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USN/USCG Rare, Non-bullion, Rating Badges


dpcsdan
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The Forum has covered USN/USCG chief petty officer bullion badges over the last few years.

There are also many USN/USCG very rare non-bullion rating badges. Here are a few from my collection. Chief Aviation Rigger; Specialist H (Harbor Defense Sonarman) from the Don Thompson collection. What have you?

 

AR_CPO_LionBros_front.jpg

AR_CPO_LionBros_back.jpg

Spec-H_set.jpg

Spec-H_set_back.jpg

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First Class Sailmaker's Mate, distinctive cut (I refer to as WWI cut, but was seen in other eras, also). Chief Underwater Mechanic.

 

Sailmakers_Mate_WWI_dds.jpg

UMC_dds.jpg

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Lots of rare rating badges in the early Apothecary, Hospital Steward and Pharmacist's Mate specialties.

 

1886Apothecary1class.jpg

1994ApothecaryCPO.JPG

Hospital Steward and ChiefPharmacistsMate.jpg

WWI_FMF.jpg

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USCG Second Class Master at Arms petty officer, 1915-1920. First Class Pharmacist's Mate with odd black specialty mark, regulations called for a red specialty mark. Also, Pharmacist's Mate with "outline" form of specialty mark.

0d36_1.jpg

PhM1_white_blackSpeciality.jpg

Pharmacist's Mate Open Cross dds.jpg

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Second Class Electrician (1905-1913). Electrician (Radio) distinguishing mark makes this uniform's combination valid for the time frame of 1912-13.

____Red_stripesOnWhite_to_IndigoBlue_stripes_in1913.jpg

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6 minutes ago, dpcsdan said:

Second Class Electrician (1905-1913). Electrician (Radio) distinguishing mark makes this uniform's combination valid for the time frame of 1912-13.

____Red_stripesOnWhite_to_IndigoBlue_stripes_in1913.jpg

Always loved the red chevrons on the dress white jumpers. 

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Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (W.A.V.E.S.) temporary rating badge utilized in basic training (Boot Camp). Shown in gray and white seersucker material is the Recruit Chief Petty Officer (RCPO) version. The WAVES seersucker working uniform was utilized from Oct. 1943-1959. Also shown are the WAVES Recruit Petty Officer 3rd class in seersucker material and a WAVES chief Personnelman rating badge shown in blue pin cord material for the working uniform authorized in 1959. During WWI and early in WWII, WAVES wore full sized (male) rating badges. In March, 1943, a 2/3's size rating badge was authorized for use on WAVES uniforms. A "reserve blue" working smock and rating badge was also authorized during WWII.

 

_____WAVES RCPO_dds.jpg

____WAVES Seersucker and Pin Cord Crows.jpg

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Fellow collectors, those who are still collecting, who posted in "Spectacular Bullion Rating Badges," should also post in this thread. There are many pre-1948 non-bullion rating badges to be posted. Additionally, post-1948 specialties, such as Aviation Guided Missileman, Aviation Photographer's Mate (48-53), Fire Control Technician (46-56), Guided Missileman (53-61), Photographic Intelligenceman (58-75), Specialist B, Specialist H and Specialist U are all scarce rating specialties.

I'm attempting to create a USN rating specialty "Relative Rarity Grade" check-off sheet. The late John Helvey (The Storekeeper) created one for the Specialist ratings back in the 1990s and he last updated his chart in 2002.

I'll post my "Draft" copy on this forum and request your input as to my "first cut" at rating the rarity of each rating specialty. I plan to make my first pass at this task at the CPO level for each specialty. For this exercise, I'm counting 1st class Sailmaker's Mate as a CPO. I'm about 90% through my first draft.

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2 hours ago, dpcsdan said:

Fellow collectors, those who are still collecting, who posted in "Spectacular Bullion Rating Badges," should also post in this thread. There are many pre-1948 non-bullion rating badges to be posted. Additionally, post-1948 specialties, such as Aviation Guided Missileman, Aviation Photographer's Mate (48-53), Fire Control Technician (46-56), Guided Missileman (53-61), Photographic Intelligenceman (58-75), Specialist B, Specialist H and Specialist U are all scarce rating specialties.

I'm attempting to create a USN rating specialty "Relative Rarity Grade" check-off sheet. The late John Helvey (The Storekeeper) created one for the Specialist ratings back in the 1990s and he last updated his chart in 2002.

I'll post my "Draft" copy on this forum and request your input as to my "first cut" at rating the rarity of each rating specialty. I plan to make my first pass at this task at the CPO level for each specialty. For this exercise, I'm counting 1st class Sailmaker's Mate as a CPO. I'm about 90% through my first draft.

 

 

Looking forward to your "Draft" copy Dan.

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4 hours ago, dpcsdan said:

Fellow collectors, those who are still collecting, who posted in "Spectacular Bullion Rating Badges," should also post in this thread. There are many pre-1948 non-bullion rating badges to be posted. Additionally, post-1948 specialties, such as Aviation Guided Missileman, Aviation Photographer's Mate (48-53), Fire Control Technician (46-56), Guided Missileman (53-61), Photographic Intelligenceman (58-75), Specialist B, Specialist H and Specialist U are all scarce rating specialties.

