AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
I was hunting a trashy park yesterday and got over a signal with good depth that sounded a lot like a dime, but had enough variability that I thought it could turn out to be a masked target, multi-denom spill, or just plain junk. Turned out to be a pin, but it wasn't until I got it home and started to clean it off that I realized that I had likely found a 2nd Lieutenant bar!
The front has lost all of it's luster, but the back still shows some of the gold plate. No back mark or other identifying features. It measures 1" long and 3/8" wide, which seems to be the "standard" size for the Lieutenant's bar.
At first I wondered if the pin was real or if it wasn't some sort of "sweetheart" pin - I'm used to seeing military badges and collar insignia with different types of backs than this. My Dad's pins from the 50s all had "Butterfly Clutch" style backs. I've also seen the "screw back" style badges & insignia. This is the first time I've seen a military insignia with a straight pin style back.
My question is, could the pin back style be an indication that this pin is slightly older? Most of the older coin finds in this section of the park date between the 30s-50s, but the park in general has far older history. Could it be as early as WWI? Or is it more likely more recent? Is it even possible to get a clear date range with this style?
The front has lost all of it's luster, but the back still shows some of the gold plate. No back mark or other identifying features. It measures 1" long and 3/8" wide, which seems to be the "standard" size for the Lieutenant's bar.
At first I wondered if the pin was real or if it wasn't some sort of "sweetheart" pin - I'm used to seeing military badges and collar insignia with different types of backs than this. My Dad's pins from the 50s all had "Butterfly Clutch" style backs. I've also seen the "screw back" style badges & insignia. This is the first time I've seen a military insignia with a straight pin style back.
My question is, could the pin back style be an indication that this pin is slightly older? Most of the older coin finds in this section of the park date between the 30s-50s, but the park in general has far older history. Could it be as early as WWI? Or is it more likely more recent? Is it even possible to get a clear date range with this style?
