Jeff Milton: An Odoriferous Legend

Jeff Milton’s story is an extraordinary one.  One of the most famous lawmen of the west, he was the subject of J. Evetts Haley’s  A Good Man With A Gun.  Born the son of the Governor of Florida, Jeff Milton became a Texas Ranger and served in various capacities throughout the American West, his legend stretching over three states. But like many mythic figures of our past, that legend was carefully crafted by his biographer and is in bad need of an overhaul. I did not arrive at the conclusion which I would have preferred, that of hailing another famous ranger from Navasota. I'm far from convinced that Jeff Milton was a "good" man, although he may have been a man good with a gun. After tackling his biography by Haley, I can't get a bothersome smell out of my nostrils...

Jefferson Davis Milton was born at the outbreak of the Civil War, the son of privilege on a Southern plantation. His father, Governor John Milton, refused to accept the failure of the Confederate States of America and took his own life. Little Jeff was raised by his mother and doting big sisters, and it is easy to imagine his character traits given these circumstances. By the time he was fifteen, he was spoiled, arrogant and restless, with a great deal to prove to himself. His mother could not handle him, and one of his sisters thought she could, given a better environment in Texas.

He came to Texas in 1877 as a teenager, eager to see and experience all the wild and woolly West he had read about in dime novels. This was the land Davy Crockett had died for at the Alamo, and where Texas Ranger Bigfoot Wallace had fought the Comanches; Where buffalo still ran wild and cowboys lived free on the American plains.

The Wilson & Yarborough Mercantile in Anderson, Texas.

Jeff’s sisters had migrated to Texas after the war and Fannie Milton had married Colonel James Quincy Yarborough, a Texas merchant who was building a small retail empire in Grimes County.  As a partner in Wilson and Yarborough, he had established several mercantiles in Grimes County. So it was the hope and prosperity there, and the promise of change which lured Jeff halfway across the country. He would join the Yarboroughs in Grimes County and hopefully see some “greener pastures” and live the life of a westerner.

Just sixteen, Jeff Milton entered Texas like a blank canvas with visions of grandeur. He was pleased when Colonel Yarborough handed him his first cigar and loved what it symbolized. He was being accepted as a man. He could not have asked for a better situation, a fresher start, or a more thrilling prospect. But soon Jeff would realize that it was not a home or retail business which made him feel complete. Hauling sacks of corn or sweeping out one of his brother-in-law’s stores seemed too mundane for the son of a governor. Jeff had always heard about Texas, but this was not it.

Colonel Yarborough eventually co-owned four stores, including one in Anderson, the County Seat , and one in Navasota, the largest store in town. There was plenty of excitement in the gambling halls and saloons down the street, but there was also plenty of work to do, and Jeff was not allowed to go there.  And there was a predictability and jadedness that repulsed him in such places, as they reminded him too much of Florida. Overall, these towns were all fairly civilized places and Jeff was seeking a proving ground… and vindication of sorts.

Just a baby during the war, he had missed out on “forging his own mettle” during the War Between the States, and his father had died shamefully. Every young man needed a way to establish his manhood, and establish his own name. He thought he would not be satisfied until he was a cowboy, living on the range, facing adventure or Indians out west, or some kind of adversary where he could display his Southern fire.

Then one day two bookkeepers, Billy Barry and Ben Calhoun left the employ of Colonel Yarborough. According to Haley, Billy’s "Uncle Buck" (Lt. Col. Buck Barry, CSA?) had made a name for himself as a ranger and  Indian fighter during the Civil War, and Billy felt some kind of itch that only northwest Texas could scratch. They took their earnings and headed west, to join a fellow accountant,  "Pete" ("Pink") Hatchett ( a newcomer to Grimes County, Captain Pinkney Gilliard Hatchett of Georgia, who had recently taken a job as a schoolteacher in Anderson) in starting up a ranch on the “Clear Fork” of the Brazos, wherever that was. Hatchett planned to raise Texas cattle there and drive them north to Abilene, Kansas to sell them.  Maybe someday if Jeff got bored around Navasota, he would come up and join them… For Jeff, this development became the proverbial seed of discontent. These three Grimes County men abandoned their desk jobs and did what he dreamed of. They put on their boots and hats and headed west and named their outfit the “Saw-Horned Cattle Company.”  Veritable geniuses, it was obvious they planned to simplify a step in cattle management, by just nipping the horns of their long-horned cattle, rather than branding them. 

 Georgian "Pink" Hatchett was a schoolteacher in Grimes County after the Civil War, before heading west to start a cattle operation called the Saw-Horned Cattle Company. He drove several herds up the Chisholm Trail to Abilene, Kansas before returning to Navasota and selling kerosene around town from a wagon.

[Note: I can find no close kinship between William "Billy" Barry of Grimes County and Buck Barry, the famous Texas Ranger, and the son of Bryant Buckner and Mary Murill Barry. He apparently arrived  Texas in 1841 and originally settled outside of Corsicana. Billy Barry, the friend of Milton's, was the son of Confederate veteran W. E. Barry and Martha Meachum Barry.  W. E. was the son of Lewis Dickson Barry who came to Grimes County in 1849.]

The magnet of the west for young Jeff was suddenly magnified to an irresistible strength. He began to save back his money to buy himself an "outfit." He would need a good horse, saddle and tack, spurs, lariat and weapons and the leather to hold them.

Then one day Parham Yarborough gave Jeff something hotter than a cigar. It was a Winchester 44.40 lever-action rifle. Like all young men, as soon as he held it, he hungered for a place to shoot it and a chance to use it to right the world! And that Winchester told him right where he needed to go. After considerable deliberation, he and a buddy, Allen Morrison, decided to head west. They would go hire out at the Saw-Horn ranch in west Texas, where men still lived free and even a little wild; where the name Milton would be whatever he made it to be.

It turns out this ingenious cattle operation on the Brazos River was in far northwest Texas, 500 miles from home.  Comanches and outlaws still ran amok there and dangerous adventure was not just a possibility, it was guaranteed. Soon Jeff bought himself a horse and he and Allen left with little fanfare, and much against his sister’s advice.

Jeff had already come all the way from Florida. An old muddy river did not sound that intimidating. Finally they were on their way, rarely to return to the pastoral life in East Texas. And mile by mile, the West began to unfold. And Jeff Milton began to set things right... Or so he intended.

The two tenderfoots made the long trip in 1879 following the deep sluggish Brazos, until it narrowed and ran pristine between wide open prairies, teeming with wildlife. And sure enough they found their Navasota associates on the High Plains where streams ran clear and nights were cool. It felt like heaven.  So far from home, it was easy to play on the sympathy of the cattlemen who hired them on. Captain Hatchett ran a tight ship, as if he was still in the Civil War, and every cowboy was treated like a soldier. The ranch was situated a day’s ride from the old Fort Phantom Hill. It was the nearest remnant of civilization, and it was abandoned and in ruins. The ranch house was really more like a badger hole. Literally a “dugout” made of logs and mud. But the west was changing fast. The buffalo were being decimated, and the antelope were skittish. Sometimes ranch hands had to eat turkey, or jack rabbits or prairie dogs, or even snakes. But Jeff was determined to stick it out.

"Creekbed Christening"

The cowboy life was lonely and challenging. Often a cowhand was stationed completely in the wilderness, with only his wits and gun to feed himself. And in the midst of this battle for survival he had to put the herd's needs before his own... painting by Russell Cushman

Come that winter, it got even worse. Captain Hatchett bunked him in a tent, all by himself, way off in the wilderness to watch his sizable remuda of horses, which were left to run wild.  His job was to keep the “broke” horses from amalgamating with the mustangs, which ran around tauntingly like kings of the plains. If he was not yet a prince of the West, never-the-less he got to watch or even match wits with some. And it was as grand as he ever imagined. THIS was Texas!

 Two young cowboys met on the high plains of Texas and became fast friends. Jeff Milton and George Scarborough would work more together handling outlaws rather than cattle.

When Jeff got to go into Fort Griffin for supplies, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Army scouts, trail drivers, buffalo skinners, suspicious looking gunslingers and Texas Rangers. This had been the proving ground for Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Billy Dixon and many others. He saw the outlaw John Selman. He met the dashing young George Scarborough, a future legend in law enforcement whom he would often team up with. He witnessed a shootout between two buffalo hunters, so close that when one shot the other’s brains out, Jeff caught the explosion of body fluids as he tried to stop them. THIS was Texas. Here he was Jeff Milton, man among men, even if he was only seventeen. Here life was measured by each breath, and your reputation was as infinite as the Llano Estacado. 

 It was early to bed and early to rise for this son of privilege... but he adapted to it with amazing determination.

In the spring after round-up, he and Allen Morrison decided to mosey back home to Grimes County and enjoy a few creature comforts. But they had blown their earnings before they ever got home.  So Jeff took a job as a guard on a prison farm near Huntsville… maybe he would get a shot at John Wesley Hardin, the famous Texas gunslinger who now resided inside the walls. But the Huntsville Prison cotton plantation was in practice and principle everything he hated about Florida. All Jeff could think about was what he might be missing out west. He made himself a modest “grubstake” and quit his life as a “straw boss.” He had to do better than this.

When Jeff finally came home to Navasota, his pocket was full of money and his heart was won over. Cowboying was tough. But the West was his first love. He put his money in the bank one Saturday in Navasota and began to stroll around like a man with a purpose. He just had not identified it yet. It is no doubt that he began to think about the gallant yet unpretentious Rangers he saw on patrol in west Texas. They seemed to embody everything he wanted to be. But he had never thought about being a lawman… at least not until his choices were made clearer.

A (good?) man with a gun: Jeff Milton went through several Colt revolvers and had this one custom made at the very end of his career.

