{{Short description|Hobby of collecting patches or badges}} {{refimprove|date=January 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} thumb|A patch board
'''Patch collecting''' or '''badge collecting''' (aka '''scutelliphily''', from Latin ''scutellus'' meaning ''little shield'', and Greek ''phileein'' meaning ''to love'') is the hobby of collecting patches or badges.
==Souvenir patches== thumb|alt=Examples of patches|Patches of boy scout events as well as Cub Scout rank Souvenir patches are usually shield-shaped and generally contain a coat of arms, a map, or a miniature view. The patches can be made of any material, but are usually woven or embroidered fabric, although they can also be made from paper or, increasingly, plastic.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
Other types of collectible patches include police or service patches, space mission patches, Scout patches, fashion patches, political and sports stickers, walking stick labels, car window pennants, and pin badges. Collecting metal badges or pins, either military or civil, is known as faleristics.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
==History== Badges have been collected since ancient times. Greek and Roman pilgrims to pagan shrines made collections of miniature images of gods and goddesses or their emblems, and Christian pilgrims later did the same. Usually medieval Christian pilgrim badges were metal pin badges — most famously the shell symbol showing the wearer had been to the shrine of St. James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. These were stuck in hats or into clothing and hardworking pilgrims could assemble quite a collection, as mentioned by Chaucer in his 'Canterbury Tales'.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
In the 19th century the growth of travel for ordinary people led to a huge increase in the souvenir industry, as these new secular pilgrims — like their medieval counterparts — wanted to bring back reminders of their holidays, vacations, and sightseeing, ranging from china plates to postcards.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
During the early 20th century, probably shortly after the First World War, the production of stick-on souvenir badges appears to have started in mainland Europe, likely in Germany when hiking became popular, and people began sewing badges of resort towns onto their backpacks and jackets. In the U.S., the development of the national parks system and the growing popularity of vacationing led to a similar development of patch collecting.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
After the Second World War, American GIs occupying Germany sent badges back to their loved ones, showing where they were stationed. These badges became known as ''sweetheart patches''. They were imported to Britain by Sampson Souvenirs Ltd., which also began producing badges of British tourist spots, and went on to become (and still is) the largest British manufacturer of souvenir badges. The biggest American manufacturer is Voyager Emblems of Sanborn, New York.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
==Cause-related patches of the 1960s and 1970s== During the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, embroidered sew-on patches became powerful vehicles for personal expression and political activism. These colorful fabric emblems allowed individuals to literally wear their beliefs on their sleeves, jackets, and backpacks, transforming everyday clothing into billboards for social change.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
The counterculture movement embraced these patches as affordable, accessible forms of protest art that could be easily shared and displayed. From anti-war sentiments to calls for environmental protection, these small textile statements captured the era's passionate debates and revolutionary spirit in a format that was both permanent and portable.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
The causes represented on these vintage patches reflected the major social movements of the time. Peace activists wore patches featuring the iconic peace symbol and slogans opposing the Vietnam War, while the emerging environmental movement promoted conservation messages.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
The civil rights struggle found expression in patches supporting Chicano Power and racial equality, while the sexual revolution produced provocative patches celebrating freedom and challenging traditional values. Religious and spiritual themes also appeared, from traditional Christian imagery to newer counter-cultural spiritual expressions. These patches served not just as decoration but as conversation starters, identity markers, and visible commitments to causes that defined a generation.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
===Origins of major slogans=== Several of the phrases featured on these patches had specific historical origins that added depth to their meanings:{{fact|date=May 2026}}
'''Peace Symbol''': The iconic peace symbol was designed in 1958 by British artist Gerald Holtom for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cnduk.org/the-symbol/ |title=History of the Symbol |website=Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament |date=6 February 2023 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> The design combined the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D" (for "nuclear disarmament") within a circle representing Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/nuclear-disarmament-symbol-drawings/ |title=Nuclear Disarmament Symbol Drawings |website=University of Bradford Special Collections |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> It first appeared publicly during an Easter 1958 march from London to Aldermaston and was later adopted by the American anti-war movement in the 1960s, where it became broadly associated with peace rather than specifically nuclear disarmament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/where-did-the-peace-sign-come-from |title=Where Did the Peace Sign Come From? |website=Britannica |date=13 June 2025 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
'''Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came''': This popular anti-war slogan originated from Carl Sandburg's epic poem "The People, Yes" (1936), which contained the line "Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fee.org/articles/suppose-they-gave-a-war-and-nobody-came/ |title=Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came |website=Foundation for Economic Education |date=6 February 2024 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> The phrase was popularized during the Vietnam War era by Charlotte E. Keyes in her 1966 article for McCall's magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/national-chicano-moratorium |title=1970: National Chicano Moratorium |website=Library of Congress |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
'''War Is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things''': This slogan was created by Los Angeles artist Lorraine Schneider in 1967 for the anti-war group Another Mother for Peace.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O102219/war-is-not-healthy-for-poster-schneider-lorraine/ |title=War Is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things |website=Victoria and Albert Museum |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> Schneider's sunflower design featuring this text was used on Mother's Day cards sent to President Lyndon B. Johnson and members of Congress, with 200,000 cards distributed by May 1967.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2016649866/ |title=War is not healthy for children and other living things |website=Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
'''Chicano Power''': The Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was the largest civil rights and empowerment movement by Mexican-descent people in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/background-chicano-movement |title=Background on the Chicano Movement |website=Facing History and Ourselves |date=16 April 2020 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> The term "Chicano" was reclaimed during this period to express political autonomy, ethnic solidarity, and pride in Indigenous descent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jsri.msu.edu/upload/occasional-papers/oc07.pdf |title=The Origins and History of the Chicano Movement |first=Roberto |last=Rodriguez |publisher=Julian Samora Research Institute, Michigan State University |date=1996 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> "Chicano Power" and "Brown Power" emerged as rallying cries demanding justice and challenging previous generations' assimilationist approaches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chicano |title=Chicano |website=Britannica |date=16 June 2016 |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
===Examples of cause-related patches=== ====Anti-war movement==== * "War Unhealthy" patches protesting the Vietnam War<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-war-unhealthy-hippie-patch/ |title=60s War Unhealthy Hippie Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * "Gave War Nobody Came" patches expressing anti-war sentiment<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-gave-war-nobody-came-patch/ |title=60s Gave War Nobody Came Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Peace movement==== * Peace symbol patches in various designs<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-peace-symbol-embrd-patch/ |title=60s Peace Symbol Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * "Peace with Honor" patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/peace-with-honor-70s-usa-patch/ |title=Peace with Honor 70s USA Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * Peace sign hand gesture patches with fingers in different colors<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-fingers-peace-sign-patch/ |title=70s Fingers Peace Sign Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * USA peace flag designs<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-embrd-usa-peace-flag-patch/ |title=70s Embrd USA Peace Flag Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Chicano rights==== * "Chicano Power" patches supporting Mexican-American civil rights<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-chicano-power-patch/ |title=70s Chicano Power Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * Multiple design variations including chain and victory symbols<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-chicano-power-chain-patch/ |title=70s Chicano Power Chain Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Environmental causes==== * "Ecology Flag" patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-ecology-flag-embrd-patch/ |title=70s Ecology Flag Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * "Save Water" patches promoting conservation<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/save-water-embroidered-patch/ |title=Save Water Embroidered Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Women's rights==== * "NOW" (National Organization for Women) patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/70s-embroidered-now-patch/ |title=70s Embroidered NOW Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Drug legalization==== * "Legalize Pot" patches advocating for marijuana law reform<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-legalize-pot-embrd-patch/ |title=60s Legalize Pot Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Religious expression==== * "One Way" religious patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-religious-one-way-patch/ |title=60s Religious One Way Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * "JC Super Star" (Jesus Christ Superstar) patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/60s-jc-super-star-embrd-patch/ |title=60s JC Super Star Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * Jesus embroidered patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/jesus-embroidered-sew-on-patch/ |title=Jesus Embroidered Sew-On Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Political commentary==== * "Silent Majority" patches<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/silent-majority-sew-on-patch/ |title=Silent Majority Sew-on Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref> * "Police Pigs" patches representing anti-establishment views<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/1960s-police-pigs-embrd-patch/ |title=1960s Police Pigs Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Unity and solidarity==== * "Come Together" patches promoting cooperation<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/come-together-60s-embrd-patch/ |title=Come Together 60s Embrd Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
====Love movement==== * "Love" embroidered patches celebrating the era's emphasis on love and connection<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/shop/1960s-embroidered-love-patch/ |title=1960s Embroidered Love Patch |website=Collectibles and More in Store |access-date=29 December 2025}}</ref>
==Law enforcement patch collecting== {{main|Police patch collecting}} Patch of the Federal Protective Service|thumb
Another patch collecting specialty is police agencies, such as sheriff, police, highway patrol, marshal, constable, park rangers, law enforcement explorer scouts, or other law enforcement related personnel. Emblems worn on uniforms have been exchanged between officials as a sign of cooperation for decades, and displays of patches are found in police stations.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
==Fire department patch collecting== Similar to police patches, fire department patches are also traded amongst fire agencies and some are sold to the general public. Station patches are available from large fire departments in North America. Some station patches are worn by firefighters, but mostly not on official uniforms. The patch design is sometimes found on fire vehicles.{{fact|date=May 2026}}
==See also== * Flag patch * Militaria * Military badges of the United States * Scouting memorabilia collecting
==References== {{reflist|1}}
==Bibliography==
==External links==
Category:Collecting