Field Guide
What Are Old Military Patches Worth?
The spread in this category is enormous. Two patches from the same footlocker can be worth three dollars and nine hundred dollars, and nothing about their condition tells you which is which.
Think you have one? Text a photo to (949) 449-1255
By Sam Wingenbach and Jake Cover, the buyers who make our house calls · Updated August 23, 2026
Read the transcript
Hi guys, today we're talking about military stuff, right? Check this out. Very cool. 1940s Air Force jacket. Gotta love this right here. Man, the things that this thing has experienced, right? So, very special. You're going to look for Talon zipper. Does it say Talon? Sometimes it says Conmar. Two different brands from the, say, 30s to the 60s. Talon or Conmar, you're looking at probably something legitimate military. There was many reproductions of military jackets. There's many things that look like bomber jackets and leather stuff that is just a cool repro. Something just to wear and enjoy, but not from the actual military. This is a great example. So, also you can always tell kind of, if you see a contract number or a stock number or a specification, certain kind of number with a bunch of things. Matter of fact, 1944. Sometimes if you learn how to read these, you get really in the weeds on it. But sometimes there's a year in this patch right here, if it's a real one. I digress. All right. What else do we have here? Military. Yes, believe it or not, this is military. This is called a souvenir jacket, right? So, the GIs, Rick, thank you for your service. The GIs, after their time in whatever country that they were in, bought often an embroidered on the back souvenir jacket. Started in Japan. We've had tons of these jackets. I love these jackets. Many I've sold that actually fit me because I'm a huge guy. I regret selling them. I wish I kept one or two. But in Japan, they call them sukajan. But anyways, souvenir jackets. You're a GI. You do your time overseas and there's these little shops downtown, you know, just let's say you're on leave or you're enjoying some time off from the base. You're walking around and all these people would be trying to sell you a souvenir jacket. Satin, chain stitch embroidery, dragons, lions, tigers. Sometimes it said like where you served or certain different things. From Greenland to Alaska to Guam, all over the place. These things were everywhere. And so, these are awesome. These are considered a military jacket. We love these. We pay good money for these. Just depends on nation, size, all that stuff. So, if you see an old jacket, especially they're always going to say, not always, a lot of them say the year. This was like obviously Vietnam era when we did some stuff over in Thailand. Very cool. Just a fun jacket. Now, a third category of military would be like camo, right? This is a super cool camo. What's so cool about it? It was never deployed. It was never actually used. It's a rare print. It's called Mitchell camo. You know it by the grape leaf. Personally, my favorite of all the American military camos that have ever been created, this one's my favorite. That and like Desert Storm chocolate chip. It's more than just a cookie, my friends. All right. So, what do we have here? New old stock, early 60s. They made this like Cuban Missile Crisis era. They were planning on doing something in the woods where they grow grapes apparently, but they never got deployed. A lot of these are sitting in back stock in military warehouses. All that to say, if you're looking at any kind of military heirloom clothing, it could be leather jackets. It could say G1 on it, A2, these different numbers on the tag I showed you earlier. It could be camo. It could be all kinds of different stuff. Pants, just olive green colored pants. We buy all that stuff. We'll help you kind of discern what you have too. Sometimes when old timers pass away, they have a lot of this stuff. And we've boughten it by the truckload before and paid a lot of money. So, if you have any questions or are coming across old military stuff, we buy more than just clothing, but we especially buy the clothing because this is just awesome. So, our number is 949-449-1255. Give us a call.
Military patches are the most commonly misjudged thing in a veteran's estate, in both directions. Families throw away insignia worth hundreds because it looks like a scrap of cloth, and families hold out for hundreds on patches that genuinely sell for the price of a coffee. The category rewards knowing which is which, and that knowledge is almost entirely about who wore it and where it was made.
What are old military patches worth? The honest spread
| What it is | Reported range | Source and caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Common division patches | $3 to $12 | Made in the millions. Never expect more than this |
| WWII squadron and group patches | $200 to $400 each | Dealer quote reported in Military Trader |
| Theater-made rarities | $975 to $1,595 | Dealer asking prices, Flying Tiger Antiques |
Read the third column, because it is doing real work. The upper figures are dealer quotes and dealer asking prices, not realised auction results. An asking price is what someone hopes to get. Treat those numbers as the ceiling of a conversation rather than the value of your patch.
What does theater-made mean, and why does it change the price?
Theater-made means the patch was produced locally, in the theatre of operations, rather than by a contractor at home. Units in the Pacific, China, Burma, India, and Italy had insignia made by local embroiderers, often in silk, often in small numbers, and often with details that no stateside contract patch has. They look slightly wrong to an untrained eye, and that wrongness is exactly the value. Hand embroidery, unusual backing material, silk rather than twill, and slightly irregular outlines all point in this direction.
What do the patches on a uniform actually mean?
Most families ask what a patch is worth before they ask what it says, and the second question usually answers the first. Placement carries the meaning. On a US Army uniform the shoulder patch on the left is the division or command he was serving in when he wore it, and a second patch on the right shoulder marks a unit he served with in a combat theatre earlier, which is why a right shoulder is worth reading slowly. Squadron and group insignia on flight jackets and flight suits come from populations a fraction the size of a division, and that scarcity is most of the spread in the table above. Details vary by era and by service, so photograph what you have rather than deciding from memory, and read our guide to what to do with old military uniforms before anything leaves the house.
| Where it sits | What it usually tells you | Why it matters to value |
|---|---|---|
| Left shoulder, US Army | The division or command he was serving in | Usually the common tier, made in the millions |
| Right shoulder, US Army | A unit he served with in a combat theatre earlier | Points straight at wartime service, read it closely |
| Chest and jacket front, air crews | Squadron or group insignia, names, wings | The small-population insignia that carries the money |
| Sleeve and cuff | Rank, rate, and specialty marks | Modest alone, useful for dating and attribution |
| Loose in a box, no uniform | Nothing about the man | The attribution is gone, which is exactly why placement is worth photographing first |
Photograph the uniform before anything moves. Placement is information, and it only exists while the insignia are still where he wore them. One straight-on photo of each shoulder, one of the chest, and one of the back is enough for us to read the story back to you.
What makes one military patch worth more than another?
- Attribution to a named man, especially with photographs, papers, or a logbook that ties the insignia to him.
- The grouping kept together. Insignia, uniform, photographs, and papers from the same serviceman are worth meaningfully more together than split apart.
- Original period construction rather than a later reproduction or a reunion piece.
- Bullion and hand embroidery over machine-woven twill.
Is it illegal to sell military patches, insignia, or medals?
The common belief that it is illegal to sell military items is not correct as a general statement, and it costs families money. Uniforms, patches, insignia, and field gear are lawful to buy and sell in the United States. Medals are different. Federal law at 18 U.S.C. 704 restricts trading in United States military decorations, and the Medal of Honor sits under the heaviest restriction of all and can never be bought or sold.
We explain that line, we do not trade across it. We buy uniforms, patches, insignia, and gear. We do not offer to buy United States decorations, and if medals are part of an estate we will tell you plainly what the law allows before anyone makes a decision.
What should I do with a box of old military patches?
Do not cut patches off a uniform. A patch still sewn where the man wore it carries attribution that a loose patch has lost forever, and removal frequently damages both. Photograph the uniform whole, then each patch straight on, then the reverse of any loose insignia so the backing and stitching can be read. Send them to (949) 449-1255 and we will tell you the same day which bracket you are in, free, with the reasoning attached.
Two more things not to do. Do not mount patches on a display board with glue or an iron-on backing, because the adhesive soaks into the embroidery and cannot be taken back out, and a mounted patch is worth less than the same patch loose in a tin. And do not sort the box before you show it, keeping the bright ones and binning the plain ones. The plain twill oval from a Pacific squadron is frequently the most valuable thing in the tin, and the sorting is what breaks up the grouping that was carrying the value in the first place. We buy uniforms, patches, and insignia in person across Southern California and remotely anywhere in the United States: a video call together, the price agreed on the call, and payment through PayPal before you ship, with shipping on us.
Common questions
- Is it illegal to sell military patches or uniforms?
- No. Uniforms, patches, insignia, and field gear are lawful to buy and sell in the United States. Medals are the exception: federal law at 18 U.S.C. 704 restricts trading in United States military decorations, and the Medal of Honor can never be bought or sold. The blanket claim that all military items are illegal to sell is false and it costs families money.
- What are WWII military patches worth?
- The spread is enormous. Common division patches were made in the millions and bring $3 to $12. WWII squadron and group patches have been quoted at $200 to $400 each in Military Trader, and theater-made rarities carry dealer asking prices of $975 to $1,595. Those upper figures are dealer quotes and asks rather than realised results, so treat them as the ceiling of a conversation.
- What does theater-made mean on a military patch?
- It means the insignia was made locally in the theatre of operations rather than by a contractor at home. Units in the Pacific, China, Burma, India, and Italy had patches made by local embroiderers, often in silk and in small numbers. Hand embroidery, unusual backing, and slightly irregular outlines are the tells, and they point to the most valuable end of the category.
- Should I cut patches off an old uniform before selling?
- No, and this is the most expensive mistake in the category. A patch still sewn where the man wore it carries attribution that a loose patch has lost permanently, and removal usually damages both the patch and the uniform. Photograph the uniform whole instead.
- What do the patches on a military uniform mean?
- Placement carries most of the meaning. On a US Army uniform the left shoulder patch is the division or command he was serving in, and a patch on the right shoulder marks a unit he served with in a combat theatre earlier. Squadron and group insignia on flight jackets come from far smaller populations than division patches, which is most of the reason they sell for far more. Details vary by era and service, so photograph the uniform whole before anything is removed.
- Are military items worth more kept together?
- Yes, and often by a wide margin. Insignia, uniform, photographs, logbooks, and papers from the same serviceman are worth meaningfully more as a documented group than the same objects sold separately. Attribution to a named man is the single strongest value multiplier in militaria.
Have something like this?
One phone call and we come to you, anywhere in Southern California. Free visit, honest evaluation, cash the same day.