Cap Badge Size

[Dram]

Greetings,

Recently recieved what I had originally thought was a clan crest cap badge but it appears to be slightly on the small side.

The badge is 1 5/8 by 1 7/8 or just a little over one and a half inches wide and almost two inches from the top to the bottom the garter tip.

This is an antique, although I don't know how old. It's marked sterling silver on the back with no other marks, so I am not quite sure how old it is.

Were cap badges of the past slightly smaller than the standard pewter ones we see today?

Thanks,

[RockyR]

Perhaps it was a bit smaller to save a bit on Silver costs...

[Dram]

I suppose It's possible. It's an odd size. Seems small to be a cap badge but too large to be a pin.

Granted I am accustomed to looking at the largish cap badges we see today so maybe this was more the accepted size in the past?

[svc40bt]

These current silver cap badges are 1 5/8 X 2 1/8

http://www.crestbadges.com/index.html

These pewter ones are listed as 1.6 X 2

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/products/clan-cap-badge/

Seems yours is in the normal range.

[Dram]

Thanks for the info.

[Jock Scot]

I don't think there is a standard size bonnet badge, particularly with the older ones. Funnily enough, I have noticed that the Scots of the older generation have tended to go for the larger sizes and mine is(just measured it) a wee tad over 2 inches across and was made in 1899. Yours sounds as though it fits in the pretty normal size range.

[Dram]

Thanks Jock et al.

Here is picture comparing a rather modern pewter? (left MacLachlan) and the antique silver (right Henderson) cap badges.

As you can see, there is a considerable size departure. The MacLachlan is nearly 2.5 from top to bottom of garter and is 2" accross. It also weighs a ton. The Henderson is sized, as mentioned above...just under 2" tall.

My glen will probably be a lot more comfortable to wear with the Henderson badge.

[Dram]

I put the small badge on the cap, and despite it being a lot smaller than what I have been accustomed to, it doesn't look bad. I was concerned it was going to be lost in the cap.

[davidlpope]

I have a MacMillan badge of the same type. I find that I like it better than the modern badges. Good find!

David

[Dram]

I have a MacMillan badge of the same type. I find that I like it better than the modern badges. Good find!

David

Thanks David.

I have gotten to like it now. When I first saw it I was worried it was too small, but once on the cap it seemed fine.

Only issue now is that I see someone has coated it with acrylic or something to keep the silver from tarnishing. I've heard this suggested before, for large silver collections but I don't think a little cap badge is too difficult to polish from time to time.