anyone have any idea what this is????????

[Morris]

I have no idea it looks navey and looks to be gold?

Morris
Ocala,FL

 

[ThatCannonballGuy]

Well... "Insignia" isn't particullarly my area of deep knowledge, but I know enough to tell you a couple of things about your find. Of course, it'd help for you to tell us more info - such as, was it dug in a spot associated with other military relics (or not). A battlefield or fort, or a public park, or a churchyard? Is it thin "stamped" metal, or (heavier) solid-cast metal? Also, there's noting in the photo with it to provide scale, so I've got to ask, what is its size?

(1) The "style" of your insignia is what is called "false embroidery" ...because it has the appearance of embroidery even though it is made of metal, not thread.

(2) The loop at the top indicates it functioned as a "pendant" of some sort ...hanging from a sailor's medal, or on a watch-chain, or as part of a hat-insignia, or (uh-oh) a modern era zipper-pull.

I've seen some 20th-century Navy insignia which has a very similar shape to yours - but that doesn't mean your item is from the 20th century. Hopefully there's an Insignia expert around here who'll be able to tell you something more definite about your item than I can.

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy

 

[Anonymous]

I would say 20th century and most likely not very old. Rope and anchor is a Navy thing. The insignia appears to have feathers or leaves surrounding the anchor. Pendant is my thoughts as C-guy suggests. Any Naval stations nearby? Good hunting, David @ Dixie

 

[ThatCannonballGuy]

You may find this hard to believe... but when I wrote my previous reply a visual memory kept nagging me. I wasn't quite certain about where I had seen your peculiar wreathed-anchor insignia ... not certain enough to mention it publicly without doing some research first. But now I've done the necessary websearching, and I found it. : )

I guess relic-hunters have an "eye" for wreathed insignia. ;-)

Here's where my visual-memory came from... a movie... "The Hunt For Red October." It has a scene showing Captain Ramius wearing his officer's cap, close enough that you see the insignia on it clearly. The peculiar "feathery" wreath stuck in my mind.

Your insignia is a cold-war era Soviet (USSR) Navy Officer's cap insignia. The ring at its top held an enameled red star (missing on the one you found).

In my websearching, I found lots of them on E-Bay ...and at several other modern-militaria websites. I saw some slightly different "models" of this particular insignia. Sometimes the anchor varies a bit. But the "gold" wreath is always the same.

I'll attach some photos so you can see everything for yourself.

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy (Pete George)

 

[John in Florida]

n/t

 

[jsamsky]

CannonballGuy strikes again.

 

[ThatCannonballGuy]

Ummm... (blush) ...thanks, Jsamsky.

Sherlock Holmes said (more than once) to his friend Watson, "My good man, you see but you do not observe!"

With those words, Holmes revealed "the great secret" to acquiring Knowledge.

regards,
TheCannonballGuy

 

[ThatCannonballGuy]

John in Florida wrote:
"Incredible. You are the MASTER!!

Thanks John.

But... naw... I'm not. A Master knows everything. I know that I don't ...and sometimes my guess is spectacularly incorrect. ;-)

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy