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T O P I C R E V I E Waerospace educatorTo guide collectors in the categorisation of the patches in their collection, I have devised a universal naming system.Authentic: Worn by an astronaut, NASA personnel, contractor, or other person directly related to a flight or programFacsimile: Looks just like the authentic patch, irrespective of the manufacturerCheap knock-off: Looks like the authentic patch, but has a colour, design, or typographical discrepancyCommemorative: Commemorates a person, flight, payload, or programFantasy: Relating to a person, flight, payload, or program that only exists in the mind of an author.Perhaps, this system will help remind board members that this is a hobby and should not be taken quite so seriously.OV-105The Commemorative tag is not right to me. You can have payload patches that are authentic that are worn by NASA personnel, contractors or people related to the flight or program. I think a Commemorative is more in the line of a patch that was made for the flight but not used by NASA or contractors. A good example would be all of the John Glenn patches that came out for his flight yeknom-ecapsNot knowing a lot about space mission patches - any "quick tips" on a good versus a no-good version of patches to collect? Thanks!aerospace educatorThe fundamental principle to remember is that it is your collection and your money. The decision to buy a patch depends upon the collector. The things that help me decide (in no particular order) are:Source: Be sure the source is reliable and has a refund policy. If you purchase on eBay, look for high feedback numbers. During the past 40 years, I have obtained patches from Countdown Creations, Randy Hunt, and Stewart Aviation, to name a few. Each has proven to provide a quality product with excellent customer service.Accuracy: If you are buying a mission emblem or program patch, go to the original source of the design. Compare the patch with what is being shown by NASA, RSA, or other agency. There are numerous photos available on the Web and http://www.spacepatches.nl/ is one of the more reliable sources of information. Representative: If you are looking for a commemorative, get one that satisfies your need for the patch. I have an Apollo 11 commemorative that has Buzz Aldrin's name misspelled, but I bought it for the mistake. Quality: When you buy a patch, it should "feel" like a patch. There are a variety of weaves and thread counts in the patches made. You can usually tell in the online image. Avoid buying patches sight unseen.Price: Mass-produced patches from reliable sources run about £2.50 (Sterling), €3.70 (Euro), or $5.00. Small-run patches can be as much as five times that amount. Be aware of unusually high shipping and handling costs. If you think the price is good, buy the patch.Good luck with your collecting.spaced out quote:Originally posted by yeknom-ecaps:Not knowing a lot about space mission patches - any "quick tips" on a good versus a no-good version of patches to collect? You should think about which set of patches you are interested in first:Mercury - The patch designs didn't actually exist at the time of the missions which limits their appeal.Gemini - You can get modern reproductions for not much money. Vintage souvenir versions are not particularly high quality so don't offer much advantage.Apollo - There's plenty of choice here, from inexpensive modern versions to vintage AB Emblem examples (tricky to track down but not too expensive) to Lion Brothers versions (fairly expensive but very high quality).Shuttle era - There are now so many missions that collecting 'the lot' is a tall task. In general the modern versions are not considered to be as high quality as the originals from the time.If money is no object then the ultimate patches to collect are those designs used by the crews themselves. These 'crew' patches can be seriously expensive.yeknom-ecapsThanks for the advice. Another question - is there an "official source" for NASA patches? I also remember reading one time (sorry I don't know which company) but to look for certain threads on the patch, etc. Is there a resource that tells about these kinds of things?spaced outYou may be talking about the hallmarks in some of the Lion Brothers Apollo mission patches.A couple of the best sites out there are: Gene Dorr's Space Mission Patches and Jacques von Oene's SpacePatches.info.I also have a site that deals with space patches made by Lion Brothers, for which a lot of the input came from collectSPACE members. The 'official' NASA patch supplier is AB Emblem, and their patches are widely available on the internet.
Authentic: Worn by an astronaut, NASA personnel, contractor, or other person directly related to a flight or program
Facsimile: Looks just like the authentic patch, irrespective of the manufacturer
Cheap knock-off: Looks like the authentic patch, but has a colour, design, or typographical discrepancy
Commemorative: Commemorates a person, flight, payload, or program
Fantasy: Relating to a person, flight, payload, or program that only exists in the mind of an author.
Perhaps, this system will help remind board members that this is a hobby and should not be taken quite so seriously.
Source: Be sure the source is reliable and has a refund policy. If you purchase on eBay, look for high feedback numbers. During the past 40 years, I have obtained patches from Countdown Creations, Randy Hunt, and Stewart Aviation, to name a few. Each has proven to provide a quality product with excellent customer service.
Accuracy: If you are buying a mission emblem or program patch, go to the original source of the design. Compare the patch with what is being shown by NASA, RSA, or other agency. There are numerous photos available on the Web and http://www.spacepatches.nl/ is one of the more reliable sources of information.
Representative: If you are looking for a commemorative, get one that satisfies your need for the patch. I have an Apollo 11 commemorative that has Buzz Aldrin's name misspelled, but I bought it for the mistake.
Quality: When you buy a patch, it should "feel" like a patch. There are a variety of weaves and thread counts in the patches made. You can usually tell in the online image. Avoid buying patches sight unseen.
Price: Mass-produced patches from reliable sources run about £2.50 (Sterling), €3.70 (Euro), or $5.00. Small-run patches can be as much as five times that amount. Be aware of unusually high shipping and handling costs. If you think the price is good, buy the patch.
Good luck with your collecting.
quote:Originally posted by yeknom-ecaps:Not knowing a lot about space mission patches - any "quick tips" on a good versus a no-good version of patches to collect?
Mercury - The patch designs didn't actually exist at the time of the missions which limits their appeal.
Gemini - You can get modern reproductions for not much money. Vintage souvenir versions are not particularly high quality so don't offer much advantage.
Apollo - There's plenty of choice here, from inexpensive modern versions to vintage AB Emblem examples (tricky to track down but not too expensive) to Lion Brothers versions (fairly expensive but very high quality).
Shuttle era - There are now so many missions that collecting 'the lot' is a tall task. In general the modern versions are not considered to be as high quality as the originals from the time.
If money is no object then the ultimate patches to collect are those designs used by the crews themselves. These 'crew' patches can be seriously expensive.
I also remember reading one time (sorry I don't know which company) but to look for certain threads on the patch, etc. Is there a resource that tells about these kinds of things?
A couple of the best sites out there are: Gene Dorr's Space Mission Patches and Jacques von Oene's SpacePatches.info.
I also have a site that deals with space patches made by Lion Brothers, for which a lot of the input came from collectSPACE members.
The 'official' NASA patch supplier is AB Emblem, and their patches are widely available on the internet.
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