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Opinions on 10th Mountain Patch


AKC123
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Seeking to be educated again. I recently got a copy of Kevin Born’s Desert Uniforms, Patches, and Insignia of the US Armed Forces in order to become more knowledgeable about these types of items. However I’m having a bit of trouble becoming able to discern the differences between DCU patch types. I’m interested in getting an SSI from the 10th mountain division and there is no shortage online. The question is wether I can accurately determine which are authentic. I believe this one is. It’s described as being cut from a uniform which seems evident from the traces of the stitching around inside perimeter of the brown merrowed border. Hard to tell on the Mountain tab though. The reverse looks to be natural rather than having any backing applied. According to the book by Kevin born this was an earlier style of patch manufacturing before the plastic and felt backing was used. Possibly 1990’s? However wouldn’t most patches be OD from that time period? And does anyone know what the purpose of the small pieces of tape often seen on the reverse of patches is for? Thank you in advance. Still learning. 

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2 hours ago, AKC123 said:
1 hour ago, AKC123 said:

What I my mean by asking what the purpose of the tape on the back is why was the excess thread not simply cut off? Does this indicate it has never been sewn onto a uniform? 

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Old Marine

I think you are correct, that patch has never been used. That tape is common on merrowed edge patches.  That looks like an good 90s patch to me.  I Desert patches were being produced during Desert Shield/Storm.  

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Thank you very much for your reply. When you say the patch has never been used are you referring to the patch itself or the mountain tab? My initial thought was that the whitish colored thread around the inside perimeter of the border was inductive if the stitching seen when patches are sewn to uniforms. 

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Ah ok. Well thank you for your input. Seems my initial thoughts weren’t too far off. Just wanted some opinions from those with more experience. I’ll be spending more time with the book for sure. Thanks again 

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T Ambrosini

Are those stitch holes in the tape on the tab?  My monitor is not the best, so its hard to be sure

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2 minutes ago, T Ambrosini said:

Are those stitch holes in the tape on the tab?  My monitor is not the best, so its hard to be sure

That’s a fantastic observation I hadn’t noticed. I think you may be right. Is it usually the case that the tape and excess thread are removed before sewing on to a uniform? Im not sure. 

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Rakkasan187

Nice 10th Mountain Patch..

I believe the reason tape is on the back of the merrow edge insignia is to hold the pig tail or excess string. If this was cut off,,, the edges of the patch could start to unravel and fray..

Leigh 

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Just now, Rakkasan187 said:

Nice 10th Mountain Patch..

I believe the reason tape is on the back of the merrow edge insignia is to hold the pig tail or excess string. If this was cut off,,, the edges of the patch could start to unravel and fray..

Leigh 

Makes sense. This is why I ask here. Looking to learn. Thank you 

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Rakkasan187

You're welcome..

Kevin's book is a great reference for the Desert patches.. One of a kind..

Good luck in your collecting endeavors

Best regards and stay safe

Leigh 

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It’s definitely invaluable for this topic. I recently bought two 1990 Air Force DCU’s that are nothing particularly rare but that I’ll post up and that information in the book was crucial to my deciding to pull the trigger on. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/16/2020 at 3:24 PM, Rakkasan187 said:

Nice 10th Mountain Patch..

I believe the reason tape is on the back of the merrow edge insignia is to hold the pig tail or excess string. If this was cut off,,, the edges of the patch could start to unravel and fray..

Leigh 

Knowing this, I always wondered why they did this with the early manufacturing of the Merrowed Edge patches both color and subdued in the 67-early 70s period, this cutting the tail, and conversely while some makers cut the tail other cut it short or left it, but in both cases glued it down during this time.

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