Okay, these aren't badges and there's no real bling involved, but I've been wanting to post this and this thread seems like the appropriate place.
Something I've wished for years would happen finally has. This past summer, Phi Mu Alpha's National Assembly authorized awards to mark 10, 25 and 50 years as a Sinfonian. I've waited to post until I found a good picture of the 50-year award, but it doesn't seem to be forthcoming anytime soon -- the only pictures I see are the 10- and 25-year awards -- so I'm going ahead and posting.
The awards are all circular lapel pins with a black and gold triangular emblem in the center. Each emblem is taken from our early history. I'm particularly fond of the 10-year award:
Yes, that it is a representation of the Mystic Cat as found on the cover of the second edition of
Sinfonia Songs (1914):
The 25-year award shows the design of a variant of our badge. This variant, in use by some chapters between 1906 and 1910, when our current badge was standardized (and also used as an emblem before and after 1910), was the first to include the letters
Φ,
Μ and
Α:
The 50-year pin bears the original version of our badge, which looked like our current badge except without the Greek letters, so the
S filled the enamel triangle. If I ever see a picture, I'll post it, but here's an emblem of that badge from the cover of an early
Sinfonian Yearbook:
There is a ceremony to go with each award and, except in special circumstances (like infirmity), the awards can only be presented by during that ceremony by a member's chapter, an alumni association or another chapter where the member lives, an official meeting of a province or a National Convention.
That's my update for today.