I found a wide variety of articles and memorabilia that once belonged to Aunt Marian in my parent’s attic. One of the more mysterious items is a box overflowing with miscellaneous military badges. Many appear to be used—a few look new.

How (and why) did Aunt Marian assemble this collection of badges? Did people trade badges?

One thought, but it may be totally off base (no pun intended)–Aunt Marian was stationed at Fort Ord on the Monterey  Peninsula in California in the mid-1950s, and worked for awhile at the Quartermasters Sales Store. Could she have somehow gotten the badges off used uniforms that one way or another ended up the store?