Gemsco NY pin back 101st Airborne 501st PIR DUI - WW2?

[USMarineCorps]

Hi all,

 

I recently picked up this interesting 501st PIR DUI in a group of items from the 40's - 50's.

As far as I know, the WW2 "issue" DUIs were produced by Gemsco but on blue plastic rather than bronze in order to save metal.

This insignia, however, exhibits characters of DUIs from WW2 as well as those from the 50's.

Could anyone confirm the estimated age of this insignia? Would it be a post WW2 one given the use of metal vs plastic?

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

Fred

[USMarineCorps]

Any guesses as to how old this one would be?  I’m having a hard time finding resources on this kind of stuff.

 

Fred

[Allan H.]

The 501st PIR DUI worn during the war was made in plastic due to the fact that brass was considered to be a critical wartime metal and things like unit crests were not allowed to be made with the critical metal. Gemsco was the manufacturer of the plastic DUIs that were procured for the 501st.

 

There is also a German made unit crest that appears from time to time, but they are considered to be extremely rare.

 

There are two early post-WWII examples of this crest- the Gemsco example that you show here, and a very similar example made by Meyer. It has been thought that these DUIs were manufactured in anticipation for the units of the 101st Airborne to return to the USA and to continue on active duty. Obviously, the 101st was de-activated in Germany after the war and the units were stood down in November 1945. The 501st was reconstituted on 1 August 1946 at Fort Benning, GA, as the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion but was inactivated there on 23 November 1948. It is POSSIBLE that the DUIs were worn at Ft Benning during that timeframe, but very little information exists out there to confirm this. When the 501st was changed over to a training unit under the 101st Division (Training) the unit wore the thunderbird DUI design.

 

I hope this helps.

Allan

[USMarineCorps]

Hi Allan,

 

Thank you for the info! his certainly helps.

 

So why do we see so few other units with plastic DUI insignia? It appears that most WW2 insignia I see are all made out of brass.

 

To summarize your above points, this DUI would most likely have been made in the 1945-1948 timeframe, correct?

 

Thank again,

 

Fred

[Allan H.]

Fred,

 

Other units did indeed have plastic DUIs, though sterling silver is the most common of the wartime metals used for this insignia. Whitehead and Hoag made several plastic crests.

 

Yes, I think your DUI was made sometime between 1946 and 1948.

 

Allan

[USMarineCorps]

Hi Allen,

 

Right, sterling silver, not brass. I stand corrected. That makes a lot more sense.

 

Thank you again for the info! That certainly helps. 

 

Given that this is a post-WW2 insignia, is it still collectable? I will be offering this one for trade/ sale shortly but am not sure if it’s as desirable.

 

Fred

[Allan H.]

Fred,

 

In a word, yes. The DUI is still rather collectible. A plastic DUI will run you $300 plus and the German made pieces are even rarer. I am sure that a number of collectors would love to have one of these in their collections. I would not be surprised if you didn't already have some PMs in your in box. 

 

Allan