"C" is for CRANFORD. This is the 7th town in sequence in my Municipal Collection.
This is an old badge that has been part of my displays since the early 1980's. It is an unusual shape for a police badge, although I have seen this design in use in a few other departments.
I do not believe this style is in use anymore. I think they now use an oval shield.
The Town is located in Union County. It is a nice residential community having been created back in 1871. I wasn't there at the time.
I didn't live far from this community when I resided in The Garden State. I often drove through Cranford and recall seeing residents using their canoes on the Rahway River. This is still an attraction for the 20,000+ residents.
The badge that I have in my display was for a SERGEANT. That title is in the panel just under the Eagle on the top of the shield. Surrounding the multi colored State seal are the words: CRANFORD, NJ - POLICE.
I like this old badge and appreciate having it in my Municipal Collection.
I haven't finished writing about my MUNICIPAL COLLECTION yet. The way I am going it is going to take another year to finish. That will be just the right thing to keep me busy.
During the year (2011) I had the good fortune of adding a few badges to my primary interests: CITIES IN N.J., and the CITY OF NEWARK. I have displayed most of the additions as they come along, but to start the year I thought I would show how the Major Displays look at the moment.
In my CITY COLLECTION there are now 31 badges. They are from N.J.'s major cities plus a couple lesser spots on the Jersey Map.
The best addition last year was a Camden, NJ Police Badge (#97). It is huge. I think Gen. George Washington gave this shield to the PD in Camden right after "he" crossed the Delaware. The Camden Cops probably saved "Georgie" from a mugging following the big victory up in Trenton. OK, the Badge is not that old, but I'd say it is at least 100 years of age, and one that I am very happy to own.
In my CITY OF NEWARK COLLECTION I picked up two nice pieces to add to the specific display I have on N.P.D. antiques badges. One badge acquired during 2011 is a Chancemen Badge # C-93 with matching Hat shield.
The Chanceman was the rank given to new officers in the department. This badge is distinguishable from the regular badge by only the letter "C" in the number box. It is a rarer badge then others in Newark's radiator edition.
Another fine addition is a Second Edition Badge marked only with the word "POLICE." It has the number 50 stamped in the number box. The City Seal is the only marking on this badge to let one know it is from Newark, NJ It is a beauty, and now rests with a twin in my display.
Pictured above are the display cases and the individual items described in this post.
