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Best Book on U.S. Military Metal Insignia?


MPoorthuis
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Hi everyone,

 

What is the best reference guide on U.S. military metal insignia like rank insignia, Distinguished Unit Insiginia, branch insignia, etc.?

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There are several for each of the categories you are requesting.

 

For unit insignia or DUI's (Distinctive Unit Insignia) aka unit crests, I would recommend Barry Jason Steins book: US Army Heraldic Crests, A Complete Illustrated History of Authorized Distinctive Unit Insignia. This book is currently available at Barnes and Noble online and at amazon.com These are getting expensive so the one I saw at B&N was reasonable at $60.00. This book only covers authorized unit crests but there are several thousand in color plates in this book. I would also strongly recommend a membership with ASMIC (American Society of Military Insignia Collectors) You can check out their website www.asmic.org.

 

For Branch insignia such as collar brass there are 4 books that I would suggest.

 

There is a series of 3 books by author Leon Laframboise who was a very good friend of mine. He wrote 3 books on collar brass and insignia in the 70's and 80's and they were considered and still are considered some of the best reference material for the subject.

 

"History of the Artillery, Cavalry and Infantry Branch of Service Insignia" 1976

"History of the Combat Support Branches: Branch of Service Insignia" 1977

"History of the Administrative and Technical Services: Branch of Service Insignia" 1986

 

These 3 books are long out of print but there are copies available from some of the book places such as amazon. You may also be lucky and find them on Ebay but they are not cheap.

 

Another book dedicated to Collar Brass insignia is "The Collar Disc Story 1907-1999" by L. Albert Scipio. This book is also out of print and expensive on some book sites, but recently I saw a copy on a website for $65.00.

 

There is another book that is all encompassing and has a little information about many topics and this is the book by William K. Emerson, "Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms". This is a good reference book which is still available for around $40.00.

 

William K. Emerson also put out another book called "Chevrons; Illustrated History and Catalog of U.S. Army Insignia." This book was printed in the 80's, is out of print now and is rather expensive if you can find a copy of this book.

 

I have always said that investing money in a good reference library early into collecting will save you a lot of money in the long run when it comes to reproductions, restrikes, etc.

 

Don't get discouraged when you see some of the prices of the books, think of it as an investment, the books will go up in value and you will have valuable reference books for the area of interest in your collecting.

 

I am always picking up reference books on uniforms, medals, insignia, even if they are not areas of particular interest to me. I like to be informed about different areas and when I can like to assist other members in research when I can.

 

If you have any questions I am more than happy to assist you as will other members of this wonderful forum.

 

Leigh

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vintageproductions

Like Leigh said, Emerson's Encyclopedia of US Army Insignia is my go to reference for any metal insignia.

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I also agree with Leigh. There are several good reference books out there and you can never have too many of them.

Emerson revised his older work on army chevrons and the new book was expanded quite a bit. It is available and is titles "U.S. Army Soldiers and their Chevrons". I would highly recommend it.

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Thank you all for your suggestions! Emerson's book is available in the Netherlands for around 90 euros. I will put it on my wish list next to "G.I. Collector's Guide by Henri-Paul Enjames.

 

Thanks again!

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Thank you all for your suggestions! Emerson's book is available in the Netherlands for around 90 euros. I will put it on my wish list next to "G.I. Collector's Guide by Henri-Paul Enjames.

 

Thanks again!

 

The 2 volume series by Henri-Paul Enjames are good color reference books. Some of the same items are repeated in volume 2 that were in volume 1 but they give good photographs of actual items. These 2 books are worth investing in.

 

I would also recommend "Doughboy to GI, US Army Clothing and Equipment 1900-1945" by one of our forum members here.. Kenneth Lewis. This is a wonderful reference book about uniforms and equipment for the US Solider in WW2 Europe. It has been out of print for a long time but a copy is available on amazon right now for about $70.00 which is a decent price..

 

90 Euros for Emerson's book is a decent price to pay.

 

Leigh

 

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As Leigh mentioned, If you're not a member of ASMIC, American Society of Military Insignia Collectors, I recommend joining.There are nice quarterly magazines which covers all types of insignia, patches, etc.. Well worth the membership.

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Hi all, thank you again for your help! I joined ASMIC a few months ago, because my main interest is 1st ID patches.

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