Mike McLellan

I just added an example to the little pile of rattles shown. It's a Parker Field rattle from 1870s. What's nice about this thing is that a portion of the manufacturer's label is intact. It seems to contain detailed instructions for its use.

I have recently learned that the Glasgow armband was not issued during the Great War as I had presumed, but rather a bit later, during the 1926 general strike. It also seems to be somewhat scarce.

Hello gentlemen. Despite everything that's going on around the planet this year, I've managed to forage through the back alleys and dung heaps, and have added a couple of long-sought-after trinkets for my Specials box. The white enamel badges are quite recent acquisitions and the the Glasgow SC armband is an exciting find. If you squint just right, you can make out the Glasgow coat of arms on it. I haven't seen another one like it anywhere, including John Green's wonderful book on Scottish Police Insignia.

Small world.

Holy cow. Free postage? Pretty tempting.

The ribbon, in B&W photos, resembles an American bronze star. It is, in fact, for service on the Eastern Front, or Russian front. So called because bodies of frozen corpses were “staged” along the trail for dramatic effect.

Reminds me of the “Sgt. Pepper” album cover. Lots to look at.

Paul, those are Claudio’s beautiful bars! I tried to “quote” him. It didn’t quite turn out right. I wish they mine. Hell, I wish I could just touch them! Mike

Well worth the wait. Very nice. Mike

A police medal of some sort?

Amazing! Not only that, but I have to confess that I surreptitiously crept back into your archives to see your earlier posts with pictures. They are ALL amazing. I promise not to tell anyone, though. 😁 Mike.

Hi Swainy’s Boy. Thanks for the link. It’s always a treat to look over your, and your dad’s, incredible collection. It’s hard to decide on a favorite among so many beautiful pieces. Mike.

That is an amazing photo. Talk about, “Good cop / Bad cop”. What a team!

All right, Nightbreak! Now you’re talking. Very nice tipstaves, especially the one from Edinburgh. I think you’re right about the crown. I’m not sure if the Scottish version of the Royal arms treats the Hanover inescutcheon any differently than the English version, but, either way, I think the date would be later than 1801. Very cool. Mike

Another beautiful tipstaff, Brian. Mervyn must have thought very highly of you, and valued your friendship. Both tipstaves merit a place of honor in your collection as well as in your home. Thanks for sharing. Mike.

gmic.co.uk: 3.weblocHi CollectorinTheUSA. Interesting topic. When you began this thread, I was hoping that you would post some photos of a couple of tipstaves from your collection. Almost exactly two years ago, in a thread simply titled "Mervyn", you told a wonderful story of how you acquired two tipstaves directly from Mervyn, with a promise to post photos. We've been waiting and now I must insist! Okay, maybe "beg" is a better term. Can we see those tipstaves. I've added a link to the original post to refresh your memory. Well, maybe the link won't work. Anyway, your thread is dated 2/28/17

This is a real beauty of a tipstaff (The stand is first rate too). I'm not sure what Mervyn meant when he referred to this as a "decorative" tipstaff. It is certainly a serious piece of identification, not to be confused with a bauble or decorative trinket, and I’m sure that Mervyn did not wish to imply that it was. For more than 150 years, all of the men who were charged with the enforcement or regulatory functions of all of the disparate laws of the land were identified as such by a tipstaff, as a symbol of office. There were probably thousands of these things in use over that time. Many of

As always, an excellent DIY tutorial. Thanks for sharing a bit of knowledge. Mike.

Very nice. I suppose the missus would be unimpressed if you explained to her that a few dozen sandbags would achieve an even cooler trenchy look.

Well, I think it’s time for a slide show! Mike

If the condition of those badges is any indication of how hard those guys had to work, I don’t think that I’d be a good fit for those units! Very nice collection, and welcome to GMIC. Mike

There is a wonderful mural in the Detroit Institute of Arts painted by the world famous Diego Rivera. I’ve not seen another mural, until this moment, that I’ve admired as much. What a beautiful piece of wall art. Absolutely stunning. I wish I could see it in person. Thanks for posting!

Thanks Craig. Mike.