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1892 Shoulder Board/Kepi Emblems


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Howdy Darrell - Frankly I never liked this set-up when I first saw it. I have never encountered such a buckle on this type of belt. I like it less now!

 

I was wondering whether others have seen the stamped M1892 EGA this way with the addition of a centerpost. I have no reason to believe that these buckles of mine are not truly vintage-worn pieces but would like comments.

Semper Fi----Bobgee

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  • 1 year later...

I would tend to agree. A logical explanation as to why these exist is such great quantity. And, you never see the one with the anchor faced the other direction (for the matching shoulder paddle)- they apparently didn't restrike that one. I think the hat version would have a screwback. The shoulder paddle version would have the wires.

Kurt

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101combatvet

Makes little sense that Bannerman was making repros when they were selling real insignia by the bucket load for cheap. I would still like to see evidence that Bannerman made repros. My God.... they used Model 1860 swords and 45-70 rifles for rebar.

 

First, “great quatity” or “thousands” sounds like no one knows how many were in fact made which leads me to believe the naysayer’s have no facts just basing their assumptions on opinion. More likely the epaulettes were short lived.... but if you were to make an over run of one EGA and only one you probably would have selected one that could have also been used for a cover device or at least could be used for one. Obviously, there is no way of telling if the EGA on the cover is a screwback. One thing for sure is that the contrast of the EGA is bright….. probably more bright then the reflective properties of most polished brass. By the way…. this one came out of a government warehouse in Philadelphia with other military insignia that was auctioned off. They are reproing them now..... but the quality is nothing compared to the one I posted.... the repros use a looped prong not a straight wire attachment.

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About 18 months ago there was a spirited and educational discussion on the Forum about these type emblems. Anyone interested should check out the link below to the EGA Reference section on these birds. Been pretty much been all said....we're attempting to "re-invent the wheel" here unless someone has new factual information to add.......which is always welcome. Enjoy......Semper Fi.....Bobgee

 

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...=9168&st=20

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101combatvet

So I guess the epaulettes are knock-offs too. :o

 

I was the guy that flooded the market with these back in the 90's..... I sold about sixty to seventy of them on ebay. Chances are if you bought one back then by me it was a real one. None of the ones that I sold were not knock-offs.

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usmcaviator

My last part didnt post...

 

In my opnion these are old and not "knock-offs". Old, meaning vintage and of the era 1890-1910. Who made them and why may never be known. Did they see service? Probably not. Were they ever in the Marine supply system? Who knows. I have a good supply of these and they are old. I sell them as such. There is no difference between these and multiple ones I have examined off of shoulder scales.

 

They are easily recognizable and a variation among which I count in my collection. I count over 5 different type variations in my collection of this piece in regards to method of attachment, material, and eagle and globe styles.

 

Mike

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usmcaviator

That's about what I have seen as well mid 1920's, but I have never owned a catalog. I am wondering if these EGAs are depicted?

Mike

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I think they are Mike. I bought a 20's dated catalog in the 70's from Manion's. I packed it away sometime in the mid-80's enroute to 2/3, K-Bay, HI, and forgot I had one until I saw this thread. I'll see if I can dig it up... I believe they were listed as new, and used old stock original's selling for a couple of bucks.

 

Chuck

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Until the early 1970's Stokes-Kirk had their store in Philadelphia, and Bannermans (i.e., the person who bought them out) had a store on Long Island, New York. In my visits to both stores in the late 60's/early 70's, they were selling restruck insignia (besides some great original stuff at prices I'd love to have a second chance at now). The restrikes I clearly remember are the Civil War hat insignia (e.g., crossed swords, crossed cannons, hunting horn insignia) and the Indian Scouts badge (crossed arrows with "USS" above - currently sold on Ebay as original by many sellers). All of these were just a couple of dollars each. I still have the few I bought. I don't recall seeing the silver EGA badge at the 2 stores, but the fact is, they were restriking insignia many years ago. Despite the low value of things back then, they must have had a market for restikes to make it worth their while. And, being original dies were being used, it can be difficult to tell the difference between an original strike and a restrike.

I recall seeing these EGA's at a show in the 1980's for just a few dollars each (a "significant" quantity of them in a box). For what ever reason a "bunch" of them were cranked out at some point in time and they're easy to find today.

