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Spectacular Bullion Navy Rates


dpcsdan
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great stuff guys,here is my only one,this one is special to me because it was my grandfathers, he served in the Navy from 1935-65,im not sure what time frame this is from,my family has 3 footlockers full of stuff from his navy years insignia, photos, documents,Japanese stuff he brought back from PTO etc.
Yancy, That is a post 1948 Chief Quartermaster Crow for the service dress Khaki. From previous posts, it appears that your Grandfather started out as a Signalman, and then either converted or was converted in 1948 when the Signalman rating was folded into the Quartermaster rate. Wonderful crow.

 

Steve Hesson

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I don't know if you guys think this is spectacular but its my only bullion Navy rate and senior chief. I know my rates pretty well but I don't know what this one is, anyone know? Thanks

Joe

post-5137-1254605745.jpg

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I don't know if you guys think this is spectacular but its my only bullion Navy rate and senior chief. I know my rates pretty well but I don't know what this one is, anyone know? Thanks

Joe

 

Your rate is a Construction Mechanic , it's a nice one too :thumbsup:

 

Jason

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Your rate is a Construction Mechanic , it's a nice one too :thumbsup:

 

Jason

 

Construction Mechanic has a wrench superimposed on a hex nut. I've seen this one before but just can't remember what it is. (I'm at work & not near my references. Someone chech John Stacey's book onm rating badges.)

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Construction Mechanic has a wrench superimposed on a hex nut. I've seen this one before but just can't remember what it is. (I'm at work & not near my references. Someone chech John Stacey's book onm rating badges.)

 

Yes,

I gave the wrong name for this rating and realize it when I posted it. I did reply with the correct name, which is construction electrician.

 

 

Jason

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  • 5 months later...

post-2104-1269623473.jpg

 

This is an original USN Petty Officers badge from the American Civil War. It was made with silver bullion thread with the details picked out in black silk. At tht time, all insignia was hand made. When I first saw this, I thought it was a machine made repro. However, the backing fabric has worn through and you can clearly see the hand work. This is not in my collection, but an aquaintences. He was given this crow about 50 years ago. He was helping a neighbor clean out a shed in Washington State. They were dumping "old rotted clothes". This was in the pile, and the neighbor said he could have it as it was not Army.

 

This particular crow was commercially produced for sale by a Naval sutler. It is on fine blue wool and is fine extreamly fine craftsmanship. This badge would have been worn on a Sailors best set of liberty blues.

 

Steve Hesson

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post-2501-1270263494.jpg

 

Pre ww2 Electrician's mate CPO

 

 

post-2501-1270263484.jpg

 

WW2 Specialist M (Mailman)

This one was listed as British made, but I'm not sure

 

 

 

Jason

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WW2 Specialist M (Mailman)

This one was listed as British made, but I'm not sure

Jason

It certainly looks foreign made.

Very nice!

-dan

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  • 1 month later...
post-2501-1270263494.jpg

 

Pre ww2 Electrician's mate CPO

post-2501-1270263484.jpg

 

WW2 Specialist M (Mailman)

This one was listed as British made, but I'm not sure

Jason

 

I just took notice that this one looks similar in construction

 

post-2501-1273425152.jpg

 

Jason

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  • 1 month later...

post-2104-1276795334.jpg

 

Nothing special, '70s era on double knit.

 

post-2104-1276795487.jpg

 

Got this in the late '80 from a guy who became Command Master Chief and switched rates.

 

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From a buddy of mine when he made AVCM. He eventually became CMC of a ship I was on.

 

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Again, picked these up in the late '80s from guys I was stationed with

 

post-2104-1276796855.jpg

 

These are, of course my favorites. The gold crows were mine, notice the change in eagle? I didn't until I saw it mentioned on this forum. The red one I got a few years ago out of a box of miscilanious patches. It is for the left sleeve, and has applied chevrons. So, it is at least post 1958 as the SM rating was abolished in 1948 and revived in '58 and then moved to the left sleeve. Real bullion, not the phoney stuff of mine.