Then that next mundane Monday morning came along. Jeff could never know how important the next few moments would be in his life. He went to go cash a check… just to see how it all worked.  You put your money in the bank, and then you draw it out as you need it. This sounded fairly uncomplicated. But when he got to the bank, he ran into a wall more arresting than one of those cold “blue northers” he had endured on the plains. A sign announced, quite matter-of-factly, the bank was closed. Forever.  Nobody could make a withdrawal.  Ever.

Jeff stood devastated and angry. He had never trusted anyone with so much money. His money.  Suddenly the sheriff came by and Jeff told him his problem. Sheriff Dan Wood was sympathetic to the young man and gave him some unofficial advice.  The sheriff knew which entrance the bankers used, and suggested that Jeff hide under the rear stairway and wait for them with his check in hand, and demand satisfaction when they opened their doors.  Sheriff Woods then made himself scarce and stood back to watch the fireworks, kind of like something Andy Griffith would do.  This was the way the Law operated in Navasota in those days.

And Jeff was game. He did just as suggested. The bankers probably saw him as a person of no consequence, just old Colonel Yarborough’s young brother-in-law. Certainly no threat to them, whatever his claims. They had much bigger problems on their minds… as they unlocked the back doors. Jeff presented his check, and his intention of getting his money out.  The bankers shook their heads and shrugged, as they heard his request. It was impossible. If they paid him they would have to pay everybody...

 But Jeff made a telltale move at that point. He pulled out his six-shooter and demanded all of his money. Technically, at this point he was robbing the bank. But quickly, amazingly, Sheriff Wood sauntered in and backed him up. Jeff explained nonchalantly that the men were cashing a check for him… which was true, albeit by gunpoint.  Sheriff Wood must have reasoned that a man had a right to demand his own money, using a gun or not. The bankers saw they would get no help from Wood so they somehow satisfied Jeff, probably out of their own pockets. Jeff got his money and, soon to become the toast at every bar, he soon got out of town.

This was not the kind of reputation he had wanted. It was obvious to him and anyone paying attention that his six-shooter had become an extension of his temper. Jeff suddenly knew he had to find a legitimate expression for this propensity, or things could get ugly. About this time he heard that Major John B. Jones in Austin was recruiting good men with shooting skills to join the Texas Rangers. Jeff knew exactly what he had to do. He was too young to join... but he might be able to swing it if he played his cards right. He asked one last favor of his brother-in-law.  For his plan to work, he had to let somebody else do his bidding for him. He convinced Colonel Yarborough to write him a letter of recommendation, and his friend, the former Attorney General of Texas, and Civil War hero, H. H. Boone, as well.  Even young and naïve, Jeff still understood the world of his father, of politics and influence, and he used it shamelessly. After all, he did not want to go down in Navasota, robbing his own bank. Next time things might not go his way. 

Young Jeff Milton about the time he left Navasota and joined the Texas Rangers... considerably under-aged. It was probably an endorsement from fellow Navasotan and former Attorney General of Texas, H. H. Boone which tipped the scales for him.

Yarborough and Boone probably sensed the urgency more than Jeff, and did their part and Jeff lied to Major Jones about his age. Even though he was obviously not old enough, Major Jones hired him on sight. Law enforcement often requires the talents of a poker-faced negotiator. And Jeff Milton would become infamous for his creative deceptions. Soon he would end the romance of one of his fellow rangers by telling his infatuated lover that the man was a convict! Jeff  Milton lived most of his life with his impish tongue in his cheek.

Suddenly within a few weeks, Jeff had gone from taking a few bucks at gunpoint from unsuspecting bankers, to swearing an oath to uphold the laws of the State of Texas. You gotta love this country! Where else could men find their hearts and shape their destinies and carve out their legacies in such amazing twists and turns of events?

Acquired in Navasota from Rodes and Owen, this A fork, high-back saddle, circa 1890-1900, belonged to Jeff Milton, and was acquired by J. Evetts Haley for the immense saddle collection at the Panhandle - Plains Museum. Thanks to the late Marcus Mallard, who told me about it, I went to Canyon, Texas and arranged to photograph it.

Jeff Milton only served on the Texas Ranger Force for around three years.  Within his first year, he had to kill a violent, belligerent, drunken troublemaker in Colorado City. A popular cattleman, the victim had been enraged over being chained to a tree during a previous altercation. Three Rangers tried to disarm two mad drunks and when one of them fired at one of them, Jeff immediately plugged him. This was an explainable shooting in the line-of-duty, but Jeff was prosecuted for it.  The townspeople insisted that Jeff had killed the man unnecessarily. Once again Jeff called upon the powerful services of his friend in Navasota, H. H. Boone, who got him off but managed to get the whole Frontier Ranger Battalion dismissed in a cloud of legal questions in the process. Even more ominously, if not downright smelly, the star witness for the State, Ab J. Adair, who had repeatedly demonstrated his fear to appear in court to testify, was found shot dead the morning he was supposed to testify. All this trouble, and Jeff was still not old enough to even be a Texas Ranger.

After acquittal in 1883, it is not surprising that Jeff left the Force and returned to store keeping in Ft. Davis, and later Murphyville, far southwest Texas. In a short time he had gone into the saloon business and almost immediately pulled his gun on a customer with intent to kill, over the wanton destruction... of a shot glass. Worse than that, his target was a member of the famous Kokernot ranching dynasty. He quickly divested himself of that tempting situation, but then ended up shooting at and hog-tying his barber one day during a haircut, after he became suspicious of the barber's razor. He thought the barber was crazy... Haley wrote that young Milton had the man committed to an institution... But this sounds like the beginning of Milton's larger than life self-aggrandizement, which Haley respectfully treated as the gospel.
Unfortunately, I have found so many discrepancies in names and relationships in just the launching of this legend, that I have learned to treat Haley's biography with a grain of salt.

Not surprisingly, once again Jeff Milton felt the "call of the horizon," which had lured him from Florida, Navasota, and his budding law enforcement career. Jeff, born to be wild Milton was quickly becoming a fugitive from society and himself, and would be on the run the rest of his life, trying to find that legitimate expression of his trigger finger. He soon struck out for New Mexico, and another fresh start... and he was only 22 years old.

Jeff Milton would return to the Brazos Valley of Texas many years later around 1900, still recovering from a shoot-out he had with train robbers. In a suspicious coincidence, Milton found himself waiting inside a Wells Fargo express car, right as some dull-witted robbers tried to hijack the contents. He prevented the robbery and plugged some of the outlaws, but paid a terrible price for his stand. He was shot and left for dead by the gang who left him and the money, and he lost the use of his arm.

Middle-aged and badly crippled, Jeff decided to look for an easier gig. Uncharacteristically, he headed east, back home to Grimes County and the loving care of his family.  After recovering from the shooting, he showed up in Navasota with a surprising scheme, his one good arm toting a briefcase full of cash from the Wells Fargo reward and a block of land leases in Walker County. Although disinformation placed it elsewhere, records showed that drilling began in 1901 in "Macedonia," known today as Mustang Prairie. Dead-eyed and dry as an uprooted prickly pear, Jeff Milton was no longer the bright-eyed gent looking for adventure. He was in fact an over-the-hill hired gunman who had faced loaded guns and death too many times to count. And rarely had he enjoyed the appreciation of the local population. He had to have become a bit cynical about lofty ideals such as Justice or the "Rule of Law." He was now just hunting cold hard cash.

Jeff Milton suddenly appeared in Navasota as an oilfield investor and driller, coming to harvest oil reserves he once suspected in nearby Walker County... A place not famous as an oilfield. Being from the area, this return and its suspicious explanation made me begin to wonder what he was really doing back home, except trying to recover from his injuries and take advantage of his sister's hospitality. The hair-brained drilling scheme turned out much like one would expect, and after a year of drilling, his well ended at 800 feet. It was assumed the reward for his famous Wells Fargo robbery intervention had gone down an endless hole... but surely this old desert fox had not suddenly become a rainbow chaser... spending his hard earned cash reward on a lark...

Simultaneously, (coincidentally?) the White Man's Union of Grimes County initiated the most successful, violent drive against the racial and social reorganization of Reconstruction ever seen, using terrorism, racial cleansing, and assassination. As a result, as many as ten black officials were dead, and the Populist County Sheriff Garrett Scott had been shot and escorted out, never to return. And at about the same time, Jeff Milton rode out with a beautiful, brand new saddle from Rodes and Owen, of Navasota, Texas (see photo above).

After travelling all over the southwest, and his ranging days over, it seems strange that he would acquire such a saddle in Navasota, at the time when he was rarely on a horse. It has every appearance of being a token of someone's esteem... perhaps a bonus, if you will, for unspoken favors.

Hundreds of defendants, the most prominent businessmen in the county, were named as accomplices to Sheriff Scott's assassination attempt, in a sham trial in Galveston, including the sons of Milton's benefactors in Navasota, but the "good man with the gun" was not one of them.  We will never know the details... but I suspect that he might have thrown his weight into family interests and paid off some old debts with in-kind services. And this would not be a surprise given the thinly disguised racial views expressed in his biography.

Still, Milton was once quoted as saying, "I never killed a man that didn't need killing; I never shot an animal except for meat."

And after reading Haley's account, I understand why Jeff Milton left the Texas Rangers so quickly. Navasota's beloved H. H. Boone not only conspired to get an under-aged trigger-happy youth into the much-maligned organization, but after his herculean defense at the murder trial, the State of Texas did not even know what or who the Rangers were! The law was as clear as mud as to responsibility, and the whole ranger organization had to be codified and reorganized. That would leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth... and that, to his credit, was Jeff Milton's legacy, especially for those outside the law. Statutory, Natural, Moral, whichever Law Jeff felt strongly about at the time...

