ROTO Patch Lot - Today's Gunshow Buys

[GregN]

Hi Guys, I picked up this lot of Afghanistan ROTO patched from the same source of my IR badges. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this lot and what they actually stand for. Maybe its time for a open Canadian ROTO Afghanistan album?

Regards,

Greg

[Bill A]

Hi Greg, These are being reproduced/fantasized in considerable numbers. With modern technology and embroidery machines, the image of a patch can be downloaded and turned into a computer template for machine embroidered insignia in minutes. It is really important to get as much information and details about the insignia from the vendor as possible. A legitimate dealer in Alberta was selling rolls of the cream/biege coloured velcro, and someone bought a couple of rolls and made up quite a pile of repro patches. They copied the images from a thread on another Forum and using the modern technology the images were fed into the computer and copied. The copies were very good, but several things gave them away. One was the fact that the velcro backing was exactly the same for patches issued over six years time. It is troubling that you have patches from completely different Roto's with the same velcro backing, stitched in the same way. I am not comfortable with that part of the lot.

[Infanteer]

The construction of those patches with the tan velcro are not consistent with what I saw being done on the boardwalk at KAF, assuming they are supposed to be theater made.

[GregN]

Thanks guys, my source picked them up in Afghanistan about a month ago while doing some election work as a rep of the UN. It appears these are available in theatre by the same entrepreneurs who made them for the troops years ago. Again, it would be nice to have a album on these.

Greg

[Chacal]

Hi Greg

Authenticity aside I can tell you that the “205th/Team Empire” was designed by a Star Trek fan: the globe/dagger is the symbol for Imperial Earth in the ST ‘mirror universe’ (the one where Kirk etc. are the bad guys) first seen in the episode “Mirror, Mirror”. I have a pin of the same device on my ‘cut’.

Graham