Badge Trends?

[BetaIotaDZ]

Greek Chat is my fraternity newspaper. There are four or five threads I check when I go on the Internet and the new history thread is going to go to the top of my “must reads”. Badge Trends has been an ongoing favorite – bling, history – what’s not to like.

I am a collector. I see collecting (baseball cards or badges) as a hobby, not something immoral. I am interested in the groups that merged with DZ or (if I know of them) merged locals. But I don’t have most groups because, dealers have found this market and big bucks collectors are causing it to bear prices that I will not pay for a hobby. I say bummer, not blasphemy. Without an active market place, I think many of these treasures would not be recognized by their holders and thus lost. Surely most of the oldest fraternity badges are goners, not even to be found by the archeologists of our graveyards.

I do not know what becomes of the badges returned to my organization. But at a biennial convention of the group in which my daughter is initiated, I bought her a badge that had been returned to that HQ. I have assumed that the “return it or be buried wearing it” provisions were developed just so the badge would not be considered regular jewelry and then worn by a non-member.

Wouldn’t collectors of GLO badges put their finds in a dusty vault, or better, in a fancy shadow box, lined up like the Baird’s Manual photographs with badges of all the college fraternities as of that edition? I just do not see these collections being worn as tie tacks or to impersonate membership. Big bucks collectors, if you exist as envisioned, please consider a tax deduction for donating your assembled collection to the Library of Congress so we can dispel the urban legends about our badge(s) already being on display there.

[badgeguy]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I always find this argument humorous. When would you be saving a badge from scrap that a member would gladly scoop it up? Most times collectors outbid actual members on priceless pieces that are never meant for the scrap heap so peddle that garbage somewhere else.

To this all I can say is where are all of these "members" here in the Cincinnati area "to gladly scoop it up"?? Of all the antique shops, pawn shops, an gold buyer shops here in the area, I know of exactly 2 people who regularly check to see if any items have been sold to these shops.....the sad fact is that it's usually the members, or their families who sell off these items to these shops becuase they either need the money or they do not any better to send these pins an stuff back to the respective HQ....if its not from some defunct group.

About the "badge business" aspect. The reality to this is that since gold spiked up over $1000 an ounce, the almighty $$$ will win out over morality. I do not fully agree with this philosophy, but like everything else in this country, if there are people who are willin to spend the money on something, there will be those who will sell it, and hope that they make the most $$$ doing so.

So goes the "American way."

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by BetaIotaDZ

I am a collector. I see collecting (baseball cards or badges) as a hobby, not something immoral. I am interested in the groups that merged with DZ or (if I know of them) merged locals. But I don’t have most groups because, dealers have found this market and big bucks collectors are causing it to bear prices that I will not pay for a hobby.

I think you hit the distinction I was seeing -- those who collect as a hobby versus those who deal in badges for profit.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

To this all I can say is where are all of these "members" here in the Cincinnati area "to gladly scoop it up"?? Of all the antique shops, pawn shops, an gold buyer shops here in the area, I know of exactly 2 people who regularly check to see if any items have been sold to these shops.....the sad fact is that it's usually the members, or their families who sell off these items to these shops becuase they either need the money or they do not any better to send these pins an stuff back to the respective HQ....if its not from some defunct group.

About the "badge business" aspect. The reality to this is that since gold spiked up over $1000 an ounce, the almighty $$$ will win out over morality. I do not fully agree with this philosophy, but like everything else in this country, if there are people who are willin to spend the money on something, there will be those who will sell it, and hope that they make the most $$$ doing so.

So goes the "American way."

I doubt very seriously at Cincinnati has historic badges popping up monthly in their pawn shops monthly to be rescued by you. I honestly am of the opinion that if they find a badge that is not historic and want to melt it down for the gold, Go AHEAD. There is no special magic in it. Claiming you are during some altruistic service when you are clearly not is absurd. Admit what you do and own it.

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

I know of exactly 2 people who regularly check to see if any items have been sold to these shops.

So you know everyone who's looking/checking? That's patently absurd and doesn't support your case.

Originally Posted by badgeguy

....the sad fact is that it's usually the members, or their families who sell off these items to these shops becuase they either need the money or they do not any better to send these pins an stuff back to the respective HQ....if its not from some defunct group.

And what relevance is this? The "fact" is that badges land in various places, for various reasons.

Originally Posted by badgeguy

About the "badge business" aspect. The reality to this is that since gold spiked up over $1000 an ounce, the almighty $$$ will win out over morality. I do not fully agree with this philosophy, but like everything else in this country, if there are people who are willin to spend the money on something, there will be those who will sell it, and hope that they make the most $$$ doing so.

So goes the "American way."

How can you write that you do not fully agree with this philosophy when you do exactly that? I stated the facts of our "transaction" which you cannot dispute, nor have you. And you know that I have all the emails to support what I wrote. You didn't rescue a Dyer and do me any favors. You know it. Stop pretending otherwise. You made a lot of money selling it to me. You did no favors to anyone. Own it.

Instead you came back to this issue, and took another tack to try to have the last word ("see what a good guy I am?") and it's brought you right back to where you started. Are you happy now? Do you see that having the last word has finally revealed what you truly are to those who are reading? I'm sticking to what you did with the Dyer and I am not going to bring up another situation, which everyone knows about, and which you'd like to pretend doesn't exist. But you can't make that one right either. Don't even try. I have those emails also. And I also have emails relating to a third situation. You really do need to stop. I politely told you that three pages ago. You're not helping yourself.

Consider this: not everyone is out to make a buck. I'll take my ethics over deceit, greed and dishonesty for all the money in the world.

[AZTheta]

Getting back on track: here's an 1888 badge that was recently given to the Theta archives! Love the stickpin chapter guard. Hoping I can get HQ to share a photo of the back. We even have a photo of the original owner wearing this badge...

http://

[AOII Angel]

I was at AOII headquarters this weekend and wanted to literally break into our museum cases to get reasonable pictures of some of the jewelry inside. There were stick pin pledge pins that I'd never seen before. Unfortunately, they were displayed on the side of the case in the corner, so no amount of angling could produce a good picture. A new tree of convention charms was also on display. I don't have enough time to look at them all.

[badgeguy]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

So you know everyone who's looking/checking? That's patently absurd and doesn't support your case.

Well, I know who ISN'T looking for these pins, whenever I stop by any of the shops in town to see what items they've gotten in recently, they all say there was only one other person who has an interest in these also, he buys everything........and that in turn keeps these pawn shops and antique malls from just melting these pins down and saving them to hopefully get bought by someone.

[AZ-AlphaXi]

Love love the stick pin chapter guard on the Theta badge.

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by AZ-AlphaXi

Love love the stick pin chapter guard on the Theta badge.

It's just incredible, isn't it? There is one missing pearl, oh well... I think that adds to the charm. Do you want to read the story? Any interest? I can post the link.

[AOII Angel]

There's a story? The link doesn't work for me.

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

There's a story? The link doesn't work for me.

See if this works

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

See if this works

I love it.

[AGD1978]

SWTXBelle and AzTheta, after seeing the family photo and reading about Miss Demaree and her badge, I have to say I've been THOROUGHLY reinforced as to the whole meaning of legacy. Wow! Badge Trends never fails!

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by AzTheta

Getting back on track: here's an 1888 badge that was recently given to the Theta archives! Love the stickpin chapter guard. Hoping I can get HQ to share a photo of the back. We even have a photo of the original owner wearing this badge...

http://

The badge is beautiful and the stick pin is lovely. The badge is from Beta Chapter which is my school Indiana, so I really appreciate its historical value!