You can read the rest of the legend in Haley’s book, a standard of Western Literature, if you can find it. Haley was the curator at the Panhandle-Plains Museum in Canyon, Texas and got to know Milton in his later years. Although I think his book is somewhat of a whitewash of Milton and his career, with a generous layer of gloss, it is worth the read.  As the early bank episode suggests, Jeff Milton was not quite the Southern cavalier that Haley created in his biography, but he was a bigger-than-life, one of kind Western legend, who once called Navasota Home.

Jeff Milton was known to use a cut-down version of the 1887 Winchester lever action Shotgun... one of the most ominous firearms ever used to bust up rowdy crowds, or in his case, several train robbers in Fairbank, Arizona Territory trying to heist a Wells Fargo express car... He took several of them out and severely wounded, put a tourniquet on his fractured arm and tossed the keys to the Wells Fargo safe out of reach, before passing out. The outlaws took him for dead and only stole a small amount.

Post Script: Captain "Pink" Hatchett gave up on the cattle business in a few years and returned to Navasota, married Mary Stone of Yarboro, a girl he had met during his previous stay,  and went into the kerosene business.

Walter Prescott Webb, in his exhaustive volume on the Texas Rangers... skirted the personalities and issues associated with the disbandment of the Texas Ranger Frontier Battalion in 1883 quite deftly... but his ire was obvious:

"The Rangers, after they became primarily an interior force, were often subject to just critcism because of their own bad conduct and indiscretion. The organization has throughout its history, with the exception of comparitively brief periods, had exceptionally good men in it. Unfortunately, it has also had men who reflected no credit on it.  If a man is inclined to be a rowdy or a braggart, overbearing or malicious, he has no business with the commission, the prestige, and the arms of a Texas Ranger.  If a little liquor is mixed with any of these bad qualities, it is certain to expose them to view and to subject the individual and the organization to general criticism.  On the whole, however, the men were of exceptional character...

It was after the Frontier Battalion had performed this great service that some shrewd lawyer took occassion to read the law creating the force in 1874 and discovered a way to paralyze the effectiveness of the Rangers. "

I have no doubt that Webb had certain individuals from Navasota  in mind when he wrote those words!

To read about the other Texas Rangers from Navasota, click on the LINK below.

http://russellcushman.blogspot.com/p/texas-rangers.html

YOU ARE HERE... What are you looking for? A little orientation may be in order.

Welcome to the Navasota Current. Feeling mired in tall grass? Let me guide you out of here.  This blog has now gotten over 90,000 page views. I have started a few other blogs to help specialize the info and make your searching easier. Basically, here are my blogs and the focus of each:


YOU ARE HERE:

russellcushman.blogspot.com, titled "the Navasota Current"

The Navasota Current is my "kitchen sink." It is mostly about the history, material culture, and lifestyle of Navasota, Texas and the surrounding area. There are over 500 articles about local heroes (like Ranger Frank Hamer) , tourism information, TEXANA (like Texas stoneware) scenic photography, and some poems, songs, inspirational messages and even some political or social commentaries. You see what I mean about kitchen sink... As subjects reach their own critical mass, I branch them off into their own blog.


Many folks discover this blog looking for info about my art, what I actually do to put bread on the table, (and they understandably do not want a speech or history lesson...)  so I created a blog just about my art and art related essays... I also write some things to help and inform young artists...

[link]  russellcushmanart.blogspot.com, titled "Russell Cushman: Texas Painter & Sculptor"



I recently created a blog as a pilot project for the local Bryan ABC television station and its focus is the current arts and entertainment scene in the Brazos Valley...

[link]  brazosvalleyarts.blogspot.com, titled "BrazoSphere"
And if things do not change, :(  "BrazoSphere" will probably be amalgamated with my old music blog called:


[link]  brazosvalleyblues.blogspot.com, titled "Blues Valley"
Blues Valley was created to celebrate the wonderful music heritage of this region. There are articles about local musicians, past and present, concerts, and my unpublished manuscript about the origins and progenitors of Brazos Valley Blues. I call it "The Light of Day." There is a TON of local history here, but it is not the kind anybody wants to read. It is the unwritten struggle of racial and cultural warfare that forged the blues. It is TOMBSTONE, OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU, and  ROOTS all rolled into one.


Having these separate blogs really helps me track data and understand my readership. It is my version of the process of Natural Selection... Here are some interesting facts I have gleaned from my blog data provided by Google...


This blog is a Texas Ranger cyber-station! The Navasota Current has evolved into a Texas Ranger Internet resource. With 88,000 pages turned in over 500 articles in the Navasota Current alone, I can say without hesitation that Texas Rangers are one of my most popular subjects.  Almost 6000 of those pages turned have been in Ranger articles. My article on Texas Ranger badges, written this past year has already pushed to the top blog ever, with around 2,800 pages viewed. Articles about Rangers in Navasota, especially Captain Frank Hamer,  have accumulated another 2500 pages turned.

This is also a Texas Stoneware crossroads. The most popular subject overall has to be Texas stoneware. My series about Texas stoneware, parts I, II, & III, which can be found as permanent pages on the right side of the blog, has had 3000,  3700, and 630 pages turned for a total of 7330 pages turned.

I love statistics! These stats prove Texans still care about their history and about Texas artifacts. Some of these articles experience hundreds of hits in a day. On the right, at the top you will find a listing in the green column of "MY FAVORITE FEATURES." Here is where you will find permanant articles on Texas stoneware, Texas Rangers, thematic collections, and a series on Joan of Arc.

In the blue column on the right are my TOP TEN blogs, that my readers have made popular... These are the things most of you enjoy or want to know...

BUT Blues... not so much. Sadly, my blues blog, "Blues Valley," which includes lots of blues history and my manuscript on Brazos Valley blues, is now one year old, but has not collectively attracted as much as even one of these popular articles in the Navasota Current. THAT is marketing research. And I have responded accordingly!

If Texas stoneware is a 10, and Texas Rangers are a 9, and blues in general is a 1, then I  have a "photo-funny" about cowboy churches which would rate as a 6! Incredibly, with1300 pages viewed!  Not bad for something goofy that could be terribly misinterpreted! You can view it over on the right > "Boss, he says..."

The biggest surprise has been an article on INDIANOLA, TEXAS, (near the bottom of the list in blue) which has had over 570 hits! What is going on down there!?  Still, it's Texas history.. . so you can guess what you will see more of in 2014!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  And thanks for stopping by!

Texas Ranger Badges... and those that want to be

The search for a real Texas Ranger badge is the collecting version of the Agony and the Ecstasy... and mostly agony. If you are researching a Texas Ranger badge, happily shining on your computer desk, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself for a reality check.

Here is a real Texas Ranger badge from the "Old West."  Plain and simple and probably nothing like what you have seen... Note the strange serifs on the A's.

This is the grand-daddy of them all... from the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas. The crude early badge in this composite / screen saver actually comes from the cover of TEXAS RANGERS by Dr. Stephen Hardin, an excellent Osprey History book on our favorite lawmen. Unfortunately, this is the only badge you will get to see in that book! Up until now, there has been no good resource about these wonderful icons of the American West.

The variety and lack of uniformity of Ranger badges will astound you. Here are some illustrations from a different, long out of print book.

I have found after years of research and some help from a retired Texas Ranger, a few resources that have cleared up a lot of things... So first get a sense of what the old Texas Ranger badges actually looked like- 


So here is a feast for your eyes...

The real deal. Courtesy Burley Auctions, New Braunfels, Texas.

Look at this hard. This is an authentic, handmade, Texas Ranger peso badge, from the early 1900's. Maybe even earlier. The star is imperfect, the engraving varies greatly from thick to thin. Now look at the back...

The 1888 Mexican Peso used to make this Ranger star was damn near worn out by the time it was converted into a badge, suggesting the production of the badge around 1900... And considerable silver material might have been removed, especially from the reverse side, to recycle for other jewelry, by the maker. The pin is a spring "safety pin" type, which eventually fell out of favor. This badge defies much of what I am about to say... but remember, it is EXTREMELY RARE. And it sure makes identification of other, later, real badges tough.

Here is another one...

Photos courtesy Burley Auctions, New Braunfels, Texas

And the back...

1893 Mexican Peso, another spring type pin, this peso shows the angular dentils around the edge that normally should be present. Note how tiny they are. Note the clear legibility of the letters, even though very worn. Ignore the yellow cast, these are silver.

And another...

Courtesy Burley Auctions, New Braunfels, Texas.

AAAND back...

An 1892 peso, note how the star's arms align with the sunburst of the peso design... "LIBERTAD" is plainly legible. The "brand" at the top is the combination of the initials JP, for Ranger Jesse Perez.

So let's get started... with the confusion...

9/9/13  Just for example, I received a kind note recently from author/historian/collector John Boessenecker with these observations:

Russ -  I really enjoyed your post about Ranger badges.  I always say that 99% of all Ranger badges are phony.  I would not buy one without good provenance.  I have been collecting antique badges since 1978 and have bought only two, both of which were authentic...  

My thanks to John... and you will hear more from him in a moment... here is the blog... my most successful ever... But first let me explain one thing... I compiled this to protect collectors and save them a lot of money and frustration... This information is free, and I have NOTHING to gain from telling you what has come the hard way for most of us...

Now.. about the badges...

Courtesy Burley Auctions 

A true piece of Ranger history, and one of the most interesting Texas Ranger badges, Jack Dean had his fairly modern-made Ranger badge modified when he became a U. S. Marshal. Look closely at either end of the word MARSHAL, and now filled in with silver, you can still see the ghosts of the letters which spelled TEXAS RANGERS.  Also the word TEXAS was filled in and the U. S. etched into the star. Otherwise, this is a classic, authentic 1960's -70's- 80's era Texas Ranger "Peso" badge design, better known as the "Cinco Peso" badge. This item was recently sold along with the complete Jack Dean collection at Burley Auctions, in New Braunfels, Texas.

