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Navy SEALS Party Patch Variations


RANDALL 1953
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RANDALL 1953

Got this one a while ago (Mine does not have the Eagle/Trident) Spike has one thats identical to mine. We did not know anything about them and would guess they were party or novelty patches. Happened to see an example that has the Eagle/Trident under the cloaked Seal. I am guessing that mine is a Japanese made example just by going on construction and the one with the Eagle/Trident is a Vietnamese made type. Beautiful patch, if anyone has any more info on these feel free to chime in.post-2427-1300501684.jpgpost-2427-1300502032.jpg

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When these patches started showing up in the 80s-90s, no information could be found on them. The now long gone "COMBAT SWIMMER INSIGNIA COLLECTOR NEWSLETER" Did an article on these patches and No Current or former Team memebers (Both East and West Coast) had ever seen this patch before they started showning up at shows at that time, and almost all just laughed at it, ( back then the Teams were very particular about their insignia). Not only did the Team guys not recall it, but No member of the Newsleter had seen it ( Clem Kelly,Mike Whitley, Harry Pugh ect..) With that said the only Thing I can say for sure is that I have been offered this patch a number of times ( almost unheard of for original incounty/intheater made novelty UDT SEAL patches) from dealers and have passed on every one.

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vintageproductions

In the late 80's, the style on the left was available in the tailor shop in Olagapao that catered to the SEALS. I can't remember the name of the shop but as you came down off the mountain, on the road, it was the first shop you came to, and it was a half embroidery shop, half barbers. Across the street was the entrance to the SERE school.

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  • 5 years later...
USMarineCorps

When these patches started showing up in the 80s-90s, no information could be found on them. The now long gone "COMBAT SWIMMER INSIGNIA COLLECTOR NEWSLETER" Did an article on these patches and No Current or former Team memebers (Both East and West Coast) had ever seen this patch before they started showning up at shows at that time, and almost all just laughed at it, ( back then the Teams were very particular about their insignia). Not only did the Team guys not recall it, but No member of the Newsleter had seen it ( Clem Kelly,Mike Whitley, Harry Pugh ect..) With that said the only Thing I can say for sure is that I have been offered this patch a number of times ( almost unheard of for original incounty/intheater made novelty UDT SEAL patches) from dealers and have passed on every one.

 

That is interesting. Why would there be a SVN example of it though? Did it start off as a fantasy patch and did it get copied by the Japanese and the Filipinos down the road?

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Patchcollector

In my experience Novelty type pieces like the ones depicted in this thread are much harder to get a history for and point of origin than the "official" patches that the units had made for themselves.

 

My guess is that,like many of the Novelty types, at some point someone had one(or more) made for themselves as a souvenir,and then the shop put one up for display and others bought them,with the patch design eventually circulating(probably by Troops moving about within Theatre) and being reproduced by other shops as well.

 

I've had one of these in my collection for awhile now,IIRC I paid around 35 bucks for it.They pop up every now and then,and I don't consider them "rare".I always have admired the eye catching design and patriotic verbiage,and suspect that others who saw it also liked it and picked one up,hence the relative "abundance" of these.

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The machine made one is the one you usually see for sale.I have never seen a handmade one before.I thought I heard before that the ones with purple are post-Vietnam.I wonder if the UDT-SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce would have any information on the patch?

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Maybe those that have the expertise to determine where and when a particular patch was manufactured by the type of material utilized, embroidery style, etc., can help determine if any of these patches were made during or after the S. Vietnam War. I was wondering if any forum member can answer the questions put forth by USMarineCorps by the way these patches are made? Here is what looks like a SVN made version of this patch and my question to those that can determine post war copy from original is if this looks like a patch made during the SVN war?

 

 

post-1389-0-67478000-1473346688.jpg

post-1389-0-97611600-1473346728.jpg

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Here is the patch that Forum Moderator Bob Chatt remember seeing in one of the Philippine insignia shops during the 1980s so it is obviously of Philippine manufacture but could it also have been embroidered during the SVN war or after and copied from the one in Post 8 .

 

 

post-1389-0-85240100-1473347458.jpg

post-1389-0-99705800-1473347501.jpg

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Here is another current copy of this patch that is being sold on eBay. So the question is was this a copy of a copy? Was this someone's fantasy made up patch to make money off of us collectors or did some UDT or Seal Team member during the SVN war come up with this design and had it manufactured in SVN during the war which was then copied in places like the Philippines?

post-1389-0-95715300-1473348090.jpg

post-1389-0-72408900-1473348110.jpg

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USMarineCorps

Here is another patch that are in collections and was thought to have been an original variant.

 

Very useful pictures! thanks! I that paper on the back of this one?

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Very useful pictures! thanks! I that paper on the back of this one?

No paper but a tight cheese cloth weave backing material.

post-1389-0-54555000-1473355412.jpg

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