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Obverse Design
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Top has perched eagle, wings spread, head ducked down and facing right. This eagle
has the wings swept down below the feet, and body lower than the tops of the two wings.
This eagle is holding a banner in its mouth
which goes up on the eagle's left wing (the right of the image). The banner
has incuse lettering of "1ST CLASS". The center of the shield has a
gold colored circle with the
first seal of the Canal Zone with a Spanish Galleon sailing through a sea level
canal. Above the circle is a curving banner
which has tails trailing up from either end. The banner has the word "CANAL ZONE".
Above that banner is a smooth elongated hexagon with the word "POLICE".
Below the circle is another banner with tails scrolled up at either end. This banner
reads "PANAMA".
Below the shield is a smooth square for the badge number of "180" in the example
above. The shield overall has a textured background.
The shield has a raised ridge as the edge.
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Reverse Design
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Probably a pin back. To be determined.
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Metal
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Unknown metal, probably nickel-plated brass. Color is silver except for inner
circle which is gold colored.
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Size and Shape
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Width is 55 mm at the widest part of the shield and 58 mm at the wing tips. Height
is 80 mm. That's about 2 1/8 inches wide at the shield by 3 1/8 inches high.
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Dates Issued
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Exact dates not known. The first seal on the badge was used until 1950.
Since the BG-25.1 badge is very similar but uses the second seal, this badge is
tentatively attributed to the late 1940's. The police uniforms were changed
in 1941 - perhaps the badges were changed at the same time and this badge
was adopted then. Note - Natalie Halpern was of
the opinion this was from the 1904-1910 era.
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Issurer
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The Panama Canal Company.
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Numbers Issued
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Pieces include #180 above.
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Rarity
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Rare.
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Manufacturer
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Unknown.
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Source
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Plumer Collection (ex-Natalie Halpern, 1985 sale for $85).
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Varieties
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None known.
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Function
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Police vest badge.
I would appreciate
e-mail from anyone who can add anything to the history of these badges.
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