The Collector Series: Interviews with dedicated Patch Collectors: #1
We are excited to announce the first interview in our new blog series, The Collector Series. A series of interviews with individuals from all walks of life who collect patches. We thought it would be a fun and informative way to learn about our customers and fellow patch enthusiasts!
Meet Chau
Today we meet Chau, a fellow patch connoisseur who we met on Reddit. Chau, who is on active duty in the US Navy, has a passion for collecting patches from foreign military forces and other cool sources. Let's dive right in and get to know more about Chau and his patch collection!
Chau, thank you for doing this interview. We really appreciate your time and knowledge and are excited to hear your story. Before we dive in, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Chau: A brief introduction, call me Chau. I'm on active duty in the United States Navy having served on a ship previously (USS STETHEM DDG 63) and now part of the Civil Engineer Corps. I love patch collecting because of the bonds I've made with them and because of how unique some patches are. It's just so much fun to do and to go around and show them off occasionally on my backpack or notepad.
PP: How did you get started with patch collecting?
Chau: I started off with picking up patches from airshows hosted by the United States Marines in California when I was a kid. It really blew up though once I entered the Navy and had a place with another Navy buddy of mine. He bought one of those patch panels to put patches on, and from there, it grew tenfold.
PP: What was the first patch you ever collected?
Chau: A desert tan patch from a Marine Strike Fighter Squadron, VMFA-314 (Black Knights), from Wings Over Miramar as a kid.
PP: Can you share the story behind your favorite patch?
Chau: This is a tough one because I love all my patches. My personal favorite is one I had put on some coveralls when I was previously assigned to a ship. We were part of the ship's response team to any casualties onboard (fires, gas leaks, hazmat, etc.). That was a close knit team I led throughout the ship and was honored to be their officer for.
PP: How do you discover new patches for your collection?
Chau: Sometimes it's going through groups online, stores online, or simply going to airshows and supporting our fly boys.
Some of Chau's Personal Collection
PP: Do you have any go-to stores or websites for buying patches?
Chau: For military units, either airshows or bases where I work or visit. For morale patches, whole lot of stores. Some personal favorites include The Patch Panel, Badgerhound Patches, Weapons Grade Waifus, FEICorp, and Ahoworks. If I really wanna dig for something international, Ebay or Buyee will do the trick.
PP: What are the most unique or rare patches in your collection?
Chau: Definitely foreign military. You don't really see them on the market unless you look in the right places. Japanese ones are a little easier to come by with a Yahoo auctions proxy online, but that comes with the Yen to USD ratio, so you really have to time it right.
PP: How do you organize and display your patch collection?
Chau: There is always one section of my wall dedicated to the military and police. This is in honor of our forces currently deployed, those lost in battle, and those on duty. The rest of the wall is all morale patches split between anime, gaming, and miscellaneous morale patches.
PP: Have you ever attended any patch swap events or conventions?
Chau: Wait, these exist? Closest I'd think of is Wings Over Miramar, where we have a section with nothing but units selling and trading patches.
PP: Do you have any tips for new patch collectors?
Chau: Start simple and small. Once you have better means of sustaining yourself or you have a place on your own, go ham.
PP: How has your patch-collecting hobby impacted your life?
Chau: It's definitely brought me closer to my Navy buddy. We've made it tradition to trade patches from places we go to on random occasions. On top of that, getting patches on the job has allowed me to talk with different units on how they're doing and what their concerns are at the moment. Makes me a better Naval Officer at the day knowing their concerns so I can help them.
PP: Do you have any themed patches or collections, like military or vintage patches?
Chau: Definitely military. Being active duty Navy, we already have shoulder patches for assigned units as optional wear. From there, it just comes down to interacting with other units and trading patches.
PP: Do you incorporate patches into your personal style or fashion?
Chau: Ooooo, yes, several examples. I have a notepad I always carry around for work that has soft side Velcro on it for patches, a backpack with a patch area on it, and some surplus flecktarn coats from Kommandostore that has an area for patches on it. I always swap patches depending on the mood
Chau's Notepad
PP: How do you authenticate a patch’s rarity or value?
Chau: Good question. It really depends which one you're looking at. Some of the rarest I have are from foreign military like the UK or Japan. It all depends on their accessibility to the market.
PP: Do you participate in online patch-collecting communities?
Chau: As of recently, yes. It's fun to share the collection and try to buy some from others if the chance arises.
PP: Have you ever tried creating your own patch?
Chau: Never have. I always wanted to but don't have the equipment or time for it. Plus I move around occasionally so that's a bit of a pain.
PP: What are the trends you see in the world of patch collecting?
Chau: Shops usually have a consistent theme but overall host a wide variety. It's good to bring in customers like that.
PP: Do you have any patch-collecting regrets or lessons learned?
Chau: There will never be enough wall space, no matter what you do.
PP: Where do you see your patch collection going in the next 5 years?
Chau: It'll still grow but might hit its peak at that point. Only so many units in the world to get patches from, and there's only so much space I have to mount them all.
Wow that was fun! Thank you once again Chau. What a cool story! Chau has some awesome patches in his collection. As you can see, Chau chose to keep his identity mostly private but we are very appreciative of his informative answers and for all the great pictures of his amazing patch collection! Chau, thank you and thank you for your service!
If you were inspired by Chau's collection and his story, you can get some of your own Military Patches here.
We look forward to our next guest patch collector and seeing all the different backgrounds our fellow patch enthusiasts come from!
