Why are Greek badges so tiny?

[LXA1994]

I've wondered this for a long time. Why are Greek pins/badges so small? I'm very curious, as I feel like larger badges would be more difficult to lose, no?

I am a Lambda Chi, and I understand that our tradition is to wear our badge on our innermost shirt - not like our undershirt, but our white dress shirt, so that when we remove our coats, our pins are exposed. So in this instance I understand (kind of) why our pins are so small.

Having small pins also makes it less expensive to have one with gold (and in LXA's tradition, with pearls).

Why are Greek pins so small? Have they always been this way?

[naraht]

Oddly enough Alpha Phi Omega's service and pledge pins more or less doubled in size in the 1960s, but these pins are even today under $10.

[thetalady]

Speaking only for Theta, I know that our badges were larger at our founding. Gold and stones are very expensive, so I can understand badges shrinking in size. In addition, a large, heavy badge would weigh down & tear delicate fabric on a woman's blouse, so we needed a lighter badge :-)

[naraht]

Remember also, that back when College men wore jackets, the pins may have gone through the buttonholes. Our (Alpha Phi Omega) early pins had a post with a screw thread on it and the back screwed onto that. I'm not sure that would have dealt with large size as well...

[Tom Earp]

LXA Brothers can wear their Badges on the coat lapels when in dress attire.

LXA can also get just plain Badges figured into their Initiation costs.

As to size, they are usually small and not big! Big can be gaudy so to speak! LOL. If you look on line for Badge costs, they are not cheap depending on the gems involved.

If you are interested in a very nice LXA Badge P M Me and we can get together on gems and price! Most a heck of a lot cheaper than from buying from Manufactorer.