Afghanistan Deployment patches...

[Bill A]

A second lot of Canadian Afghanistan deployment patches has arrived on ebay. These patches are highly suspect. (One lot is linked, see vendor's other lots.)
These have several distinctive characteristics that should be noted. These patches are sewn on a sand coloured velcro, (interesting observation: it appears that exactly the same velcro backing is on all the patches, even though the patches range from 2008 issue through 2012 and all the backing is sewn on the same way), embroidery stitching is different from know authentic examples, different font on some, including serif lettering, and significant differences in the details of the designs. Interesting that many of these patches have been featured in images on this or other sites.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANADIAN-ARM...item4170ab3e8a

[David Tremain]

Here's the one I posted in the Afghan roto patches section elsewhere in the Forum. I got this one from Ed Storey, a Forum member, who picked it up in KAF.

David

[Bill A]

Hi David, Thanks for the review. What colour is the velcro on your patch? Note the different manner in which the velcro backing is sewn to the patches.

[Bateman's Calling]

I would caution all on the issue of Afghanistan patches, as there will be no standard for most due to the great number of variables involved. Instead of buying from a dealer, seek out those who were there. For instance, the OMLT of TF 1-08 had patches made up in Canada, but all arrived without any Velcro backing. The actual patch was "unauthorized" as we had a winky of an RSM who saw it as his mission to de-patch all who wore it --but many outside the wire wore the patch with pride anyways. So how did we manage wearing a patch without any velcro? Well on trips into KAF, a quick visit to the boardwalk remedied that situation, but I daresay that we all went to the same vendor. The fact was whoever could do it quickly got our business and the results varied. Tricky yes, but that is the way it was and the reality does not fit neatly into a quick fix answer. By the way, I had four such patches - sold one to an ebayer, but can't remember who, think I sent one to the Trenchrat, one was lost by one of my kids, and the other sits in a cabinet, largely forgotten, until someday I do something with it. And even though our TF 1-O8 patch ran up against the indifference of some in positions of authority, the design was embraced by subsequent OMLTs who had a leadership that wasn't as messed up as ours. And this was just the case for one unit on one rotation - many patches were made up in theatre by the Afghan vendors of the boardwalk throughout the time frame of Canada's involvement in the south. Cheers.

[Bill A]

Welcome to the B&CMBF Bateman. Thanks for your personal observations, which have been echoed in other threads here and on other fora. The whole issue of Afghan patching is a minefield and will become more complicated as these patches are pumped out by reproducers.

[David Tremain]

Hi Bill, it's beige. In the scan it looks a bit more grey, but it's a sort of beige.
David

[Bill A]

Thanks David, Definitely not the same as the velcro used in the ebay listings.

[Joe C]

Bill, all of the theatre made patches I have seen have the velco sewn on after the embroidery. The examples in the auctions seem to have the velco attached as part of the edging.

[Pylon1357]

Oh crap here we go again. Thanks for bringing this to the attention of the forum Bill. It is crap like this that makes me want to toss all my patches in the bin, and just give up.

As for the same colour velcro for all the patches.... IIRC they were all the same coming off the boardwalk.

[Pylon1357]

what the heck is MTTI?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANADIAN-ARM...item3f2205eb84

[Bill A]

Hi Cliff, It may be that the velcro was the same colour, but over four years it didn't change? (The patches on issue represent rotos from 2008 through 2012.)
MTTI,,,hmm Made To Trick Individuals???

[Tanker Mike]

A recent find, no velcro on back. HMCS Calgary sea king detachment.

[edstorey]

Cliff, if you are going to bin your badages, bag them up and send them my way....

Unfortunately with both Canadian and theatre made badges and next-to-no control over designs, the door is wide open for the badge fabricators and repro artists to start selling their goods. I can see the discussion of Afghan theatre patches eating up more electrons then that of repro 1 Can Para, Kangaroo and 8th Recce badges.

Posting original examples and discussing their manufacture is great, but it just provides good intel to those who want to manufacture copies which will be hard to detect.

[Bill A]

Out of curiosity I checked the velcro backings in my accumulation and the colours include black, grey, grey-green, and beige/sand (a couple of different shades of this colour). There are also different weights of the velcro hooks.

[servicepub]

This is all the more reason to continue posting photos of the badges in wear.
C