Basic Rifleman

That makes sense.....

Not sure why, but the wooden piece reminds me of an old military-issued boot brush...

I think the Brazilian patch shown above, and others I've found online from Brazil are by far the closest... I feel like we're getting warmer...

Hey thanks again, Vintage Productions! I'll check the FB page out. I also found a reference book titled "Parachute Badges and Insignia of the World" from 1979. I picked up a copy... For 20 bucks I'm sure I'll learn something...:)

It appears "S. Mars" has been authorized to produce military insignia since WWII. According to the Supplemental National Defense Appropriation Bill of 1944, they were on the register of companies approved for manufacturing insignia. It seems the bulk of their wares were made for the U.S. Navy/Coast Guard and, as you said, lasted at least to the 1960's. Cool find!

Thanks! It seems the consensus is European. I've been searching for hours based on the feedback received thus far, and have come up empty handed. Are there any known resources out there I could buy that may identify it? or maybe this deserves a post on the World Militaria Forum.

I was looking for you to further elaborate on calling this a reproduction "harbor net tender emb"

What a fantastic story. Copy or not, this is a really interesting bit of history on unauthorized badges and I am very grateful you were able to share your knowledge on the subject. Thank you so very much!

donaldnol - I don't really understand what you're saying here....

I picked this up recently and it looked kind of like an SAS patch, but I couldn't find another with the letter "A". The more I search the less sure I am about the SAS part too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I recently picked this up, and was intrigued because I couldn't find a match on Google. Any help would be most appreciated.

That's what threw me off too...

Any help here would be most appreciated. I've had this for many years now, and have no idea what it is, when it was made, and what it depicts. I believe it's made of Brass, and is cast. I would love to know what what era the scene depicts, and what this piece might have been used for. Perhaps just decorative? I don't see any signs on the reverse it was ever mounted. Thanks in Advance, Tom

I'm nearly 100% certain these are for "Marine Corps League" detachments. While stationed in New York, there was a large "Iwo Detachment" of the MCL on Long Island. I had the pleasure of speaking with many of them frequently. Great group of Marines....

Agreed USMarineCorps. The only problem is it appears the french medal was created much later than these rosettes were made. Thanks for the input JoeClown. I suppose either or both of those could be correct....