Perhaps one of the most sought after icons of Texas, if not the whole American West, are Texas Ranger badges-  The real ones. They are pretty scarce. 


Contrary to what you read, (that the early Texas Rangers did not have badges) there are reliable histories, especially the accounts of Ranger George Durham, that tell us that Captain Leander McNelly and his men of Company A were the first Texas Rangers to be issued official Texas Ranger badges, sometime in 1876, right after Reconstruction when the Rangers had been reorganized. These badges were shipped in bulk and probably all made by the same silversmith in Austin, and sent to the company which was fighting banditos in South Texas. But I have never (knowingly) even seen a picture of one, or even of a Ranger wearing one. A badge like that, with provenance, would be worth a fortune. Really. And most of us will never see one. (This may have changed recently, read on)

I have however, seen hundreds…  maybe thousands of fakes. Outside of museums I have only seen a few Texas Ranger badges that were authentic. At any given time you can find a dozen or so reproductions for sale on Internet auctions, and sometimes a real old Ranger badge appears to be slipping through.  As a rule, you can relax, because most badges you come across are just fairly cheap, pitiful tributes to the greatest state law enforcement organization in the world.  But if you actually found a real one, AND THAT HAS HAPPENED, how would you know?

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

Probably made in the '70's, Senior Captain Clint Peoples' gold Ranger badge was probably the product of modern machine die-stamping, lacking the thick and thin lines in the inscriptions like that of the older badges, but with some hand-engraving for personalization. Note the visible stem between the oak leaves, (not typical). You can perceive the difference in making the near perfect die-stamped letters ( TEXAS RANGERS ) with the custom hand-engraved ones, (name and rank); leaning C in CAPT, the P's do not match in PEOPLES... and other imperfections in the hand lettering. As in most modern badges, all details however are filled with black powdered-glass enamel, which makes the letters and details pop.



The "Cinco Peso" Badge


What you probably have is a replica of the modern Texas Ranger badges, which were die-stamped and then engraved, on a 1947 or '48 Mexican 5 ("Cinco") Peso coin (Because they were almost completely made of silver). The engraving and the Pesos have changed over the years, but there are telltale signs to look for.

Schreiner Collection, Little John's auction catalogue

(Above) An early modern era (1960's), hand-engraved Texas Ranger "Peso" badge. Note the thick and thin decoration lines and irregularities in lettering of hand-engraving. Also the stretched letters on TEXAS and the crammed letters in RANGERS. Never-the-less, crisp details in the stitching around the star, distinct differences between the plant stems.

Retired Ranger Bob Connell has been very generous to share his collection with me, and he has his own badges plus his father-in-law's to consider.  

These authentic "cinco peso" badges would have been issued from the 1960's to the 1980's.  They are made with the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Here are a variety of REAL modern badges from the 1930's - 80's. The top left was probably not made from a Mexican coin. The crude one on the top right seems to have Native American motifs of some kind... LIKE DREAM CATCHERS WITH FEATHERS on either side! I call ones like these"ABERRANGERS." (aberrations) The two on the bottom are samples of modern Ranger badges reflecting the "retro" trend of the 1960's.

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue. Top row; 1930's, bottom row; (Peso badges) 1960's- '90's.

 obverse

A probable fake made to simulate the later die-stamped badges, cast from a mold, as the slick back suggests it is not made from a Peso. Note the sketchy stitching around the star, the DEEEP  cut curly-ques and the lack of any kind of stem on the plant on the left to connect the leaves... which appear to be floating.

 reverse

This reproduction badge was stamped STERLING. No attempt was made to make this badge look like a Mexican coin. Many if not most of the Cinco Peso badges were marked on the back by the maker.

This modern cinco peso badge was signed (twice!) by Star Engraving.

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue. Top left; (Peso badge)1962 to 90's, top right; 1930's "aberranger",

bottom left, much eschewed; 1957 - '62 "bottle cap", bottom right, also not popular shield; 1938- '57. 

 Above are authentic modern era Texas Ranger Badges since the 1930's. For over seventy years, their badges have identified them as an official part of the Department of Public Safety. Many Rangers felt like they were losing their distinction, as the DPS (Highway Patrol) badges were almost identical in design. Popular lore is that some Rangers had their own "retro" Peso badges made... as far back as the 1930's, like the one below.

Ebay

But from where I sit,  this is a fake.

This is a darn convincing apparition from the front, but I have not found a single authenticated badge like this.   Although Internet Auctions give the impression that an authentic Ranger badge can be had for a few hundred dollars almost every week, this is not the case. Most, if not all of the ones you see are fantasies or intentional forgeries. And the variance of craftsmanship makes positive ID on Ranger badges difficult. But let's assume some of these are the real deal... One concern should be the branches on either side, which (ABOVE^) are almost indistinguishable from one another (and they should look very different, as different as oak from wheat).

And yet some old, authentic badges don't look much better....

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

Important note: Most badges from this period (60's - 80's), if they used the old Peso design, still had the words DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY across the top. Later badges in the Seventies began to lose the D.P.S. and as in the past, put the holder's name instead. I'm sure that rank sometimes had something to do with the name badges. New Rangers might have been issued a generic badge, and with time they had custom badges made.

 
 From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.
 Little is known about this messy, authenticated badge, sold from the Schreiner Collection in 2003. A little crude, as these early badges were all hand-cut and hand-engraved, but  its design seems to be the inspiration for the many fakes on the market today. Note the telltale thick and thin engraving of hand work, (kind of like a felt tip pen mark) dating the badge to the 1960's or probably even earlier. The lettering is barely passable. RANGER is crudely centered. I'm picky, and this badge would torment me without some provenance.. And ultimately I would have been afraid of this badge...  without seeing the Peso on the reverse, so you see the problem...

 

An atypical, yet beautiful design, which is an authentic alternative modern style. Although very intriguing, a collector has to ask, what are the chances? In this case, something over the top, with frills and dogwood blossoms is right-on. Right when you think you have it figured out, something comes along that destroys your confidence. It is on the back of the badge where you can usually get some clues of authenticity and some peace of mind. Counterfeiters can forge the badge itself pretty well, but few have succeeded in replicating the Mexican Peso on the back!

obverse

 reverse

 
This may be one of ranger Clint Peoples' actual badges, but there were copies and replicas sold as well. BEWARE.

HISTORIC BADGES 
 (1900's and before)
 The oldest known Texas Ranger badges are very different from any of those above. There are so few from before the turn of the Nineteenth Century, that there can be little said about them. There are none on display at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas.

It seems that Ranger badges were not even used much until 1900. The following, very rare  badges are on display at the TRHF. 

 Texas Ranger Hall of Fame

A small hand-made badge circa 1900. The letters appear to be stamped rather than engraved, which would have been expected. A replica of this badge has been authorized. In the early days, the badges would often read TEXAS STATE RANGER or RANGER FORCE. Compare the fonts above to the much later Peso badges. Very different.

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame

This shield design was from around 1910. Fairly good reproductions of this badge are available on the Internet. Enter the extended Helvetica font which became the norm later.

Here it is. Circa 1910. Proof that the early Texas Rangers, at least some of them, used a star in a circle cut out of a Mexican Peso. There is no fancy etching or artistry. Edwin D. Aten was a brother of Ira Aten, the famous Texas Ranger. Check out the back! Look closely! This is your best authenticated badge to compare to...

UPDATE from John Boessenecker:  "...the Eddie Aten badge you picture on your website. I bought that at auction but only after I found out that the consignor had a letter of provenance which Heritage did not list in the catalog description. That is an 1890 cinco peso with a Hermosillo, Sonora, mint mark. So this badge was made in 1892 when Aten joined the Rangers and the coin was new."

WHAT? No eagle, rather a sunburst behind the cap of freedom.. Dated 1890. The word, or parts of the word  LIBERTAD are often visible in the crotch of the star. Note how the points of the star line up perfectly with the rays of the sun!

 I see serious collectors get caught up in the excitement of the hunt and purchase questionable relics all the time. We want to find one so bad, we will rationalize a great deal…. We think, this may be our lucky day. So if you are researching Texas Ranger badges, before you purchase one, and are looking for advice, you came to the wrong place. I am just as big of a sucker as the next guy. But I see many Internet auction bidders compete for so-called Peso badges every week, paying exorbitant prices for pure deceptions. And often even I want to bid... they are often very tantalizing. Especially those genius Internet auctions where the seller intentionally posts awful photography, slightly blurring the details, letting you fill in the blanks with your imagination! And they are so careful about disclaimers and what they DO NOT SAY!
These clever sellers let our greed do the talking! And the thinking. But the red flags are usually flying in my mind. I often have to remind myself the basics to collecting this great icon. And I hate seeing so many people get ripped off. 

 Newly appointed Capt. Bailey must have ordered this badge in 1910 right before he was fired... Capt. Frank Hamer said it was because he arrested four Mexican generals... who were recruiting for their army in Texas. Now in the collection of Ranger Bob Connell, (retired) it was found in a flower bed at the former home of Bailey, in Navasota, Texas, where Bailey served under (then) Marshal Hamer as a deputy. THIS is history. Don't let counterfeiters water it down.
 

Courtesy, Ranger Bob Connell (retired) 

Ranger Captain M. E. Bailey's exhumed brass/bronze? badge from around 1910. Stamped letters, no hand-etched scroll work, CAPTAIN CO B in the star. Has the appearance of being manufactured, perhaps by a custom-mail order company. Many might have called this one a fake... but I know the guy that dug it here in Navasota at Bailey's old home site, and the guy that owns it now... a retired Texas Ranger. This pops the bubble of the predominant lore of the Peso, the silver, and the size.. This thing is almost two inches in diameter. You can read more about it by clicking on the link below:
http://russellcushman.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-texas-ranger-badge-makes-visit-to.html

These badges are very rare and there are few "out there" without provenance. 

