CITY COLLECTION: H IS FOR HOBOKEN

H IS FOR HOBOKEN. It is a town some comedians makes a joke about every now and then. It's a little bigger then a postage stamp (1 Sq. Mi.), but has a great view of Manhattan.

Over one hundred years ago there was a park called Elysian Field in this town. It was here that, on June 19, 1846 that baseball was "born". A team from New York, in a real pitchers battle, beat a team called the Knickerbockers 23 - 1.

Today near the intersection of Sinatra Drive and Hudson St. is what is left of Elysian Field. There is a small brass plaque "inside" what was the park. It was set there to recognize baseballs roots. The guys in blue probably see that plaque on a daily basis.

The town's other claim to fame is "old blue eyes." Mr. Frank Sinatra was born here in 1915. Today there is a commemorative star in the sidewalk in front of 415 Monroe St. The City installed this marker to recognize where Sinatra's home was located. The place burned down in the 1970's. Today it is a vacant lot.

There are roughly 39,000 people living in this City. That figure grows substantially on election day. Approximately 180 men and women carry a badge here.

I have walked in this town on many occasions. My daughter lived on Garden St along with a few thousand other commuters. The City also has some great restaurants that just add to the crowds. There are people everywhere, especially around the railroad. Congestion is a fair word to say when describing Hoboken. As a result The City has to be serious with Jay Walkers and certainly Parking Violators.

A website called Hoboken411.com once published a picture of a H.P.D. Cruiser parked in front of a Bagel Shop. The left front wheel had "The boot" placed on it by a prankster. I can still visualize it, and get a laugh. I am sure some that some Lieutenant made a days work out of finding the perpetrator of this deed.

Well that bit of information gets me to my bagel, and this nice badge in my City Collection. As one can see it is a sunburst design. It is gold finish with reverse blue letters. It is in excellent condition. It reads: City of Hoboken, Police Dept, and on the bottom panel is the rank Lieutenant.

It is number seven in my City Display. It sure is a pretty sight and one that generates many memories.

CITY COLLECTION: E IS FOR ENGLEWOOD

"E" IS FOR ENGLEWOOD. This place is not in New Jersey's Top Ten. Nonetheless, as a City, it is represented in my NJ City Collection.

Where is this place? Actually it is in the New York Metropolitan Area. You all know that Captain Henry Hudson explored the place some 400 years ago. He didn't know then that he found New York & New Jersey. He thought it was New Amsterdam.

Hudson sailed all around what is now Newark Bay, Bayonne, Jersey City, and some river that now carries his name. He knew when he got to the area we call Englewood that it was time to "turn around."

For years after Hudson claimed this land for the Dutch nobody went to Englewood. The basic reason was the cliffs that made access from the water extremely difficult. Roads did not exist back then, and the trails were monitored by the local Indians. They weren't handing out maps or pointing the way. I don't think I have ever been there, but I know where it is.

The Detective shield, number 113, is sixth alphabetically in my display containing twenty-one "City" badges, including nine of the Top Ten. It is in excellent condition and dates back to the 1950's or mid 1960's.

This badge is shaped very much like the shields used in Newark, and N.Y.C. Their are some differences. First is the huge panel at the bottom displaying the number "113." The second difference is the recessed lettering, with black filled lettering.

The traditional shape badge, with an Eagle on top, is also in very nice shape. I keep this one in another display. The inscription at the top reads: Special, so this isn't a regular officer's shield. There is a multi color State Seal in the center of this badge, and it seems to be in need of some adjustment (slight turn to 12:00 position). I haven't touched it at all, and have no intention of doing so now.

While I like to look at my displays and recall some moment in time I can't say that these badges do that for me. I really cleared the cobwebs from my brain while looking at them, and nothing came up. For that reason I checked the history of this town and read about Old Henry Hudson. Maybe collectors older than me have a fond memory of him.