 

post-2104-1276797233.jpg

These are some of my SM1 crows, I wore them all, the gold one is my favorite, It was made in a shop in Sasebo Japan in '84 along with a set of matching hashmarks.

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That's an angry eagle/crow...

 

-dan

I was really pleased with it when I picked it up. I haden't expected it to look so ...mean. I put it on my inspection blues, and couldn't wait for an inspection. I think I was some what disapointed when I got back to the states and saw the wimpy crows that were being sold in the exchange. By the time I made another cruise it was off the East Coast, and I just never found any shops there.

 

Steve

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I was really pleased with it when I picked it up. I haden't expected it to look so ...mean. I put it on my inspection blues, and couldn't wait for an inspection. I think I was some what disapointed when I got back to the states and saw the wimpy crows that were being sold in the exchange. By the time I made another cruise it was off the East Coast, and I just never found any shops there.

 

Steve

I'm very disappointed in the current (post-1985) eagle/crow "parrot" design on USN rating badges. As Steve mentions, they are really wimpy looking.

 

Some of the current Vanguard and other high-end bullion versions look better than the non-bullion versions.

 

-dan

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I'm very disappointed in the current (post-1985) eagle/crow "parrot" design on USN rating badges. As Steve mentions, they are really wimpy looking.

 

Some of the current Vanguard and other high-end bullion versions look better than the non-bullion versions.

 

-dan

We were at Corey Station in Pensacola a few months ago, and all the crows in the uniform shop were Vanguard, individually packaged and they had the wimpy crow. Both my sister (SCPO) and my son (SA) say that the aNavy is cracking down on that sort of individuality. I asked them both about jacket patches. They are both on Shore duty at this time and say they havent seen any and don't think they are available any more. I do not recal seeing any for sale in the exchange. Since working jackets are gone and replaced with that cammie goretex parka, I am thinking that they are now just gone. They both say that the only thing allowed any more are the personalized belt buckles and my sister thinks they will be gone soon enough too since the buckle is covered by the cammie top and wearing a fancy buckle on a dress uniform is frowned on where she is. So, what ever you have, doesn't look like there are going to be any more put out except for aviation squadron stuff.

 

As far as crows, my sister had to special order her crow for her blues (SCPO with red chevrons, less that twelve years in the Navy), and she got a wimp crow from vanguard. Would love to find her a real female CTCS with gold chevrons for when she goes gold, but haven't had much luck.

Steve

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We were at Corey Station in Pensacola a few months ago, and all the crows in the uniform shop were Vanguard, individually packaged and they had the wimpy crow. Both my sister (SCPO) and my son (SA) say that the aNavy is cracking down on that sort of individuality. I asked them both about jacket patches. They are both on Shore duty at this time and say they havent seen any and don't think they are available any more. I do not recal seeing any for sale in the exchange. Since working jackets are gone and replaced with that cammie goretex parka, I am thinking that they are now just gone. They both say that the only thing allowed any more are the personalized belt buckles and my sister thinks they will be gone soon enough too since the buckle is covered by the cammie top and wearing a fancy buckle on a dress uniform is frowned on where she is. So, what ever you have, doesn't look like there are going to be any more put out except for aviation squadron stuff.

 

As far as crows, my sister had to special order her crow for her blues (SCPO with red chevrons, less that twelve years in the Navy), and she got a wimp crow from vanguard. Would love to find her a real female CTCS with gold chevrons for when she goes gold, but haven't had much luck.

Steve

Steve,

I'll be on the lookout for your sister's gold CTCS. Finding a nice CTCS gold/bullion is tough, finding a female version is twice as tough.

 

Glad I was still active when there was a little wiggle room for individualism (of sorts) in the enlisted uniforms.

 

Recent MCPON's hew to the official line that all the uniform changes are for the better, but I have trouble buying into that thought. If the Uniform Board could blow it as they did in 1973-1980, they can blow it again. (My thoughts, only, folks.)

 

-dan

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We were at Corey Station in Pensacola a few months ago, and all the crows in the uniform shop were Vanguard, individually packaged and they had the wimpy crow.

