Now, I thought the "City Collection" was done quite a while ago. Guess not, as I recently obtained this beauty at a badge show in Florida.
My first thought was, where am I going to place it. There just isn't much room in the display case I have, and there isn't any room on the wall for a bigger case (Just ask my wife).
I decided to do the old squeeze play. That means I moved some smaller old detective shields closer making room for this ancient badge from Atlantic City, N.J.
The shape is quite common in NJ, and has become my favorite. The item is made in a generic form for various (several hundred) municipalities. A State Seal is stamped into the badge, along with the letters "NJ" at the bottom. When a community made a purchase, the agency name was stamped into the top panels. In this case the panels read "Atlantic City - Police."
On the bottom of the badge is a number box. Normally numbers are added here, but not on this badge with rank. Instead there is a full panel that contains the word "Sergeant" in reverse blue lettering. As Sergeant Badges go, this one isn't very impressive, and looks like "all the others (Just ask my wife)."
What makes this badge different, is what you can't see. Forget the shape, the stamped State Seal, and the identification panels. Forget the worn, black enamel filled lettering at the top. What makes this a badge of interest, for me, is it comes from a municipality designated to be a "City." Out of N.J.'s 500+ municipalities there are only 45-50 legitimate Cities.
In addition this badge comes from New Jersey's most popular tourist destination. It is well known through out the world for its gorgeous beach, Boardwalk, Steel Pier, and Casino's.
These facts are important. They make this addition to my collection very desirable and collectible (Now where is my wife so I can explain all these facts)".
Well without taking up any additional wall space I have placed this badge in my City Collection, where it is one of thirty-eight (38). As an "A" it rests near the top (The wife told me to alphabetize my collections, and I listened). It is in a nice oak case, under glass, with lock and key. I am quite happy to have it, as well as the fond memories I have from the Board Walk and yearly Conventions in Old A.C.
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