*I have to remind myself the scarcity of authenticated  non-DPS marked Peso badges.

*I have to remind myself of the devious and disarming ways hucksters will market replicas of highly coveted historical items; They will employ any method necessary to get your money.

*I have to constantly tell myself not to let my desire or imagination pull the trigger on a purchase. I have to be hard to convince, or end up with a drawer full of expensive disappointments; To study, VERY CAREFULLY,  the Mexican PESO on the back!   

I provide this blog for convenient comparison, FOR MYSELF AS MUCH AS ANYONE, and in the process try to share what I have learned so far. I go back and read it myself almost every time I want to bid on a Ranger badge... The following information is an introduction to this passionate quest, which will probably end in failure for most of you. Still, the search goes on…

A collector contacted me about this badge he had acquired, one he was led to believe that it had belonged to young Ranger Jeff Milton. The star had been poorly cut out... but then this would have been the 1870's... who knows?
 

One of the oldest of these Peso badges known to me, from an uno peso, (silver was cheaper back then!) which was believed to have originated in the early 1900's. It was marketed along with the Colt revolver, holster and gunbelt of Ranger Jules Baker. Since it appears to be hand-engraved with a tool, and lacks much of the machine engraving commonly associated with the later models, it seems plausible. The font, HOWEVER,  amazingly matches those done fifty years later! It would have to be that it or one of its litter-mates was used as the prototype for the 1960's Cinco Peso badges.

From Raymond Brown Collection, Tom Keilman Auction Catalogue.

Lacking much embellishment, this was Ranger Frank Hamer's Peso badge around 1913, right after he returned to the Force. Although the photo is terrible, it is obvious this badge is very similar to the one above, and seems to suggest the Ranger Peso badges go back at least that far.

      The engraving of scroll work on the badge, such as the curly-ques and stitching around the border of the star, (barely visible here) would have been hand-done in the fifties or before with an engraving tool, and will have a “thick to thin” line, or inconsistency, which indicates hand craftsmanship. That is a good thing. There will be very sharp features... almost triangular chisel marks  made with the engraving tool, and the overall look will be more like calligraphy. 

STATE RANGERS

Some Ranger badges were actually star-shaped... This one uses the wording "Texas State Ranger," popular during the Depression years.

And This Is REAL !

Photo courtesy Burley Auctions, New Braunfels, Texas

 
Yep. This small brass badge [1920's?] was a part of artist Donald Yena's fantastic collection sold at Burley Auctions in New Braunfels, Texas. And it looks like a toy... Lord help us! Turns out there was a legit inspiration for the toy lawman badge we all wore as kids in 1950's!

 The badge of Ranger J. H. Colley.

I think most of the "State Ranger" badges were issued during the Governors Ferguson Administrations, and were thus called "Ferguson Rangers." Ma and Pa Ferguson had a love-hate relationship with the old-time rangers, partly because they rewarded so many of their own supporters with ranger commissions.

Many of the old handmade badges had a curved tab to receive the pin, rather than a little hasp. 

What I call a "Ferguson Ranger" badge. But they were still Texas Rangers!

A one-of-a-kind, script- lettered and poorly made badge, even for the early days. Company D in script... This one even looks crude, new (no patina) and counterfeit. If it walks like a duck...

My first advice is to go ahead and buy some of the "repops," as they are quite instructive. Some of them actually mimic important characteristics which you will be looking for. Second of all, understand the huge diversity of the actual badges. A real one may not look anything like what you will be expecting. Although the fakes do sometimes almost fool some of us, it’s only because we forget that... as we stare hopefully into the computer monitor.

Replicas...
 Dangerously Close

A fairly authentic, Sterling silver (and I assume authorized, die-stamped replica) limited reproduction of an early Texas Ranger badge design made by the Franklin Mint. Although made after an authentic design, it is HUGE, almost 1 3/4 inches in diameter, a full 1/2 inch larger than the originals. It is possible that Franklin Mint was not copying a design that was originally made from a Peso... These were sold in sets with other badges of the Old West in the 1980's. They sell for around $50.00 - $100.00. As these are handled and gain a patina, they will become a bigger nuisance. But the size is a dead give away. The Texas Rangers have been known to grant permission to reputable badge makers to manufacture limited numbers of historic Ranger badges, for collectors and re-enactors. They have also been known to require some tell-tale inaccuracies to be used in the designs of the replicas so that the originals are easily distinguished from the replicas.

Fake Peso on back of Franklin Mint badge... Ebay

Not surprisingly, Franklin Mint does a good job simulating the Mexican Five Peso coin of the 1940's, but actual cuts of an actual Peso nearly shave the bottoms of the letters ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS.  The designers at Franklin Mint could not resist the temptation of enlarging the whole badge, and then slightly rearranging the elements to make them more balanced.  

Ebay

 Sold inexpensively on Ebay as a faithful reproduction, this badge has several tell-tale shortcomings. probably dye stamped, the font is too small and is not extended enough, the plant stems are jumbled and indistinct, and the period after the Coo is HUGE! 

Most reproductions, even the good ones, trying to appear authentic, focus on mimicking the official badges that were officially adopted very late. The most common form, like those above, the relentless silver star in a circle, that reads TEXAS RANGERS on the circle and features some bad facsimiles of plant stems of various descriptions on either side, with "Co. A" inside the star, is the one that pops up so much it is humorous.  Nobody seems to have served in the other companies...  And yet there are probably real ones, but authentic Peso badges we see so often would just as likely have Co. F, B, C, D or whatever on them... But if they are the real deal, they are a design that was used in the 1960’s or later, and are not really relics of the Old West.

 A real one of these '60's nostalgic badges, without a name inscribed might bring $500 - $1,500. Originally they were hand-cut out of Mexican 5 Peso coins… which can be easily seen on the backside. They were also hand engraved, until dye stamping took over. But also in that period it was quite common for a Ranger to have his name inscribed into the badge, and that is where you can study the difference between the dye stamping and the hand work.  One that has no name on it might be real… but is worth much less as it has no traceable provenance and may have seen very short service, if any at all. No doubt badge makers let a few nameless badges slip between the cracks before it got so sticky to have them. So if you are going to buy a Ranger badge, this model is the easiest to locate and yet the hardest to authenticate. But here are a few tips.

 Ebay

Looks promising, BUT... from my expertise, this is not made from a Mexican coin, and hand-cut or dye cut and engraved, but has been cast from a mold. The "stitching" around the contour of the star is badly done, seems primitive, more like  erratically spaced dots (probably due to poor or worn out molds in the casting process). The details, especially the letters inside the star have the appearance of being reworked while still in the wax, giving them a randomly widened and crude, irregular effect. The font is also too big. Also, the spacing between the E and R in RANGE RS is off. If this badge had been made by a real badge maker, it would have, should have been discarded. The winning bidder had to pay over $200.00 for this questionable item. I have seen multiple badges like this sold on Ebay. THINK ABOUT IT! By the 1960's the Texas Rangers would never have accepted such shoddy craftsmanship, whether dye stamped, hand cut,  or cast. If you see two badges, both having the same anomaly in letter spacing, when these are supposedly dye cut and stamped... that means the badge maker had to mass produce this exact mistake in spacing... and this is not likely... but he didn't because this was CAST. It is a fake. Read on...

The big tell-tale sign is the design of the so–called Peso design on the back. Some fakers, yes, they would go to this kind of trouble, will use a real peso…  but fail to use one old enough to match the ERA THEY ARE COUNTERFEITING. Some late Teens, Twenties and Thirties Pesos had very little silver in them, and were not suitable for the badge making process. But by 1947, when silver once again made up around 90% of the content, the Mexican Peso had shrunk. So to add to the confusion, an actual One Peso coin from the "silver period" period was way too small to be used... (silver values went up) so in 1947 and '48, Mexico issued these same Mexican eagle designs with the Aztec chief Cuauhtemoc on the obverse and issued them in the Five Peso denomination. The Five Peso coin of these two years is almost exactly the same size (slightly larger) as the historic silver Mexican One Peso from earlier years, the one used by the earlier Texas Rangers.

SIZE MATTERS: Top (by itself), the eagle design on the Turn of the Century Mexican Pesos; (Second row, left-rt) a 1920's shrinking peso eagle, with not much silver and unsuitable, in the middle a Texas Ranger badge for comparison, and a Franklin Mint replica. (Bottom row) A 1947 Mexican Peso (too small),  1910 Mexican Peso known as the "Caballito", and bottom right, the most copied Peso eagle, the 1947 Mexican FIVE PESO coin.

Sometimes the fakers will take an actual handmade badge (Not necessarily a real Ranger badge!), and make a mold from it and cast it in brass or silver alloy. They can make hundreds of these from one mold, using the lost wax process. But the letters and details will be… strange, not worn like a coin, the letters on the "coin" will be raised, and yet somewhat flattened and lack any sharp edges, or any crisp corners, which are often lost in the molding and casting process. Many badge sellers advertise “cut from a Mexican Peso” when it is just cast from one to appear so.

Ebay

The fake Peso (in my estimation) on the back is pretty easy to spot, just take note of the fat, blurry, misshapen, almost swollen letters on the reverse side above. This is typical after taking a mold and casting from a replica. A lot is lost in the translation. Also the patina has been artificially applied to the "peso" to enhance its visual appeal. Mexican coin craftsmanship is far superior to this, and remains so after considerable wear. See below.

 The real deal.

In 1947, the Mexican Government began to issue a Cinco Peso with this eagle design... for a couple of years... so here you should make two personal notes; First, any Ranger badge with this design on the back, even if it is authentic, could be no older than the coin, and 2nd, the details on the badge should be fairly crisp, and as this coins shows, there are considerable details in the oak and olive branches and dentils on the edge which should survive as well.

