RANK SET REACHED - FT. LEE, NJ

 

 

 
Fort Lee is a little community on the Hudson River. When the lights go out there ared 14,000 saying their nightly prayers and, going to sleep in this metropolis, across from New York City. 

When the Sun comes up the daily commuters, that travel through Fort Lee, will bring the population figure up to well over 100,000. The reason is the Bridge pictured above.

This is not just a Bridge, but the very well know George Washington Bridge (GWB). It stretches across the Hudson River into Manhattan. The Bridge makes Fort Lee an important location on the Jersey side of the Hudson River.

Besides the Bridge, Ft. Lee was also know as the Capital of the motion picture industry. I learned that when I visited Thomas Edison's Museum.  Edison  planted the roots for today's' Major Motion Picture Studios in the late 1800's.

As Badge Collections go, these fine antiques, are part of what I call my "Municipal Collection." My original goal was to collect one badge from as many municipalities (over 500) as I could. I had two specific requirements:  First they could not be from a City (Different Collection); and Second the Badge must be in the NY-NJ traditional shape.
 
I did get lucky with this Borough. While I collected a traditional shape Officer's shield,  I managed to obtain a total of six shields, one for each rank.  Of course they did not all come to me at once. 

The Sergeant Badge came to me first in the mid 1980's. I always loved the light blue background in the ring, behind an impressive gold State Seal. On the outside ring the blue is darker, with the words  "Borough of Ft Lee Police Dept."

The Officer Shield is the traditional shape I set my focus. It is very well known design, and used in hundreds of municipalities on the East Coast. The State Seal is stamped, from the rear then plated. The numbers (319) appear in an open box on the bottom. Beneath the box are the stamped State letters "NJ."

In the years that followed, I obtained a Lieutenant Badge, and a Captain Badge. They do not look alike at all. 

The Lieutenant's Badge seems a bit bigger, and has an applied "multi color State Seal." That is different from all the other rank badges from Ft. Lee. My feeling is this Lieutenant Badge possibly an "off duty" shield, and certainly a newer production. There also no Eagle on is' top. I assume the bird was for the top three ranks.

The Captain Badge. is an old timer for sure. Focus on the State Seal. It is consistent with the other badges, with the exception of the Lieutenant, and Patrolmen. That type of State Seal is vintage for sure, and makes this Captain's Badge truly rare.

The surprise of this collection was the most recent addition. It was the rank of Inspector. I was not aware that Ft. Lee had this title in their Police Department.  An Eagle sits on top of the shield, but the primary attraction is at center point. It is the N.J. State Seal, in a light blue field, which helps identify this Badge as vintage and rare. 

The head of this collection is the badge for the Chief.  It features a row of  four silver stars on its' top. If they are not enough the word Chief is nicely located in reverse blue/gold lettering at the bottom. In the center is an ornate State Seal. It is located in a round dark blue field.

Like all the Badges in my collection these six items reside under glass, and hang in a locked case. They are a rank set, and they are treasured. 

WANTED

 

WANTED!  BY NEW  JERSEY COLLECTOR

Looking for  Badges, Handcuffs, Whistles or Pictures from

Municipal Police or County Probation Departments with

a particular interest in all items from City of  Newark.

 

Contact:

DENNIS BEYER 

 email: denb22@GMAIL.COM

Collecting 50 Years, and Producer of

"badgecollector.blogspot.com"

 

AUCTION SITE FOR COLLECTORS

 

A new auction Site has been advertised in PC News in the Jan.-Feb. Edition.

The site is for collectors of Law Enforcement Memorabilia. It is a nice looking creation, and already has over 800 members.

The Address is:  http//auction.collectors-badges.com

NEWARK POLICE TELEPHONE OPERATOR BADGE

Today we use cell phones. They're usually small and fit right in your back pocket. They are really terrific, being able to: google info, take and send pictures, store notes, and, yes, make a direct call to your wife, your girlfriend, or HQ. 

To really appreciate the modern cell phone, you should look at the history of the "old land line" and its' roots. You will see that your calls worked through Desk and Wall Phones, Pay Phones and miles of Telephone Lines. It didn't take long for hundred's of calls to flood certain numbers (such as MI 2 5400).

In order to deal with call volume businesses, and the Newark Police Department, used "Switchboards" to direct calls to specific Officers. The city cops used Telephone Operators to route all their calls. They were the forerunner of today's "911" Operators.

