CITY COLLECTION: T IS FOR TRENTON

T is for Trenton. This is a major City for sure.

Trenton is in the history books and should be known by all Americans, at least those who have paid attention to their U.S. History lessons. The City is on the Delaware River which separates New Jersey from Pennsylvania.

During the Revolution our soldiers hung out in the fields of Bucks County in Pa. Their leader was General Washington. Rather then let his troops sing Christmas Carols he decided it would be cool to forge across the river and surprise the enemy in, of all places, Trenton, N.J. on Dec. 26, 1776.

Now I don't know what liquor was being shared by the enemy (Hessian Soldiers), but when "George", and his troops, showed up it was a huge Christmas surprise.

Washington's attack on Trenton was a major victory and helped lead to the establishment of our Democracy. It contributed to the end of taxation without representation, and overseas rule.

Today the liquor and soldiers are gone. The barracks, however, still stand and have become became a National landmark. After the War Trenton served as our US Capital for a brief time. In fact it didn't become the State Capital until late 1790.

After Democracy got its' start, the guys in Trenton turned New Jersey, despite its' small geographical size, into a National hub. The State, and its' capital, were in key locations for river and ocean transportation, world commerce, and naturally politics.

Today Trenton is well known for great political concepts. These include: Income Tax, Real Estate Tax, Sales Tax and Massive Debt.

History might just be repeating itself. Keep an eye on this State. One might detect tea in the waters again. Of course the new rebellion will be peaceful, because that is our current nature. In addition the Trenton Police Force now protects this City, its' surrounding streets, and the barracks. There will be no surprise attacks.

Police have been in existence in some form since the early 1700's. Initially the "Cop" on the beat in those early days was a Constable. Later there was a City Marshal. He was able to hire officers to do the job, and saw his job title change to Chief. His "force" became the Trenton P.D. in the mid 1800's

Over the forty years of collecting badges I have acquired just two badges from this Department. The silver shield with the eagle on top is a real treasure in my City Collection. This item is silver. It has a nice shape with finely detailed wreaths on the sides. The lettering is precise and has no color added to it as in the modern badges. The City Seal is in the center.

In the early 1900's the second pictured badge became the badge used by Trenton's fine officers. It is a traditional design and now shows recessed letters. The letters are filled with black enamel and simply read: Trenton Police (NJ).

In the center of the second badge is again the City Seal. Only a few municipalities in NJ have their own seal at the center of their badges. It is quite unique and attractive.

Both of these items are believed to be authentic. They have been in this collection for a good twenty years and serve as a major part of the my "City Collection." They are on display in a large case where they all remind me of yesterday and many fond memories.