My Badge Was Stolen

[lake]

My apartment was burglarized a few weeks ago. They didn't get much in monetary value, but they did take some small jewelry items with much sentimental value, including my Tri Delta badge. I had also rescued a vintage Tri Delta badge online (paid for with Christmas gift money from my parents), and of course that's gone now too.

I'm over the shock of the burglary and feel more angry than violated (how dare someone come into my home and go through and help themselves to my things??!!), but I'm just heartsick over losing the badges. It makes me just sick to think those items might end up for sale online somewhere or in a pawn shop or flea market. The police were especially interested in my description of the badge, since it has my name and initials. Presumably because it's helpful identifying info maybe? And I e-mailed the detective a picture of what they look like (unfortunately the other vintage badge I rescued didn't have markings on the back).

I already obtained the paperwork from Tri Delta to order a replacement badge, and hope to do that soon, but I still long for the stolen badges. Can anyone else relate? If you lost your original badge and then got a replacement, did it feel the same? Did it have less meaning because it wasn't your original badge?

Or...did your initials or member number or other markings on it help reunite it with you? I feel kind of guilty too that my badge is now just "out there" instead of with me. My badges are/were so meaningful and precious to me, and I could never understand how a badge ends up for sale online or elsewhere (was it stolen? did its owner die? did the original owner sell it themselves?) and now mine are part of that sad situation.