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Misc UDT/SEAL insignia.


Spike
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Bearmon, thanks for checking! Did you check his full name...? Robert Louis MILLER? I'm still researching him but haven't had much success yet.

 

Kadet, thanks for the info... I was aware of the Lakehurst, NJ location... I believe the East Coast Navy Parachuting Team (aka Chuting Stars) trained there and also

Pensacola, Fl.

I checked his full name out, my mistake in the post above.

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might as well add my UDT insignia several team 11's all a little different from each other

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another Team 11

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Team 12

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Team 13 subdued

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Finally a Team 21 with rocker I also have the letter from Team 21 which accompanied this patch dated 1972.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here are a couple of UDU patches... Underwater Demolition Unit Two.

 

I posted the top two quite a while ago in another thread. They came from a Korean War UDT veteran. They might be "reunion" patches (?)

 

Not long ago, I picked up another one... almost identical to the top two. You can see a slight variation in the design.

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  • 8 months later...

Curious what the thoughts are about this? I picked it up in a small group that included an original Vanguard mini silver version. Real, fake or older re strike? I tend to think the latter, but want to confirm before it goes in the junk box. I paid next to nothing for the group, and was happy to get the silver version so it won't hurt my feelings if this one is a clunker!

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I don't have a definitive answer for you but an observation and opinion on these unmarked UDT badges. As you know there were only three insignia companies (Antaya, NS Meyer & Vanguard) that produced the original batch of gold/silver Tridents and gold/silver UDT badges both in full size and miniature before within a little over years time all of the UDT badges became obsolete as well as the silver Trident. I started collecting them in the early 80s and they were hard to come by then. I have been collecting them ever since and I can't remember exactly when I started to see your piece popping up on the collectors market with the wrong what looks like painted on dull gold finish. I considered them copies and I believe I started to see them in the late 80s or early 90s. Sometime afterwards (years) you started to see the ones like the one at the top of the lower right hand photograph in Post 81 by Digi-Shots. Again I can't remember exactly when they started to show up on the collectors market but they looked good as if they came from the same dies with the correct finish. You saw them in full size and miniature (see photo) as well as in the correct silver finish (see photo). I have also seen a boxed full size unmarked gold UDT badge for sale but don't know if someone simply put one in a H&H box or if it originally came in the box. If it originally came in the box then it most certain is a copy as Hillborn & Hamburger was not one of the original manufactures of these badges. Due to the fact that these popped up on the collectors market many years after the original batches were produced I have always felt they were restrikes/copies but I don't know this for a certainty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks, we are thinking the same thing. The gold one I posted has the look of a knockoff made for the surplus store market. Exactly when is anyone's guess. This is the silver mini UDT by Vanguard that is an original IMO.

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Cadet, that's the first "frosted" looking gold UDT badge that I've seen. I've seen some in silver, but not gold.

 

Your silver mini is a nice one! Especially with the Vanguard V-21 hallmark.

 

(my mini frosted UDT is also hallmarked " Vanguard V-21, 1/20 silver filled" and is on the blue w/white border card).

 

.........

 

Tonomachi.. the H&H boxed UDT is pretty cool. I've also heard there were only 3 makers, but I have a large gold SEAL trident with the H&H eagle hallmark stamped on the back.

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Here are a couple of badges that I recently got from a former team member. He was UDT (mid 1960's to 1970), until he went with SEAL team in late 1970.

 

I thanked him, and after he left, I took the clutches off the back to see what if any hallmarks were on them. I was hoping the large silver SEAL trident was going to be an older manufacturer, but I guess it's not (?) D-22 is Denmark Insignia. I don't recall them being among the SEAL trident manufacturers.

 

Here's what's on the backs of the insignias:

 

#1, Large frosted silver UDT, no marks

 

#2, Small gold UDT, no marks, but one of the clutch pins is on the grip of the pistol and not the end of the trident spear

 

#3, Mini frosted silver, "Vanguard V-21 1/20 silverfilled"

 

#4, D-22

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Here are a couple of badges that I recently got from a former team member. He was UDT (mid 1960's to 1970), until he went with SEAL team in late 1970.

