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The 3BN badge is the very first type of G.A.R. membership badge. 3BN stands for the 3rd Battalion which is what the corps of returning veterans would be (in relation to the two acting battalions serving at the front) should the country ever need to rely upon them for defense.

 

Original membership badges are exceedingly rare. (I saw one at the Show of Shows in Kentucky this past February with an asking price of $1600.) I have only ever seen a few of them and no two have I seen look alike. Were they made independently by jewelers? I don't know. Have any of the ones that I have seen been originals? I don't know. This one looks to have some age, but the clasp mechanism doesn't look like something from the late 1860s to early 1870s when these would have been around. Does that mean it isn't original? I am not knowledgeable enough to say. Real, or not, it is still pretty cool to have.

 

Kevin

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The 3BN badge is the very first type of G.A.R. membership badge. 3BN stands for the 3rd Battalion which is what the corps of returning veterans would be (in relation to the two acting battalions serving at the front) should the country ever need to rely upon them for defense.

 

Original membership badges are exceedingly rare. (I saw one at the Show of Shows in Kentucky this past February with an asking price of $1600.) I have only ever seen a few of them and no two have I seen look alike. Were they made independently by jewelers? I don't know. Have any of the ones that I have seen been originals? I don't know. This one looks to have some age, but the clasp mechanism doesn't look like something from the late 1860s to early 1870s when these would have been around. Does that mean it isn't original? I am not knowledgeable enough to say. Real, or not, it is still pretty cool to have.

 

Kevin

 

1600.00....wow... I did some looking today and came across one just like it one the net. In looking it was the only one I could find, and it was recently sold. But no price info was shown without registering with the site. It looks like the one from the net has been cleaned more and lacks the patina mine has, but the mounting pin was identical.

 

Here's the one I found online...

 

post-158219-0-18361900-1430281873.jpg

 

post-158219-0-16392500-1430281890.jpg

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I also located this information...

 

http://www.demmy.cc/Hartranft15/HartranftHerald/March2010/Page4.html

 

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC MEMBERSHIP
BADGES
Part 1 -
The first badge adopted was a shield,
upon which was engraved the insignia of the
different arms of the army, the navy, and flags;
also the letters 3. B. N. --
G. A. R., meaning
"THIRD BATTALION" Grand Army of the
Republic. (From the History of George Meade

Post No One, Dept of Penna GAR

Philadelphia 1889).

 

post-158219-0-10926100-1430282295.jpg

 

The badge
was adopted in 1866 and used till 1869. The
Grand Army Badge Company of Lafayette,
Indiana was formed specifically for the
manufacture of this GAR membership badge.
The first ad in the Great Republic newspaper in
Feb 1867, announced that the Grand Army
Badge Company was the exclusive
manufacturer of the 3 BN design badge.
The first badges were made in two sizes, one about
1/2 inches high and the other almost one inch.
The ad also stated the badges could be
furnished Silver-plated, genuine Silver, heavily
Gold plated or genuine Solid gold.
A third ad placed in 1867 added that measures have been
taken by the GAR Badge Company to secure a
patent for their design, which is adopted as the
Badge of the Order, and all persons are hereby
forbidden to manufacture or sell any Badge, pin
or other article of jewelry bearing such emblem,
unless authorized by the Company.
The B. T. Hayward Company of New York had started
making enamel 3BN badges and advertising
widely. A 3BN ribbon was also being
manufactured for Departments and Posts.
A number of jewelers were making hand
engraved copies of the badge.
(At one time I had in my own collection a beautiful Gold
stickpin engraved with the 3BN badge on it.)
Displayed next is the Type 2 membership
badge change which was authorized in 1868. A
large spread eagle was attached to the top of
the original badge.

 

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  • 10 months later...
  • 7 years later...
BeansEnHay

My grandmother made me lunch 30 years or so ago, and while enjoying my egg salad sandwich, she mentioned her grandfather served in the Spanish American war. I asked for details, being the self appointed family historian, and she referred me to my Aunt Bobby. Bobby told me she was mistaken, it was the Civil War, and she produced a just readable copy of his discharge. 
I first learned of the GAR while enjoying Ken Burns documentary.  
 

I found my relatives obit online and he had been one of the founding members of his own town’s GAR chapter in southern Illinois. They even gave him a funeral and all turned out along with the Odd Fellows of which he was also a member. Anyway, being a collector I got fascinated and found these Member/Memoriam ribbons something I wanted to gather up.  It is amazing to me that in towns of less than  500 (1865) there were sometimes enough veterans to muster a GAR chapter. It reminds you how that war touched nearly every corner of this country in a very material way.  The aftermath is a part of us.  
Here are a few of my ribbons:

 

I am also interested in items related to the 43rd Illinois Vol. Infantry, and 8th Minnesota Vol. Inf. 😀

IMG_9048.jpeg

IMG_9047.jpeg

IMG_9051.jpeg

IMG_9045.jpeg

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