I'm attempting to create a USN rating specialty "Relative Rarity Grade" check-off sheet. The late John Helvey (The Storekeeper) created one for the Specialist ratings back in the 1990s and he last updated his chart in 2002.

I'll post my "Draft" copy on this forum and request your input as to my "first cut" at rating the rarity of each rating specialty. I plan to make my first pass at this task at the CPO level for each specialty. For this exercise, I'm counting 1st class Sailmaker's Mate as a CPO. I'm about 90% through my first draft.

I look forward to your list. Will this only be full size, or will you do reduced size rating as well? I would like to post, but it depends on how you define "rare." I always defined it as patches I don't have because they are too expensive. On the other hand, I have a few of the ones already posted, so how rare could they be 😉

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David,

I titled this thread, "Rare", but, I posted what I consider "scarce" specialties, also. My version of a Relative Rarity Grade (RRG) will be a 1-5 scale. I'll fully explain when I post it. I'll likely start a thread just for that discussion.

 

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Chief Gun Captain, easily "Top-3" most difficult in my opinion, John. Some might say, most difficult. I know of two in chief grade.

I've got Gun Captain, any grade, on my "two-arms-and-a-leg list."

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Specialty Marks were implemented in 1942. These "letter" ratings were in use through the rating structure revision of 1948. The "titles" used with each Specialty letter mark changed multiple times during their period of usage. For example, Specialist S, was initially titled "Entertainer" in 1942, then titled "Shore Patrol" in 1942-43, then titled "Shore Patrol and Security" in 1943-48. Specialist S (V-10) was titled "Master At Arms (WAVES)" in 1943, Specialist S, was titled "Personnel Supervisor (V-10) in 1943-48 and Specialist S, was titled "Shore Patrolman" from 1948-1954 when the Specialist S usage was disestablished. If that's not enough to confuse a collector, what is?

After the rating revisions of 1948, those Specialist ratings that were retained were designated Emergency Service Rating for members of the Naval Reserve. Those "letter ratings" that were still around between 1957 and 1964 were reclassified Emergency Ratings. After 1964 only Emergency Service "K" existed through 1974. (Thank you, John Stacey).

All the above being stated, the rarest "letter" rating is possibly Emergency Rating H, Harbor Defense Sonarman, 1959-1965.

The examples shown below were all purchased from the Don Thompson collection around 2006.

I discussed the rating badges with John Stacey and he believes the Specialist rating badges were most often sewn with only the diamond in place and then the "letter" was sewn when the badge was needed for a uniform. That explains why a good number of "blank" diamond rating badges show up "for sale." Since ES-H did not come into existence until 1959, and possibly only in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area, the "letter" of these rates will show up under black light while the rest of the badges do not "glow."

What are the other experts thoughts on this discussion?

 

Spec-H_ESRH_dds.jpg

Spec-H_set.jpg

Spec-H_set_back.jpg

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I've got this 3rd class Airship Rigger patch but the chevron is gray.  Any ideas on why?


My guess is it started off black and faded either due to washing, sunlight, oxidation, or any combination.


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21 hours ago, dpcsdan said:

"Specialist Rating Badge Marks" were implemented in 1942. These "letter" ratings were in use through the rating structure revision of 1948. The "titles" used with each Specialty letter mark changed multiple times during their period of usage. For example, Specialist S, was initially titled "Entertainer" in 1942, then titled "Shore Patrol" in 1942-43, then titled "Shore Patrol and Security" in 1943-48. Specialist S (V-10) was titled "Master At Arms (WAVES)" in 1943, Specialist S, was titled "Personnel Supervisor (V-10) in 1943-48 and Specialist S, was titled "Shore Patrolman" from 1948-1954 when the Specialist S usage was disestablished. If that's not enough to confuse a collector, what is?

After the rating revisions of 1948, those Specialist ratings that were retained were designated Emergency Service Rating for members of the Naval Reserve. Those "letter ratings" that were still around between 1957 and 1964 were reclassified Emergency Ratings. After 1964 only Emergency Service "K" existed through 1974. (Thank you, John Stacey).

All the above being stated, the rarest "letter" rating is possibly Emergency Rating H, Harbor Defense Sonarman, 1959-1965.

The examples shown below were all purchased from the Don Thompson collection around 2006.

I discussed the rating badges with John Stacey and he believes the Specialist rating badges were most often sewn with only the diamond in place and then the "letter" was sewn when the badge was needed for a uniform. That explains why a good number of "blank" diamond rating badges show up "for sale." Since ES-H did not come into existence until 1959, and possibly only in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area, the "letter" of these rates will show up under black light while the rest of the badges do not "glow."

What are the other experts thoughts on this discussion?

 

Spec-H_ESRH_dds.jpg

Spec-H_set.jpg

Spec-H_set_back.jpg

Corrected first sentence.

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Ultra rare Revenue Cutter Service, (later USCG), petty officer first class Master at Arms (1908-1915). During this period of the Revenue Cutter Service the Master at Arms was a petty officer first class, but wore a chief's uniform and a chief style rating badge. Top rating badge photo, (Sandlin Collection)

 

RCS_PO1_MAA_1908-15-SandlinCollection.jpg

USCG_MAA_1908-15.jpg

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My mistake in posting RCS MAA. I was thinking one of the photos was non-bullion.

This is the "non-bullion" thread.

Thanks,

-dan

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