FYI, this the obverse design, which the badge makers obliterated to make the later Ranger badges. This is  a portrait of the legendary Aztec chief, Cuauhtemoc..   

So let’s say you are looking at a possible fake, and the red flags have shot up in your mind over the reverse side. Let's go back to the front, or obverse side.

 
The modern and reproduction badges, although great looking, are done with dye stamping and engraving machines, and the lines are machine precise. Or in other words, there is almost no variance in thickness of line, and very few anomalies,thus more perfect badges.

 The value goes up as the the badge gets older. It goes up if the badge has a name on it. It goes up if the details on the Peso on the reverse side are right... And almost none of the badges I see on Ebay pass this test.

 Ebay

 Die-stamped with intentional imperfections, no thick and thin here. I call this common replica the "leaning C" badge... as the almost italic C does not match the rest of the font on the badge. And once again, that giant period after Co...

IF it is real. Even the pin hardware on the back will have the look of precision and quality. The pin and clasp are substantial, well functioning, attached very cleanly, no solder splashes or overflow, in other words, done as if a TEXAS RANGER WAS GOING TO PIN IT ON.

For more on how to discern a fake Texas Ranger badge, click on this link...
http://russellcushman.blogspot.com/2014/08/more-on-fake-ranger-badges.html



There is nothing junky in appearance about the 60’s badges. They were made with pride, out of real Pesos that had high silver content and had not been worn out… mine, that I think might actually be real, is dated 1901. Well, at least the PESO is real! This was the obverse side and these pesos were used from 1867 to 1905.

Surprise! Here is a fairly modern vintage Texas Ranger badge cut from a 1901 Mexican Peso, using a Peso from when "Peso" badges  evolved... known as the Second Republic period.

The artwork on the obverse side of the coin depicts a "freedom cap," known since ancient times as the "Phrygian cap," in front of sun rays, with the word LIBERTAD inscribed at the bottom.  Early badges will be made from Mexican Pesos like this from the early 1900's.  Below is the Ranger badge belonging to Ranger John R. Peavey. The badge maker chose to use the eagle on the reverse side of a similar coin for the back...

Here is an authentic badge for comparison. Reverse side of Mexican Peso around 1900, which reads REPUBLICA MEXICANA, quite different from the later Pesos.

1902 Mexican Peso, Second Republic period, reads REPUBLICA MEXICANA. 

Later authentic badges,  from the 1960's, using much later CINCO PESOs, might look like the one below.

The real deal. This is the reverse side of Ranger Bradley Freeman's Peso badge. I do not know whether these are dye cut from actual 1940'S Pesos, then plated with gold, or are extremely fine castings from molds of some kind of gold alloy... My guess is they were die-stamped, cut and plated coins. You can see every beautifully formed feather on the Mexican eagle. It appears that the coin's edge has been smoothed... and not that precisely. 

For the badge to be in proportion, the letters on the Mexican coin will have to be shaved a little on the bottom. The letters are dimensional. In other words, they will catch light and cast a shadow. They should be crisp. There will be sufficient negative space between the letters. EVEN IF THE COIN IS WORN, THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE LETTERS TO BE SMUDGED, MASHED OR MISSHAPEN! The next time you are tempted to bid on one of those fakes, pull a coin out of your pocket and look at the details... and ask, does the back of the badge have that kind of clarity? It should!

Even when quite worn, the lettering will still be pretty crisp.

IF YOU CANNOT INSPECT THE BACK OF THE BADGE, THEN BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK.





Early Bronze/Brass Badges

In the early days, before there was any standardization of Ranger badges, many solutions were tried, including cheaply made, homespun and even some mail order badges. Around the turn of the Century, until the popularity of the cinco peso took over, a low ranking or former Ranger might carry one of these unofficial badges. Often made of brass or bronze, they were cut out of brass or bronze sheet metal and inscribed with various things... and these badges tend to be larger (1 3/4") than the average peso-sized badge (1 1/2")... But they were rarely even pinned on the peacemaker where they could be seen. I have never seen a photograph of a Ranger wearing such a badge, but we know they existed. I have seen a few badges pinned to a gunbelt... and no doubt a few were worn under the vest... Many Rangers considered the badge a very tempting target.

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

The pigmented lettering on J. Eagle Vaughn's oldest Ranger badge, made from brass, is from early in the Century and is reminiscent of Ed Aten's badge.







From Raymond Brown Collection, Tom Keilman Auction Catalogue.

Captain Frank Hamer also had this brass/bronze badge early in his career... probably around 1915.  His son Frank Hamer Jr. wrote an authentication of it, but declared that it was carried by Hamer from 1909-1913, during the time he worked in Navasota and Houston... Decent replicas of this basic badge have been offered for sale.... but they are cast in silver alloy and a bit smaller in diameter.

Here begins one of the several questions/discrepancies between mine and the official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame website:  The badge design above is labeled as a fake, especially when seen on brass cartridge belt buckles, by the TRHF... calling into question Frank Hamer Jr., a Ranger himself, as a possibly misinformed heir, who gave written assurances about this badge and its authenticity, (provenance provided when it was sold at the Raymond Brown Collection auction in 1986). I admit his suggested time period was questionable... but when and how did this badge find its way into the Hamer estate, if not a possession of Frank Hamer's? 

Was it a forgery that he had retrieved sometime during his career? Or a cheap but perfectly allowable mail-order product, available with MATCHING BANDOLEER BUCKLES, purchased by a young Texas Ranger, which became obsolete when he took his job in Navasota? Perhaps a few were made on special order for legitimate purposes and even fewer survived... but ONE, or perhaps one of the dies,  made it into the replica maker's hands... years ago before much was known or recorded... Because this same design has been incorporated into modern "replica" brass cartridge belt buckles... with alleged fake Patent dates of antiquity... 

These buckles were supposedly used by Rangers in this period... similar to the more familiar Mexican bandito cartridge belts.

All of the bandoleer belt buckles are said to be frauds...

But check out this very old photograph of Captain Phillips...

Capt. Phillips wears a buckle strikingly similar to replica buckles.

A similar (reproduction) U. S. Army buckle of the period for comparison.

 And here is another shot, this time of Captain Fox...

Captain Fox also appears to be wearing one of these canvas cartridge belts, or bandoleers. The buckle may be on the far left of his waist... and he seems to wear the buckle out of sight for some reason. Early Rangers always considered badges the same as targets, and rarely exposed them except as a last resort. This led to the misconception that there were  no badges at all. Might the bandoleer buckles have been treated much the same?

In any case, we know the Texas Rangers used these canvas bandoleers, the question is were there ever Ranger buckles commissioned for them? It is certainly possible... and also possible they were not well received, and relatively few were sold to the State of Texas. There may have been an unwanted surplus laying around in a warehouse for decades until somebody ran across them and realized their commercial value.

Sometimes, when you are the last word on something, it is tempting to dismiss aberrations and  throw the baby out with the bath water. "Better safe than sorry." But suddenly I have to acknowledge that these brass cartridge belt buckles may have more basis in fact. Given the Hamer badge, and its kinship to the brass cartridge belt buckles, maybe the TRHF should consider this badge design, and even the bandoleer buckles with more interest... 

It would sure be nice if this badge in question would surface so we could all examine it...

Anyway, above is a bronze Texas Ranger badge I snagged on Ebay... much like Frank Hamer's earliest badge, without the frills... circa 1910-1915... it MIGHT be real... Haven't seen many like this in bronze, with a naturally achieved patina that suggests some age.

...Frank Hamer's earliest ranger badge is certainly a possible archetype for the controversial cartridge belt buckles and their modern reproductions. It is worthy of note that:

1) Captain Frank Hamer was active on the border (1906-1920) when and where these cartridge belts were popular. So the time is right for the overlap.

2) He and one of his closest Ranger cronies, Capt. M. E. Bailey both had cheap bronze, stamped badges during this period.
3) It is unlikely that anyone seeking to conjure up a buckle, (or a badge) some decades ago, would have ever seen or beheld the bronze Hamer badge in order to have copied it perfectly, OR 
4) would have chosen to reproduce something so useless, as they do not fit on regular belts. The re-enactor thing and its accompanying authenticity craze came much later.
5) It would have taken several coincidences for the above cartridge belt buckle to have evolved as a fantasy relic. 1) Some enterprising person would have to have picked up this rare badge design somewhere, probably from an existing badge, and even though it was not a "known" design, and 2) had the wherewithal and desire to produce a bandoleer buckle from it, and 3) used a style of buckle and a badge design absolutely perfectly appropriate for the period, even knowing what information to impress in the back of the buckle to make it seem authentic. This would be the greatest and luckiest counterfeiter in the world. There is a less believable possibility that some over-zealous Hollywood movie sutler had some of these clever forgeries made up for various Western productions... for "authenticity," forever muddying the waters of  Ranger history. If so, they never seemed to have caught on as cinema ranger equipment.

So it is easier for me to imagine these aberrations as obscure ranger relics rather than uncannily accurate, yet unprofitable commercial conjurations.

Still, as frustrating as it all is, I have to withhold judgment, but I will purchase some of these if I can get them right... just in case!




To add to the confusion between my blog and the official TRHF website, I submit another badge sold at Burley Auctions in 2014...

It was probably the "Holy Grail" of Texas Ranger badges!

But according to TRHF, this is probably a fake... as they note there are no authenticated badges with the designation of "Frontier Battalion" on them. Maybe so... but Ranger Rudd's small State Ranger FB badge might well have been the only surviving Ranger badge from the Captain McNelly era... One of the first Ranger badges ever made, when the Rangers once, untypically, were issued badges to the Frontier Battalion in the late 1870's. Or it might have been one of a kind...