 

Steve

Steve,

I agree, even the current high-end rating badges utilize the "wimpy" looking eagle design. See row 3 right hand side for two versions of current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) rating badges in khaki and aviation green bullion. http://navydp.com/NavyCollector/NavyCollectorGallery.htm

 

-dan

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post-2104-1276796855.jpg

 

These are, of course my favorites. The gold crows were mine, notice the change in eagle? I didn't until I saw it mentioned on this forum. The red one I got a few years ago out of a box of miscilanious patches. It is for the left sleeve, and has applied chevrons. So, it is at least post 1958 as the SM rating was abolished in 1948 and revived in '58 and then moved to the left sleeve. Real bullion, not the phoney stuff of mine.

 

Steve Hesson

In sitting here looking at these I just noticed that the post '84 whimp crow is squashed down a bit compared to the other two. I know the two gold crows were purchased in the Navy exchange, One in Great Lakes and one in Norfolk, from the same manufactuere. Just another variation.

 

Steve

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In sitting here looking at these I just noticed that the post '84 whimp crow is squashed down a bit compared to the other two. I know the two gold crows were purchased in the Navy exchange, One in Great Lakes and one in Norfolk, from the same manufactuere. Just another variation.

 

Steve

On the subject of bullion "eagles," John Stacey attempted to classify and date Chief Petty Officer rating badges by the bullion design/application. He found are so many manufacturer's variations, and foreign "one-offs," and no USN enforced bullion standard, that he decided against carrying forward that section of his fine book in his latest updated release.

 

-dan

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On the subject of bullion "eagles," John Stacey attempted to classify and date Chief Petty Officer rating badges by the bullion design/application. He found are so many manufacturer's variations, and foreign "one-offs," and no USN enforced bullion standard, that he decided against carrying forward that section of his fine book in his latest updated release.

 

-dan

I remember in his first book how he was trying to date by eagle and thinking that really wasn't going to work for the reasons you mention. We know that the "Pidgeon" eagle popped out after '84, but there were lots of other styles in use, and for sale through the exchange that unless you actually noticed and looked specifically for specific styles of eagles, you could end up with assorted eagles all at the same time. What I mean by that is that I had three sets of blues. I had an everyday set (I made Chief in Great Lakes and wore them a lot), and inspection set (again, Great Lakes, got inspected a lot) and a set of Dinner Dress Blues). As I look at the crows I took off when I made Senior, I see that I had a mix. Same with my SMCS crows, a mix even though I made Senior in '90, well after the "Non-Parrot' crows were the "standard", I'm guessing the exchange had a bunch of older style SMCS crows in stock.

 

Steve

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Some Navy/Coast Guard bullion rating badges are more striking than others.

 

Here's a Navy Steward bullion rating badge that I think is especially nicely done...

 

The Coast Guard CPOs still use the very high quality heavy bullion chevron/eagle. I dont know if you can tell here(my pinning ceremony). I am on the right.

 

The chevron cost me 40 dollars and the service stripes were another 20, so they are not cheap, but they are definitely worth it. The embroidery seems to be heavy metallic thread, silver.

 

Thank God that the modern cheap Navy types are not authorized.

 

I do have a question... are Navy CPOs afforded the option to purchase the higher quality insignia or are they stuck with the Vangard stuff?

post-4249-1277998876.jpg

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Paul, Yes we can buy and wear higher quality stuff. It's just a matter of finding it. Since no one really wears any of this stuff all that much any more, even the off base shops that used to carry these things have gone away. Now, to find the "Good Stuff", you need to haunt the "Shows" and hope you can grab it up before some collector gets his hands on it and sticks it in a book some where :rolleyes:

 

And just to be clear, I really like the Coast Guards uniforms. (Too bad you couldn't stick with the Jumper style uniforms, but with the color change and all, I get it). I wish my beloved Navy could pull it's head out and get a handle on the uniform thing like you guys did. I just don't see what's so hard about it.

 

Steve Hesson

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  • 2 months later...

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