Kurt

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101combatvet

Sorry... to disagree but I think your dates are off a bit... I was a Civil War collector during that time and in the 70's I don't recall anyone reproducing Civil War hat insignia.... there was a ton of that stuff around. By the mid to late 70s Infantry bugles were just a few dollars along with crossed cannons.... cav sabers were always a little higher.... were talking $8.00. Maybe, by the 80s Civil War jumped and when this insignia started to approach $20 on up they started to repop them. Their main reason for doing so was because re-enactors didn't want to wear originals at those prices. More then likely those EGA's you saw in the box were the real deal. Fakers are much more inclined to fake high dollar items as opposed to stuff selling for a few dollars.

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My final post on this subject and then I'm done.

First photo - Cover of Peter Hlinka's 1972 Militaria catalogue.

 

post-322-1239750808.jpg

 

And here's a sample page from that 1972 catalogue: note the restrike CW insignia - "Fine Quality Restrike." The same exact items that I saw at Stoke-Kirk and Bannermans in previous years.

 

post-322-1239750913.jpg

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101combatvet

Hard to believe when I could purchase a real one for that amount. I purchased from Hlinka during those years and was on his mailing list..... I don't recall him selling any repops.... interesting. The plates were certainly reproduced.... I still have a few. Now if you could just find the catalog with the EGA's. :rolleyes:

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I've been following this thread on and off, so when Peter Hlinka was mentioned I pulled out some of his old 1981, 1982 catalogs that I had laying around. And sure enough it had the same Civil War restrikes in them as noted above, but had increased in price by .50-1.00. So clearly restrikes existed as Kurt noted. Also in the same catalogs were pictures of what was called "U.S. Marine Corps. Model 1879 Enlisted Mans Cap Device. Stamped nickel silver medal in design of a eagle atop a globe and anchor.....with wire fasteners....Original Issue....$3.50." So Hlinka was calling them originals...but that does not prove anything, only that these EGAs where sold as originals by Hlinka.

 

Sadly, my scanner is inop or I would post the poor quality image of the EGA from the catalog.

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101combatvet

Interesting, I lost touch with Hlinka in the mid 70's.... most of his stuff was of little interest by that time. I do recall purchasing a few items from him.... his prices were often reasonable. I now recall that they did manufacture a repro Hardee Hat for collectors and re-enactors at that time when originals were expensive and the first of these repro hat devices may have been intended for them. Hlinka had a knack for purchasing lots or bulk items. One thing for sure is that Hlinka was well respected.... on those rare occasions I still hear his name mentioned.

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didn't Jeremiah also do a comparrison thread on these vs known originals? I know I sent him on of my two quite awhile back

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teufelhunde.ret
didn't Jeremiah also do a comparrison thread on these vs known originals? I know I sent him on of my two quite awhile back

 

Actually it was Gary & Bob... mentioned mentions this thread in his previous post (page 1 of this thread) above... s/f Darrell

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...=9168&st=20

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101combatvet

I spoke to Peter last night.... he still does a few shows and travels a bit and collects high end decorations. I asked him about the specifics of his old catalog and listing of the 1876-1904 EGA in question. He told me that the EGA which I posted and he sold back in the early 1980's was manufactured by Horstmann of Philadelphia. According to Peter... Stokes-Kirk bought up all of Horstmann's stock when they closed their factory. bobgee mentioned that his epaulette was marked by Horstmann.... which confirms to what was told to me by Peter. What may also be of interest to anyone that claims or thinks that these are Stokes-Kirk or Bannerman copies is that Stokes-Kirk and Bannerman never made copies or insignia they were solely dealing in high end military surplus..... this comes from a man that had been buying from them both for longer then most of us have lived. In short just so that there is no misunderstanding Horstmann made the original 1876-1904 EGA they also made the epaulettes. Stokes-Kirk and Bannerman did not make insignia repro or original insignia they dealt in high end surplus only. I asked about dies and he told me that many of them had been purchased by the Smithsonian during the period when the manufacturers went out of business. I have heard that the government controlled insignia dies. I asked him if he knew who was making re-strikes of the 1876-1904 EGA and he said that it is a guy by the name of Ray Di Rita and much of what he repros is sold by S&S Firearms. I asked him if Ray used original dies and he said no..... he had them made up. I called S&S and they told me that they still sell Ray's repros..... their catalog S&SFirearms is on line and you can buy one of their repro 1876-1904 EGA (MC40) for $7.00.

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