J. Balme insignia company question

[james]

I used to have,back in the day, Aiborne Wings,Air-Assault,Pathfinder,MFF and a C.I.B badges for class "A" uniform,all made by a company,IIRC,"

J. Balme". They were very nice,and it was almost like the sharp details were made by "carving" the individual feathers and wreath's out.

 

My questions are:

Am I close to the correct name?

 

Are they still in business?

 

Where can I purchase some badges from?

 

As always,thank you for your help and assistance.

 

James

[pfrost]

J Balme is/was located in Paris France. No idea if they are still around, but you do sometimes see their stuff. An internet search would likely serve you best.

 

Patrick

 

I used to have,back in the day, Aiborne Wings,Air-Assault,Pathfinder,MFF and a C.I.B badges for class "A" uniform,all made by a company,IIRC,"

J. Balme". They were very nice,and it was almost like the sharp details were made by "carving" the individual feathers and wreath's out.

 

My questions are:

Am I close to the correct name?

 

Are they still in business?

 

Where can I purchase some badges from?

 

As always,thank you for your help and assistance.

 

James

[sgtbarnes44]

J BALME is now in the city of SAUMUR. It still is a insignia maker.

Postal adress: Balme Societe Nouvelle J 44 Rue De Rouen, 49400 Saumur FRANCE.

[james]

sgtbarnes44,

 

Thank you for the Information.

 

Do they have a website? I google it and come up with Sink and kitchen stuff?!?

[sgtbarnes44]

sgtbarnes44,

 

Thank you for the Information.

 

Do they have a website? I google it and come up with Sink and kitchen stuff?!?

 

As far as I know, they don't have a website but I'll try to phone them to know if they're still making paratrooper badge. I'll let you know.

[J_Andrews]

J. Balme's usual business was (is still?) not military insignia, but rather holy medals (think Lourdes), nursing school pins and some jewelry. They made some French insignia -- like pocket "crests" for academy classes IIRC.

 

The US insignia you see were made up by Balme at the behest of Jim Phillips/Phillips Publications, back in the mid- or late 1980s. At that time, Balme had a chief operating officer who wanted "new markets" and he ran into Jim....and the rest is history. BUT a year or so later, the coo had a fight with the family that owns Balme and left -- and the US military stuff was purged.

 

Jim still has many (not all) of the Balme insignia. His fax number is (609) 61-4967 mailing address: P.O. Box 168, Willamstown NJ 08094.

[J_Andrews]

I contacted Jim Phillips. He still has various Balme wings, but not all the types he had made 20+ years ago.

 

His email address is : [email protected]

[james]

J_Andrews

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Diddnt he have a catalog?? IIRC, I ordered them from a Phillips cat,now that you mentioned it.

Had almost forgotten about J Phillips.