BADGE COLLECTOR: April 2026

Monday, April 6, 2026

EAST ORANGE: THE CROSSROADS OF NEW JERSEY

This Badge is from the "Crossroads of New Jersey" - East Orange. That just so happens to be my birthplace.

This Badge was issued well before the Garden State Parkway or I-280 were ever thought of. The shape of this badge parallels the NYC Captain's Badge, however at the Center Point of this Badge there is a classic NJ State Seal in a blue field.

It has been in my collection close to fifty years. I still regard it as a "keeper," even though I have scaled my Collection back.

Thanks for allowing me to share a view of this item with you.

ORIGIN OF MY COLLECTION

1967 was the year of the Newark Riots. My Dad was a Newark Detective near the end of his career; and I was just beginning a career as a Probation Officer. Shortly after the riots my Dad gave me a couple of badges he acquired over the years. They sat around in a desk drawer for a couple of years. Eventually I put them on a shelf - never knowing that this was the beginning of my collection. My father died in 1974 leaving me his retirement detective shield. The word "Retired" had been put in the number panel. He didn't like that and knocked it off. He had the original number put back, but this was absolutely "no work of art." None the less I am proud to have it. It stands today "under glass" in my den along with other items from Newark and other NJ communities. I have been "The" Badge Collector ever since (50+ years).

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For information contact author at: denb22@gmail.com