 

I thanked him, and after he left, I took the clutches off the back to see what if any hallmarks were on them. I was hoping the large silver SEAL trident was going to be an older manufacturer, but I guess it's not (?) D-22 is Denmark Insignia. I don't recall them being among the SEAL trident manufacturers.

 

Here's what's on the backs of the insignias:

 

#1, Large frosted silver UDT, no marks

 

#2, Small gold UDT, no marks, but one of the clutch pins is on the grip of the pistol and not the end of the trident spear

 

#3, Mini frosted silver, "Vanguard V-21 1/20 silverfilled"

 

#4, D-22

You see the D-22 hallmarked Tridents both in gold and sliver but I always considered the silver D-22 Tridents as copies as they appeared way after the original silver Tridents were done away with. It almost looks like someone tried to subdue this silver Trident and the black paint wore off. I always considered your first two UDT badges as restrikes as they are not hallmarked. However since they came from a UDT veteran maybe they are authentic.

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Tonomachi

 

The large D22 badge is highly reflective and is picking up something in its reflection... it’s as smooth as glass, Let me try another photo of it. It looks brand new, maybe a reunion piece..

 

The second insignia, small gold udt shows much use on three back pins. My guess is that it si a good one, even though there is no hallmark.

 

Pics to follow

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The large silver one has a mirror finish... it could be one he picked up at a reunion?? I'll keep it with the grouping, but also make note it could be after market production.

 

The pic of the small gold UDT is not very clear, but you can see heavy tarnish around one of the pins, and the pin is bent. It's definitely been used.

 

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Thanks, I believe that is identical to mine only silver. Note the circular hole used for the cutout on the anchor fluke. I think there is more to these insignia that just the three commonly accepted private makers.

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Kadet, I also noted the "circular hole" cut... very noticeable from the back. I think you might be right as to "other" makers of these insignia. I guess until more surface, we may not know the whole picture.

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Concerning the circular shaped hole cutout on the anchor fluke there is a Trident that I believe was made in the Philippines with a similar circular cutout on the anchor fluke. Kadet posted a photograph of a gold version of this Trident issued to him in 1990 while serving with Seal Team 4.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/265530-seal-trident/?hl=trident

 

Here is a photograph of the polished silver version of what looks like the same Trident with light blue translucent plastic clutches that I have identified in my reference as being Philippine made. I always considered the gold version of this Trident a copy until Kadet posted his as having been issued to him by the Navy.

 

 

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Here are isolated photographs of what looks like the same Trident in gold that was issue to Kadet and both have that circular looking cutout on the anchor fluke. So it looks like the US Navy was issuing theater made Tridents.

 

 

 

 

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You are correct. I realized after posting that the badges with circular holes posted in this thread were quite similar to my own. As you state, the trident in the link was awarded to me in 1990 at ST4. As I remember, the badge was pinned to a white card and inside plastic. This was back when full sized medals could only be given by a command. Navy commands also provided Navy issued rank insignia and other devices for promotion and award ceremonies. At the time, I felt this was the Navy issue version of the trident. I thought it looked cheap and bought a Vanguard version at the Little Creek exchange. ST4 used to be UDT 21, so it is likely that some of the insignia held by the command was much older than the 80s. So I think it possible that the round holed unmarked UDT badges were the Navy issued versions and now think they are probably genuine. It is also possible that ST4 was using an old stock of UDT 21 theater made badges.

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Another distant memory about mine. I think it also had those plastic clutches on it, which is one of the reasons I didn't like it. It has metal ones now. Not sure what happened to the originals

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I just went and flipped over all my badges.... the only one that has the “circular hole” is the full size silver UDT badge. It came from a former UDT22 member (east coast). He went with ST1 (west coast) in 1970.

 

These badges are confusing enough... I just hope folks don’t start drilling holes in their badges!!

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