to hijack the thread, but if anyone has pics of another, Id love to see them

 

They've shown up on the forum once in a while over the last eight years. The brown EGA's date from the period when the Marines green service uniform had brown buttons.

 

This brown EGA is made by the English company GAUNT. This is a very uncommon one:

 

post-376-1189345653.jpg

 

And there's no mistaking the brown on this pair:

 

post-31-1224447697.jpg

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teufelhunde.ret

I've thought about this question for days now, it's simply impossible for me to ID the 3 most desirable... They all are, all those mentioned here and more. That said, having just come out of 2.5 year EGA book project as the editor, I would suggest anyone contemplating EGA purchase for their USMC memorabilia collection (or investment) to consider first these emblem in no particular order. 1) ANY "Red" Fire Bronze for the Barracks - Campaign Cover. 2) ANY gooney emblem for Barracks - Campaign Cover. 3) ANY pre 1890 emblem for the Barracks - Campaign Cover. You will note, I am partial to the Cover emblem and I am not partial to Officer or Enlisted emblems, as these three can, do fall into the category of the "Holy Grail" for EGA collectors.

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teufelhunde.ret

They've shown up on the forum once in a while over the last eight years. The brown EGA's date from the period when the Marines green service uniform had brown buttons.

 

This brown EGA is made by the English company GAUNT. This is a very uncommon one:

 

post-376-1189345653.jpg

]

Thx for posting my emblem, it will be seen again in the forthcoming EGA book.

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Thx for posting my emblem, it will be seen again in the forthcoming EGA book.

 

For anyone interested, the full discussion of that piece is at http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/9789-current-issue-ega-for-barracks-cover/

 

And to tantalize with some of the many other EGA styles discussed throughout the forum, check out this photo. This really illustrates the artistic freedom enjoyed by EGA makers for decades.

 

post-1315-0-89545700-1396724387.jpg

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EGA's are in high demand, but from my experience, a large amount of the demand is for uniform restoration. Focused EGA collecting seems to be more of a niche...variant collecting by hallmark even more so...with a large amount of those who do tending to focus in the more common WWII era, and/or specifically enlisted. The rarer ones bring big bucks and the competition is often from the same pool of dedicated EGA collectors. I think some of the reason it's got a smaller following (I refer to serious EGA specific collectors) is that you're essentially getting something very small for very big bucks...and it could take you years to fill a large riker case with emblems

 

I just recently organized my cover emblems into a display... over 120 cover variants in a decade, and it's still really the tip of the iceberg

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normaninvasion

I agree with all the above. The only thing I can add is different: hallmarks found on earlier officer EGAs, seems to be endless! Also trio sets, that stayed together. These seem to be real tough to find.

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Thanks everyone for your input. I figured it would be hard to narrow down to the top 3 but I thought it would be interesting to hear from everyone.

 

...Kat

 

PS. I can't wait for the EGA book!

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EGA's are in high demand, but from my experience, a large amount of the demand is for uniform restoration.

 

That's ironic because there are a lot of EGA collectors out there stripping uniforms and disposing of them!

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