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Mission to Iran Bullion


Bearmon
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I have noticed a few different styles of these minor differences in the embroidery really. Mostly these sell for around 50 - 80 dollars, Rare Patchman sold one recently for 238 and a some change. The major difference I noticed on his was a silver blade on the sword the lion is holding. Pictured are two of mine side by side one with the Silver sword blade and the other with the all gold sword blade RPM's is the single

my question is does the sword blade being silver make the price difference or it having the stars align for RPM's auction? (besides his reputation being worth a few bucks too )

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The round ones usually go for the bigger bucks. The oval types (as you have pictured) are much lower in price, being that they're not that difficult to find. Was the $238 patch a round one?

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the patch on the right as you are looking at them is the patch that sold for 238 dollars, the smaller picture, also the single reverse picture is the same patch...

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I wouldn't call any of these "current", but most are more than likely post WWII. We had advisors in Iran for several decades. As for Scotty's auction, that's just kinda how it goes with his stuff. I pays to have a solid gold reputation.

 

Here is another variation. The center design is stamped brass that has been sewn onto the patch.

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This patch design was worn into the 1970's. (at least the yellow thread on felt version was, not sure about the bullion).

The World War II version was a totally different design in the shape of a triangle.

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Is there any sort of evidence that the triangle is actually the "WWII"/wartime design?

 

 

Yes. Check out the book on Norman Schwarzkopf. His father was stationed in Iran in the immediate postwar period. There is a photo of the father in the book clearly showing him wearing the triangle version Iran patch. In the attached link, you can see part of the patch in a photo of his father. Based on patches I have obtained directly from vets, I would say the round version was worn somewhere between the late 40's and early 50's. (Based on the photo of Schwartzkopf's father wearing the triangle version in 1946 and some standard design bullions I obtained from a retired colonel who was stationed there in the mid 1950's.) It could be that the round version is just a less frequently encountered version that was worn at the same time as the more common shield type. If some dated period photos of the round version being worn could be located, that would go a long way in nailing this down.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Schwarzkopf,_Jr.

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Garth Thompson

Just to add here is a picture of the first version for reference. I never have been able to positively ID the other one.

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Thanks for the explanation and reference. I agree with your assessment, just hadn't seen anything to take it past "conjecture" before.

 

The example I posted was found with mostly 1950s era patches and I have always figured that's the period it was from. I also have one of the triangle ones, but oddly it's 1950s Japanese made bullion and it came in a small collection of Korean war era theater made patches.

 

-Vance

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Garth, your Yugoslavia patch looks like OMG as opposed to a MAAG unit - but the date seems to rule that out.

 

V, here's one like yours, but with the crown. Both the crown and lion are very heavy little pieces of metal.

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  • 2 weeks later...

post-565-0-70804700-1394573547.jpegI waited to see if anyone had a round version to post and since no one has I will post the two that I have. In my earlier post I said "current" when referring to the oval type when I should have used another term for 70's.

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  • 2 years later...

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