There’s a fun little mom & pop antique store I like visiting and they always have a fish bowl full of old pinback buttons to rummage through. Usually the bowl is full of the common Pep cereal pins and political pins, but this time I found a really neat one.
I’ve never seen this button before and I have no clue what the Phantom Regiment was. I’m guessing the button is from the 1930's and might be a premium relating to a radio show or movie. But, Rockford, Illinois is printed on it and that kind of throws me for a loop. That tells me that it’s not a national piece, but a local one. Could it be a that the Phantom Regiment was a local radio show with a scary theme or maybe a local theater promotion for a kid’s scary movie watching group? I have no clue? Any ideas?
I’ve looked through all of Hake’s books and researched the internet and I’ve come up with nothing!
I'm not positive, but it might be for a Drum and Bugle Corps out of Rockford, IL. http://www.regiment.org/index.cfm
ReplyDeleteI know it's a common trio of colors, but their official colors are Red, White and Black, which suits the button. It could just be a coinsidence. Apparently the Corps' name and color scheme is a reference to the Rudyard Kipling book (The Lost Legion) describing the British-Indian army (dressed in khaki and white) that was lost for days only to re-appear through a foggy mist, becoming a phantom regiment.
Good work! I think you might be right. Only thing is that the pin does look like it's older than 1956 when the drum corps started. This was probably created during their first year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the detective work!!
Yup, that's a pin from Phantom Regiment the Drum and Bugle Corps. Check out one of their live performances this summer - if you have never seen drum corps, you'll be impressed. Summer DB&C is hugely athletic, incredible and emotional. The final contents are in Aug, and at last year's championships, PR was second.
ReplyDeleteIf you send them the picture of the pin in email, I am sure they can tell you when it is from.
Sincerely,
Rick Cogley
Tokyo Japan
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Rick and I think I'll email them.
ReplyDeleteY'all beat me to it. Yay, drum and bugle corps!
ReplyDeleteYES...PHANTOM REGIMENT BASED OUT OF ROCKFORD, IL. SON MARCHED MELLOPHONE 03-07 AND AGED OUT.
ReplyDeleteGREAT ORGANIZATION***WE ALSO HAVE THE SAME PR PIN!