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Antique Obsolete U.S. Customs Inspector Hat Badge Enameled Patriot Shield.
We were fortunate enough to come across a number of these obsolete US Customs hat badges at an estate sale in Maryland some years ago. All pieces are presented in “as found” condition with no cleaning or polishing. Some of these are near perfect and others range down to “good” or “fair” due to enamel delamination, distortions/bends (these were hat badges after all), or oxidation (I have not seen any so far that have pitting but there is some green as a function of brass oxidation).
This one is labelled “Security Officer” with a stamped serial number of 2267 and is circa 1967. It is in excellent – near mint -and like the other ones in this collection in “as found” condition with no preparation, cleaning, or polishing. Original thumbnut is present and intact but clasps (la pousette backs or push backs) are not.
Approximately 2" in height and 2-9/16" in width.
N.B.: “as found” is an important thing for me as a collector: When something is original, I feel like it is more honest and leave it to the buyer to determine what level of restoration they’d like to complete.
