|
Author
|
Topic: Neil Armstrong NACA name tag: opinions?
|
Oldbru
Member Posts: 26
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Aug 2006
|
posted 06-03-2012 10:39 PM
  
I've had this patch for about 15 years now, won on eBay. I purchased it since I found it interesting but I've always wondered what I really have here. It is made of leather, measuring 2" by 4". Silver lettering on black. The back has writing which is really hard to read in natural light but pops out pretty well using a flash on camera.
Anyone have any thoughts, comments, etc.? 
|
Go4Launch
Member Posts: 542
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003
|
posted 06-04-2012 10:43 PM
Comment: WOW. |
Gonzo
Member Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
|
posted 06-05-2012 05:50 AM
Ditto on the WOW!What it is... I spent a career in the USAF. What you have is exactly what you think it is - a nametag. Pilots and flight crews use these as their standard issue nametags on their flight suits. They're a rectangular leather patch (the AF uses velcro on the back now) with silver lettering imprinted/stamped into the leather on the front. If that is authentic, that is a REAL find. I wouldn't even want to guess as to a value. It's better than an autograph! (MUCH rarer and unique.) Hang onto that piece for sure! (Might even consider getting it appraised and insured.) |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted 06-05-2012 07:36 AM
Nice item, although I wouldn't give up the day job just yet. This would date to the period 1955 (when Armstrong joined the NACA) to 1958 (when NACA became NASA). |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
|
posted 06-05-2012 11:03 AM
My primary hobby is collecting US uniforms and equipment from WW2 to the 50s. While I can't say 100% it's Armstrong's, I can say it looks exactly like what you'd expect from a nametag from that era. The typeface on the lettering is correct for that time, they weren't using velcro at that time yet (usually sewn directly to flight suits and jackets or slid into clear plastic windows in some cases but those were more square in shape than this one). The stamping on the back is compelling to me as well, I can't see anyone going to the trouble to fake that.If it had anyone else's name on it, I wouldn't think twice about buying it if I ran across it at a show. But considering that anyone could make a nameplate if they knew someone who was making them with anything written on it (when I was in the Army, we often had people making dog tags and nameplates with velcro with humorous names on them), it is possible someone made it after the fact while the equipment was still working. |
Oldbru
Member Posts: 26
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Aug 2006
|
posted 06-05-2012 07:05 PM
Thanks everyone for the comments. I've been thinking of having it framed and matted along with an 8x10 Armstrong NACA era photo to make a nice display. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
|
posted 06-05-2012 07:44 PM
It'd be a shame to cover up that NACA stamp on the back forever... that's the problem with neat two-sided stuff like that. |
Oldbru
Member Posts: 26
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Aug 2006
|
posted 06-05-2012 08:02 PM
Yea, that would be a concern. I thought somewhere I have seen displays with glass on both sides so it could be flipped over to see the back. Not sure what to do! |
Dougin SoCA
Member Posts: 111
From: Aliso Viejo, Ca, USA
Registered: Jan 2011
|
posted 06-05-2012 09:09 PM
I like that idea. An option is to have an opening on the back side of that matt to show the actual back side of the tag (have the backside of the display with the glass as suggested in the previous comment), but on the front side have really nice photo of the back of the tag so you don't have to constantly flip it around for everybody to see. For most people, they might not notice. |
athx1138
New Member Posts: 1
From:
Registered: May 2012
|
posted 06-07-2012 05:27 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Oldbru:
Yea, that would be a concern. I thought somewhere I have seen displays with glass on both sides so it could be flipped over to see the back. Not sure what to do!
I just ran across this exact thing at Target. In the frame section they have several contemporary, and modern frames that come pre-assembled with no matting and double sided glass. They run for about $20-$40. The glass could be be easily swapped out for glass that has UV protection as well |
Oldbru
Member Posts: 26
From: Phoenix, AZ
Registered: Aug 2006
|
posted 06-07-2012 05:48 PM
Thanks for the info. I think I will run down to my local Target and take a look. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted 06-08-2012 08:17 AM
quote:
Originally posted by p51:
It'd be a shame to cover up that NACA stamp on the back forever... that's the problem with neat two-sided stuff like that.
Based on the original post, it sounds like the writing on the back is really hard to see. So I personally wouldn't go to too much trouble trying to display both sides. |
benguttery
Member Posts: 547
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: Feb 2005
|
posted 06-10-2012 12:09 PM
Agree with last post. Either scan the back or photocopy it and tape it to the back of the frame. Compared to the front, it is not that interesting. |
advertisement