And there was another FB badge at the auction... Now folks, this has GOT to be the real thing! This and the other FB badge stirred considerable interest at the auction, as they should have. Both are extremely rare, perhaps one of a kind, and there is no precedent or other badge to compare to... this scares museums and experts... and invigorates collectors! So the best stuff is ALWAYS in PRIVATE COLLECTIONS...



The smart thing is never say never...



Mini- Badges & non-PESO Badges

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame

A small badge, around 1 1/4 inches  diameter.  From around 1920, this was a diminutive predecessor to the typical badge we all think of today.

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

Thinner and smaller than a Peso, this crude, hand-cut and stamped, yet unimpressive, nickel "Special Ranger" badge makes you wonder what was so special...

Butt Ugly, a Co. F. Badge circa 1919, marketed on an online auction, along with a fabulous Texas Ranger image collection, all absolutely authentic. The wonderful font is very similar to the small badge above and the Co A. badge at the very beginning of this blog.

No Peso.





Gold Badges

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

A handsome badge from the 1920's. Many were made from brass and plated, and not from any kind of coin. NOTE: Most of the earlier badges say TEXAS RANGER, singular.

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

"RANGER FORCE" 1930's

 From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

Captain Frank Hamer's eagle and shield badge, circa 1930's.

Captain Frank Johnson's buhitchin' Ranger FORCE badge... circa 1909. This badge is a monument to hand craftsmanship!

Special Ranger Badges

Ranger Clint People's Special Ranger badge.

An IDENTICAL badge, but in gold. When you compare these two, note the asymmetrical X and enlarged A in TEXAS, in both. Even the inner rim circle around the star plays out in exactly the same place (upper left). This suggests that by the late period, they were machine stamped with a die,  with "anomalies" accepted and even intended to separate real badges from fakes. These idiosyncrasies would be hard to counterfeit.

Related Badges

 

 An 1870's pressed metal shield badge of the Texas State Police... a Reconstruction era enforcement agency, instituted by the Federal occupiers and hated by most Texans. John Wesley Hardin made a career out of killing them with no hesitation.

POST SCRIPT:  This State Police badge sold at Burley Auctions, a part of Texas artist and collector Donald Yena's collection, as an authentic badge from the Reconstruction era... It is pressed tin, thin and lightweight, and very valuable. Even esteemed historical author and badge aficionado John Boessenecker of California has affirmed these badges ARE INDEED FROM THE 1870'S...

From now dispersed Schreiner Collection, Little John's Auction catalogue.

Official badge of "Special Rangers" assigned to the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.  This badge is probably from the 1930's- '40's.

Many men were awarded badges like these during the infamous Ferguson Administration of the 1930's.  Movie stars, entertainers, political allies... 

Modern Badges

By the early 1930's there still was no uniformity to the Texas Ranger badge. The Rangers went to work to resolve that and there were probably several different results during this period until the final, first official badge was selected. It was about this time that the Texas Rangers were absorbed into the Texas Department of Public Safety (Highway Patrol).

Silver and gold badges emerged that were shields of sorts, with the Texas star, and the plant stems... very sharp, crisp details... this is probably a combination cast and a dye stamped badge and is fairly heavy. Some suspicious cast forgeries of this beautiful badge show up as well.

Ebay

This badge came into use around 1938.

It also came in gold... 

Fakes, Forgeries and Toys

  

 Ebay

COMPARE! (To the above) Beware of dull, flawed fakes, cast from molds off of authentic badges, and not worth anything. In casting forgeries, the embossed letters swell, and the engraved letters shrink. The near bulbous letters on this badge are an outrage to anybody who knows and admires badges; Extremely inconsistent thickness, (this style featured a clean, helvetica font) and terrible alignment, uneven letters, improper spacing... the word OF is crammed too close to DEPT. The word SAFETY has no common baseline. The star has been put to a grinder and barely buffed. It should be smooth as glass... People are fooled by cheap artistry...  such as the patina, which makes it look old, but also enhances the casting flaws that would never pass inspection. Study the words TEXAS RANGERS, on this badge and all their pits and dings. I guess it's possible this officer was fired upon with rat shot... and then had the badge buffed...

The above style of badge was used until the Peso-star form was adopted in the 1960's, basically a throwback to the "old timey days." The lore became, "Look for the Mexican Peso for authenticity..."

FOR MORE ON HOW TO DETECT a fake Ranger badge, check out this blog...

http://russellcushman.blogspot.com/2014/08/more-on-fake-ranger-badges.html

For the official word on AUTHENTIC Texas Ranger badges, there is no better source than the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame... Here is a convenient link:

http://www.texasranger.org/history/HistoricBadges.htm

"AberRangers"

AberRangers are Ranger badge aberrations which cannot be totally dismissed, or totally accepted, until we know more. They are badges that look really intriguing, but have some characteristic which causes concern... Really BAD artwork in the engraving; A misspelled word; The wrong kind of peso, or one really worn smooth before it was made into a badge. Still they look and feel like they are the real deal... But we post those red flags in our minds for self-protection... We don't like something we have never seen before.  But in this article you have already seen a lot of things you have never seen before... the kinds of things that used to tempt most appraisers to scoff at them. We all have our pet-peeves and hate to be fooled or cheated.

And we are all almost too cynical. But spending lots of money makes you become that way. Aberrangers are those badges that cause us to lose sleep at night... because we would rather not buy one, and risk losing the deal of the Century, than be taken. I was pretty skeptical about badges made from 1950's Cinco Pesos. Consisting of around 72% Silver, it seemed unlikely that a Texas Ranger would have his badge made from one. One of my readers tells in the comment section about his father having his fairly crude ranger badge made in the 1950's by a fly-by-night jeweler in Mexico. After another of my suspicious readers basically called him an impostor, I disregarded both comments, not knowing what to think.

Recently the ANONYMOUS reader who had been called an impostor offered a very plausible defense, and I think satisfied everyone that the second reader was guilty of making unfair assumptions and subsequent libelous allegations. And I went back and reconsidered his warm recollections about his father's favorite badge. About this time this badge came across the Internet auction... so here is an "Aberranger"!

I loved this little badge, even if it was a hoax... and in fact at first I thought it was... but it had a striking kinship to the second badge shown on this blog... (see top)

Whittled and hand-engraved out of a 1953 Cinco Peso, I decided it was a wonderful item, if only for reenacting. There are plenty of fakes made from these 50's Cinco Pesos. But this one had just good enough artwork and stamping, to be worn by a humble Texas Ranger, who like my reader's father, hated the "bottlecaps" issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety and had his own made to is liking. These Pesos have more silver than later pesos, and might easily have been used by someone not well informed about the comparative silver content of one peso over another. My conclusion was it could have happened.

1953 Cinco Peso

On the rim of this Cinco Peso is written   COMERCIO   AGRICULTURA   INDUSTRIA.

Once I got it, I was even more in love with the badge. It may not be the real deal... and I may never know, But it will drive everybody crazy in the meantime! 

.72% silver, Father Hidalgo is commemorated on the obverse of this large coin...

After I acquired this badge, I reread one of my reader's comments about his father, who was a Texas Ranger... which helps explain some "aberrangers"...

 "Anonymous" wrote:

...My Father was a Texas Ranger from 1960 to 1961 when he was killed in the line of duty. This was during the "Blue Bottle Cap" badges that the rangers HATED.

He was stationed in El Paso when he first became a Ranger, and being a traditionalist, he hopped over the border & had a street merchant make him a peso badge out of a 5 dollar peso. He thought it was great, although it's very crude looking.

But that didn't stop him from going home and putting the "Bottle Cap" badge in a drawer & pinning the peso badge on - and that's the badge he wore everyday & the badge he had pinned to his chest when he was killed.

Now you tell me - is that a REAL Texas Ranger badge? He had it made on his own - it looks very crude (being done by a street merchant) but it was commissioned by an honest-to-God Ranger & worn by him while on duty.

But without telling the "experts" who I am & where this badge came from - every single one has told me it's a fake.

So take heart...some of you may truly own a genuine badge - including the writer of this article.

You have to realize that my dad was not the only Ranger to go have their own badges made in the 50'6 & 60's. Lots (if not all) of them did.

The one REAL reason I would be suspicious of a Ranger peso badge is because the only people who would have one (that's less than a hundred years old) would either be the Ranger, or his family.

And you can take it from the son of a Ranger - there's no way in hell we'd ever sell it! 

AND NOW...

The Wanna'-bes... 

A comparison from sublime to ridiculous...

Here are few hilarious examples of  bogus pesos...

Ebay

The spring-type pin is of course not right either...

Ebay

Sharp, but fake details!! 

Ebay

Not so hilarious, this really pitiful, blurred casting job attracted 11 bids on Ebay... and sold for way too much for what it is.

Ebay

BEWARE!

 Probably because it actually says Co. C and not A, this clever badge attracted 20 bids on Ebay and sold for over $500.00! People wake up!  The C must be for Crude, as this badge is not only a poor casting, (probably from a real Ranger badge) but has obvious casting flaws... such as the rat chews on the inside of the circle next to the right leg on the star. The "Peso" marks on the reverse are typical for a cast forgery.

Ebay

Hmmmmm. Albeit beautifully conceived, and very much old style, this handsome badge was poorly executed... the band saw over-cuts at the star-points ruin the suspension of disbelief. And the letters are badly stamped... R up, A down... G up... Too bad, because this would be great for a re-enactor. Note: Still, after my observations, this could be real... a primitively made frontier badge, but the preponderance of fakes makes buying a questionable badge on Ebay or wherever, a very questionable way to acquire such a treasure. But this could be the real deal, if compared to one known early badge with real sloppy craftsmanship, especially the letter stamping.  The tiny, sporty stars, rare, but possible for an early, handmade frontier badge, (compare to H. E. Garner's cheesy Special Ranger badge ) So how did I make my call? You have to look even closer... and THINK. The font is very much like the '60's badges... too incredible for a coincidence. So if it is authentic, it is from the 1930's or later...  Also, and more importantly, the back was buggered up, and the pin gone and a screw button attached, as if it had been attached to a holster or gunbelt... not a typical Ranger thing to do... more of a Hollywood / Old West re-enactor style ... AND last of all, as this would have to be a very old badge to justify the poor craftsmanship... yet is IT IS MADE WITH A MODERN ERA PESO, like the 1960's Ranger badges are known for. And from where I sit... a FAKE one.