In the 1930's a Badge was actually issued to the staff assigned to telephone duty. I obtained one, and reported on it years ago. Now it is time to look at it again.

This badge is old. It is in pretty good condition. It is definitely cool!  Hard to believe that Newark Police issued a Badge for the "Telephone Operator." But the did!

It is a badge that is built over a Sergeant or Lieutenants Badge. The necessary changes were accomplished by adding two panels to the original version of the badge. 

The top "new panel" reads "Telephone," and the bottom "new panel" reads "Operator." The number 22 is also on a separate, small number box on the bottom. 

The sections of the badge that read "Police" and "Newark, NJ" are part of original badge. Those letters are stamped into position from the rear and have a raised appearance.

In the center of the item is a Seal from the City of Newark. It looks to be set on the badge prior to plating.

This particular shape badge was rendered obsolete in mid 1950's. Little else is known about it, but it definitely is worthy of display. Today it is under glass, and hangs in a nice display in my museum.

 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

  

Now here is a neat piece of history, even if it isn't a badge. 

This is an "Official Warning Ticket" that was used by Officers of the  POLICE DIVISION of the (NEWARK)   DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC SAFETY. 

This "Warning" was authorized by John A Brady, who served as Assistant Supervisor of Public Safety. That means he was the N.P.D. Chief's boss.

It is estimated that this "Warning" dates back to 1950 +/-. This would be when Newark still had a Commissioner Type of Government. The Mayor-Council Type of Government came into being between 1967-75.

The item is in very good condition. It is 3.5" inches by 7.0 inches on printed on a heavy manila paper. The word "Warning" is centered so you can't miss it in bold (half inch) black letters. 

When I worked in the Essex County Probation Department I obtained a few pieces of  Newark paper on my windshield. I never saw the word Warning on any of those tickets, but then again I never saw the 'signs' that read "No Parking." Those things are just bad memories, but the document pictured above is a nice piece of History that I am pleased to have, along with other Newark items, in my collection, that I have written about in the past. They are good memories.

 

WANTED

 

 

WANTED!  BY NEW  JERSEY COLLECTOR

Looking for  Badges, Handcuffs, Whistles or Pictures from

Municipal Police or County Probation Departments with

a particular interest in all items from City of  Newark.

 

Contact:

DENNIS BEYER 

 email: denb22@GMAIL.COM

Collecting 50 Years, and Producer of

"badgecollector.blogspot.com"

TRENTON, NJ'S CAPITAL CITY

 

As a Badge Collector my focus, after fifty years in the hobby, has been centered on my home City of Newark. On the way to completing that collection I have created some displays that are other NJ Municipalities.

I never emphasized TRENTON which is the Capital City. One reason is that I just never found many of their badges to trade or purchase.

Over the years I did stumble on two early Badges from New Jersey's Capital. They were acquired as far back as 30 years ago. The oldest is number 60. The newest is numbered 33. 

These two badges are almost identical. The differences is slight. Number 33 has a little wider body. It also has add on numerals. They also are set on a slight angle. They look like they may have changed a few times before this badge went its' merry way to the collectors world.

Both badges are somewhat worn, with number 60 still in excellent shape.  Despite the wear you can clearly see, in raised letters, "TRENTON CITY POLICE" around the centered City Seal. 

It is the "Seal" that tells you this is an authentic badge from Trenton. Of the five hundred (+) New Jersey Municipalities, most use a "State Seal." Trenton uses their distinct City Seal. 
 
On the back of number 33 you can see that the pin at some point in time was replaced. It is held together in a "mound" of solder. It certainly does not look like the manufacturers work, so probably a  do it yourself repair job. The "C" catch also looks to have been replaced. It too has excess solder holding it in place.

 My first Trenton Badge, number 60, is in far better condition, both front and rear. There are no issues with the pin, clasp or numerals.

Both of these fine pieces of history have found a home in what I call: City Collections Display. My goal (a long, long time ago) was to obtain the Top Ten N.J. Cities. Along the way to that goal I got a few more.

In that quest, for the "Big Ten," I have obtained a representative from 30 different Cities. I certainly like them, and I am proud to have them. They are all under glass in a nice display case that hangs on my wall.

All the badges hanging  in my den give me a nice feeling every day when I look at them. Most of them tell a story or tweak a memory. Guess that is why, after fifty years, I still collect them.