11th Airborne Division Patch

[bryang]

I picked this up at the flea market this morning.  Is this WW2/post war?  I paid $20 for it because I like it, but am curious if I found a vintage patch.

[doughboy]

It's a good nice ww2 patch - Great 👍

[Blacksmith]

How incredibly refreshing.  A topic where a member found an item, paid what it was worth to them, and their first question wasn’t a price check - actually, didn’t ask about value at all.

 

I miss the era of more enthusiastic collectors, before the hobby largely turned into day trading.

 

Soapbox aside, @bryang, you found an awesome patch - I especially like the stitching between the tab and the SSI.  A really lovely example.  Here is a summary of their service in the Pacific Theatre during WWII.  
 

https://11thairbornedivision.army.mil/History/

 

And, your find educated me a bit, as I did not know that the division was recommissioned last year.  
 

Bravo, Sir.

 

 

[KurtA]

That great stitching totally “makes” this patch. Without it, just a typical common 11th.  With it, a really nice unique patch. 

[bryang]

5 hours ago, Blacksmith said:

How incredibly refreshing.  A topic where a member found an item, paid what it was worth to them, and their first question wasn’t a price check - actually, didn’t ask about value at all.

 

I miss the era of more enthusiastic collectors, before the hobby largely turned into day trading.

 

Soapbox aside, @bryang, you found an awesome patch - I especially like the stitching between the tab and the SSI.  A really lovely example.  Here is a summary of their service in the Pacific Theatre during WWII.  
 

https://11thairbornedivision.army.mil/History/

 

And, your find educated me a bit, as I did not know that the division was recommissioned last year.  
 

Bravo, Sir.

 

 

I thank you!

 

I've collected for decades, but never really acquired the knowledge/skill to discern quite the authenticity of a lot of items.  For me its been mostly a matter of looking and touching, and "going with my gut." I find myself absolutely amazed at how many collectors can look at an item and know where/when it was made and who used it, etc.  I rely heavily on those collectors with more knowledge than I.

 

I've long loved collecting military items simply for the opportunity to hold something historic in my hands - and more so when I'm able to learn anything of the unit and/or circumstances about the item, and especially anything about the individual to which the item might be attached.  Each item is a piece of history, which is damned cool.

 

I saw this patch and imagined what this would have looked like on a Second World War Paratrooper's Ike jacket, with this cool cross-stitch all around the patch.  I have a few uniforms with similar stitching, which looks extremely smart!