Ebay
Close... but no cigar.

This fake attracted 7 bids and ultimately brought $138.00 on ebay.

The back tells the whole story: a cast fake. But nice finding! (pin & swivel)

In this case, Company F.-  for FAKE.

And they get much worse...

Ebay

the bold- fresh Ranger..

Ebay

Pretty cool looking badge... until you look at the back!

 Ebay

The Mexican Government should track these replica makers down for slandering them. I don't know if there is any significance to the year 1895. It has come to me that these may have been sold in conjunction with a Winchester promotion when they began to market new, second generation Model 1895 Winchesters.

Ebay 

The jagged branches are almost bizarre... more like nettle... the angry ranger!

Fanciful Creations

Ebay

the digital Ranger..

 Some of these are hilarious, as if they were described over the phone by International traders to some Chinese craftsmen who farmed the work out to Bedouin tinkerers. The elements are there... but something got lost in the translation.

Ebay

The Arabic Ranger!

Ebay

The lucky 7, SPECIAL AGENT Ranger.... Texas Ranger Hall of Fame says there were never any lawmen commissioned as Texas Ranger "SPECIAL AGENTS."

COOL looking Civil War-esque badge, but it NEVER happened...

These folks are clueless...

A gorgeous impostor. Nothing remotely authentic.

 That will do for starters.. you get the idea... and hopefully you won't waste as much time as I have trying to sort this all out.

And hopefully, if enough people wise up, we can end some of the deceptions and counterfeiting going on... a shameful and unnecessary legacy of these great relics of our heritage! 

I could not resist this last section I Call...

 "THE TEXAS RANGER BADGE HALL OF SHAME"

The artisans who made the following fetching replicas have every right to relish in their craftsmanship. But anybody who is fooled by them will be forever candidates for the Hall of Shame. Mainly because so far, these have been marketed as badges on Ebay with no provenance and questionable origins, using those pesky 1950's Cinco pesos... And most badge collectors would scoff at them...

So crude it is embarrassing. But this creation had that homemade look that is so appealing. Homemade is an understatement. Co. B is off-center, TEXAS RANGERS is scrawled on the bottom in a rushed, crammed style that morphs from block letters to italics!  This is probably a re-enactor's amateurish, custom made badge, and regardless of all the red flags, cleaned up among the wishful bidders, selling for $300.00! 

REMEMBER badges with "Dept of Public Safety" did not appear until the late 1930's. Most Rangers of that period, especially the 50's or 60's, would never have tolerated such sloppy craftsmanship. And check out the back...

It's a cinco peso... perhaps a real one, known as a large or "giant Hidalgo." Not a deal killer in itself, BUT it is a mid-fifties peso... Not likely, but remotely possible, that a young ranger might have had made for amusement and nostalgia.  But if he had he might have been embarrassed to wear this ! These coins were marked prominently with "CINCO PESO" which really grabs new collectors. But were only around 72% silver, and they were not the best choice used for making a badge... not even for pct. constables or game wardens. They tarnished more easily, and unless the owner buffed them often, they stank of cheap metal. Shame-shame!

This beautiful Company B is badge probably a fake or another re-enactor's pride and joy, and has obviously been fashioned by copying the notorious, manufactured, bogus Company B ranger badge seen often on Internet auctions, which has no basis as a historical badge. (See below) The difference being the one above has been beautifully hand made... It is a work of art. (Sold for $316.00 and was almost worth it!) But it is not a relic of history, or of the Texas Rangers. Its reverse side provided plenty of clues...

Compare to this modern, mass produced fantasy badge.

ONCE AGAIN, a 72% silver Cinco Peso, from 1953. ONCE AGAIN,  rangers from this era would rarely if ever tolerate a badge that was probably going to immediately stain his pressed white shirt. By the time the words "Dept of Public Safety" were required, white or khaki shirts were the style, as were official, sanctioned departmental badges. No more outlaw designs, with very little individualism. The badge could have happened...  a gift by a well meaning person... but only after the prototype, a fairly modern (1980's?) fantasy badge was produced first... so it was probably never owned by a Texas Ranger...and if it was, it was not likely to have ever seen the light of day. This badge is another "Aberranger."

A very handsome, cleverly done replica of a historic badge... similar to ones known to be authentic. Once again, you have to inspect the reverse side...

A casting. NOT A REAL COIN.  The grainy texture on the "coin" is from the lost wax casting process. Note the puffy letters. The bent, misshapen edge. When the foundryman sandblasts the ceramic mold off of the object, he leaves tiny telltale sanding pits... which must be polished out to remove them... but not for the kind of money this fellow got for a bogus ranger badge... Still, an excellent job. Look for more of these.. better made, and harder to to tell. And ruthlessly shameless.

So, now I will get off of my high horse. Here are some badges that will defy confidence and skepticism... Sent by readers like you... except THEY GOT LUCKY!

At the very least, a magnificent fake... You make the call.

There are some that could be.. bought- even on ebay... actual authentic Texas Ranger Badges... and these are why we love the hunt... and never quit!

1889!

Yes, good badges do filter through... and bring good prices.

(No Peso)

This one sold on ebay for $1,250.00. Perhaps issued by the Ferguson regime or earlier, it has great similarity to another on display at the TRHF... and others...

Left; badge in online auction, Right: Badge at TRHF.      

One last word: I am told by one old badge collector, who claims to have worked for several law enforcement agencies and would know these things, That  IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO SELL A TEXAS RANGER BADGE.  THE REASONING IS SIMPLE. THERE ARE NO "OBSOLETE" RANGER BADGES. ANY OLD BADGE MIGHT BE WORN BY A TEXAS RANGER TODAY, MAKING ALL OF THEM POTENTIALLY ACTIVE.

IF YOU OWN ONE, as far as I understand it, you can keep it, but you cannot legally sell it, to anyone but a Texas Ranger. So it is an asset with dubious commercial value.

Others have since argued that historic badges can and will be sold, in front of God and everybody. So here is a free clue. IF you are at an auction, and you spy a ranger badge that appears to be from the modern era, and they are willing to put it up for auction, it is probably a FAKE. Otherwise it could be confiscated. 

I have seen modern fakes sold among authentic old badges and the buyers were trusting, since the old badges had them mesmerized.  And they will unwittingly pay $1000 for piece of junk! 


Some will argue THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN LEGALLY PURCHASE a real Texas Ranger badge IS A TEXAS RANGER. If you have one you want to sell, you have to go through the Rangers, and they might be able to help you find a buyer from within... this is how it was explained to me. But then it was an ex-lawman who collected badges telling me this. He liked having a "legal advantage." 

I'm sure some get found, given, inherited, traded etc. and collectors have managed to snag a few by careful hunting and dodging, but this is not a game for most folks to play. 

Having been in the antique/collecting world all of my life, I have known dealers who tried to play with marketing authentic (modern, cinco peso) Ranger badges and saw their rare badges confiscated. Others have told me that they were luckier, and were just told to take the badges OFF the shelf- or else.

If you see a badge for sale out in the open, it is either a fake, with no value, or the dealer is either stupid or asking for trouble, or most likely both. And that is why I say this whole thing is bound to end in disappointment for most of you.

A reader has graciously forwarded this statement of Texas State Law:

Texas Government Code Sec. 411.017
UNAUTHORIZED ACTS INVOLVING
DEPARTMENT NAME, INSIGNIA, or DIVISION NAME


(a) A person commits an offense if, without the director's authorization, the person:
1.Manufactures, sells, or possesses a badge, identification card, or other item bearing a department insignia or an insignia deceptively similar to the department's;


2.Makes a copy or likeness of a badge, identification card, or department insignia, with intent to use or allow another to use the copy or likeness to produce an item bearing the department insignia or an insignia deceptively similar to the department's; or


3.Uses the term "Texas Department of Public Safety," "Department of Public Safety," "Texas Ranger," or "Texas Highway Patrol" in connection with an object, with the intent to create the appearance that the object belongs to or is being used by the department.
(b) In this section, "department insignia" means an insignia or design prescribed by the director [ of TDPS ] for use by officers and employees of the department in connection with their official activities.

An insignia is deceptively similar to the department's if it is not prescribed by the department but a reasonable person would presume that it was prescribed by the department.

(c) A district or county court, on application of the attorney general or of the district attorney or prosecuting attorney performing the duties of district attorney for the district in which the court is located, may enjoin a violation or threatened violation of this section on a showing that a violation has occurred or is likely to occur.

(d) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this section that the object is used exclusively:


(1) for decorative purposes, maintained or preserved in a decorative state, and not offered for sale; or

(2) in an artistic or dramatic presentation, and before the use of the object the producer of the presentation notifies the director [TDPS] in writing of the intended use, the location where the use will occur, and the period during which the use will occur.

(e) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, unless the object is shipped by United States mail or by any type of commercial carrier from a point outside the State of Texas to a point inside the state if the shipper or his agent has been sent notification by registered United States mail of this section prior to the shipment, in which event the offense is a felony of the third degree.


I'll leave it to you to interpret all of that, but I did highlight a few things for emphasis.

Now, can you tell the difference? Do you care anymore?

Try to buy or sell real, modern style Texas Ranger badges, and you will have to answer to these guys!

Around 70 Texas Rangers posing in the 1970's... and ironically maybe one badge in sight!

Good LUCK!