Armory Range Badge- NY NG

[Red Devil]

Picked this one up recently. Armory Range badge to the New York National Guard. Looks to be WWI-era construction. My research hasn't turned up any real history or similar examples. Anyone seen one of these before?

[Red Devil]

Here is the reverse, with maker mark.

[BILL THE PATCH]

Very nice detail. Can't wait until someone ids it.

[mars&thunder]

The 65th was a Buffalo NYNG regiment. Armory marksmanship badges were awarded for indoor range shooting during inclement months of the drill year (the NYNG drill year ran from late September to April during this period). There are many different versions of these small badges (usually worn on the collar), and just about every unit had one (including independent separate infantry companies). Usually they were rectangular but there are other shapes (crosses, diamonds, etc). They first appeared in the 1880's and were still being awarded in the first decade of the 20th century. They often had a year of issue as part of the design but others kept a count of the years qualified (the 1 at the bottom of the badge reflects this - I have seen examples of this badge with numbers as high as 11 and I assume there are examples with higher numbers of qualifications). Sometimes the badges distinguished between a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert. I am not aware that the 65th did this, using instead a single badge for all classes (just an opinion based on years of observation). The 65th did not as a matter of practice issue lots of different medals/badges compared to units like the 7th NY which had a medal for every possible event/accomplishment; my limited exposure suggests that the 65th gave out the fewest different types of medals of any NYNG regiment during this period; the ones I have seen are not meant overwhelm the viewer by means of flashy design or valuable metallic content. That probably reflects a blue collar unit culture that looked down on units that made a big show out of their awards, particularly those out of NY City. You have a nice example of a type of award that is not much collected or documented (an opportunity for somebody out there?) and while not rare, not common either.

[Red Devil]

The 65th was a Buffalo NYNG regiment. Armory marksmanship badges were awarded for indoor range shooting during inclement months of the drill year (the NYNG drill year ran from late September to April during this period). There are many different versions of these small badges (usually worn on the collar), and just about every unit had one (including independent separate infantry companies). Usually they were rectangular but there are other shapes (crosses, diamonds, etc). They first appeared in the 1880's and were still being awarded in the first decade of the 20th century. They often had a year of issue as part of the design but others kept a count of the years qualified (the 1 at the bottom of the badge reflects this - I have seen examples of this badge with numbers as high as 11 and I assume there are examples with higher numbers of qualifications). Sometimes the badges distinguished between a rating of marksman, sharpshooter, or expert. I am not aware that the 65th did this, using instead a single badge for all classes (just an opinion based on years of observation). The 65th did not as a matter of practice issue lots of different medals/badges compared to units like the 7th NY which had a medal for every possible event/accomplishment; my limited exposure suggests that the 65th gave out the fewest different types of medals of any NYNG regiment during this period; the ones I have seen are not meant overwhelm the viewer by means of flashy design or valuable metallic content. That probably reflects a blue collar unit culture that looked down on units that made a big show out of their awards, particularly those out of NY City. You have a nice example of a type of award that is not much collected or documented (an opportunity for somebody out there?) and while not rare, not common either.

 

 

Amazing history, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Very interesting history of this badge and its genre.