Collectors today have found that military patches are relatively inexpensive to ship, with the majority of these patches being very reasonably priced, especially when you take into consideration the fact that as a collector you are acquiring a piece of history. Generally, collectors do not have any problem locating the patches or insignias they are searching for, because the number of military patches and insignias available are limitless.



The majority of collectors will use the Internet as a way of buying, selling, trading, and researching patches and insignias, which basically means that there is a wider access for collectors to a wider variety of patches, insignias, and information than there ever has been before. Several collectors may choose to collect military patches and insignias simply because of the sense of pride they feel toward their country and all those soldiers who have lost their lives in their fight for freedom. Military patches are proudly displayed on uniforms of servicemen and women and will always be sought after by collectors.

Military patches and insignias are actually designed to show loyalty and courage, which are quite colorful and unique. Military patches are worn by all branches of the military service and some collectors have decided to collect them from one specific branch, while other collectors will collect them from a variety of military branches. There are two common types of military patches and insignias, which includes shoulder insignias and unit patches. Shoulder insignias are typically worn on the sleeves of soldiers of the uniform to indicate their rank. A unit patch will reveal the soldiers unit that they are assigned to.

Collectors who collect military patches and insignia, may also collect medals, knives, bayonets, surplus equipment, clothing, helmets, hats, combat boots, dog tags, and other military supplies and collectibles. If a collector is curious about a certain war or if the collector has interest in a particular war, then they may collect patches and insignias from that war. The United States Army has produced insignia using a variety of embroidery that was done with machine techniques, with some of them being very old and having very nice characteristic features.

The first embroidery work was done in the United States during the late 1880s on Irish swing-needle machines, but domestic machines were also used and these techniques are still used by other countries that embroider patches with great skill and artistry. The United States Army actually wore tunics and jackets in khaki color from World War II to the late 1950s, but the official name of this color was olive drab shade number 33 or number 51. Patches on the shoulder from this period were either a tan color with a pale khaki edge or they had no edging at all.

Collectors found that United States servicemen within Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines had a unique charm of their own. Other patches, such as the Thai-made patches are the finest, which used small panels of matched silk to make up the background colors, but the least favorite patches were the Vietnamese-made due to the fact that they were often put together on a domestic sewing machine.