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WW1 US Army Tank Corps

8/19/2014

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PictureWorld War One US Army enlisted ranks collar disk
Armor was a new technology in World War One.  Introduced by the Germans, it took the allied French and British forces by surprise.  The Americans came into the world war in the spring of 1917 and had to play catch up.  US armored troops used the French Renault tank on the battlefield.  Enlisted ranks American Tank Corp personnel wore this collar badge (pictured right).  One inch round, die struck in bronze and darkened.  Artwork shows an early WW1 tank above the two dragons.  This insignia has a threaded post on the reverse side with a threaded keeper for attachment to the uniform. 


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This is the Rare first pattern officer ranks collar badge.  It is an early style tank oriented as facing you.  1 inch tall by 1 1/4 inches across in size.  Pinback with a simple hook pin catch.  Made for wear on the officer's green wool field uniform. 

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George Keppler Pop Out Coins

8/19/2014

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On August 26, 1903 George Keppler applied to have his newly invented stamping die patented. His method for stamping high relief images into flat metal was used to produce what are commonly referred to as pop-out coins. 

Also known as repoussé coins, the image of a face is stamped into the reverse of the coin making the obverse three-dimensional.






Patent Application

PictureView the patent drawing
"Be it known that I, GEORGE KEPPLER, a subject of the German Emperor, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Die, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an apparatus for stamping articles from fiat metal stock. It is especially intended for stamping in high relief images and the like on metal plates or disks for jewelry or other purposes.

The invention comprises a die proper shaped according to the image which is to be produced and having at each side a guide, so as to hold a slide which fits over the metal plate constituting the work and holds the edges thereof, the slide having an opening therein, through which the plunger is movable. When the device is used for stamping up images into high relief, as metal disks, a slight cavity is formed around the edges of the die proper, this cavity being of a thickness about equal to that of the disk, and the disk is laid into this cavity face downward over the sunken portion of the die proper. The slide is then placed in position with its opening directly over the center of the disk, this slide serving the twofold purpose of holding the disk and protecting the edges thereof during the stamping operation, which operation is confined to the center of the disk, and also of centering the plunger with respect to the die. When the slide and disk constituting the work have been placed in position, the plunger should be brought down through the opening in the slide, and proper pressure being applied the disk will be stamped according to the form of the die."

A PDF file of the original patent application is available for download:
us775826.pdf
File Size: 261 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came

8/18/2014

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Several updated variations of this line taken from a Carl Sandburg poem were popular in the 1960s but the most common was "Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?"

Typically framed as a way to express opposition to the Vietnam War this phrase was used as a slogan on posters and patches that were sold in Hippie shops in the late Sixties.

In October 1966 Charlotte E. Keyes wrote an article for McCall's titled "Suppose They Gave a War and No One Came" which helped to further popularize this phrase and in 1970 it was used as the title for a movie making it more ubiquitous than ever. 


“Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come.” 
       - from The People, Yes (1936) by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

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Like much of the Sixties, this once-popular slogan has become somewhat of a relic of the past and we were excited to find one of these patches as part of a recent acquisition of Vietnam-Era Protest Patches and memorabilia.

We'll be making some of the pieces from this collection available for purchase very soon.



Some other Hippie Protest Pins are available for purchase via my eBay store.
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Black Power Protest Pins

8/17/2014

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Some of the pieces from a recent acquisition of Vietnam-era protest memorabilia.
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A Wooden Nickel Coin Shop :: 650-948-8202
365 First Street Los Altos, California 94022