As a former patch collector myself I'm always amazed to hear about creative ways other collectors are displaying their pieces. I know quite a few people who have built lighted display cases in their homes and show off their pieces by mounting them to blocks of wood or press board placed inside the cabinets. I also know people who have made quilts with patches, covered entire pieces of clothing, or made wall hangings. The most unique display I think I've ever seen came from dealer/collector I met at a Boy Scout event.
This middle aged man was a troop leader who collected all sorts of patches. He had pieces from previous Boy Scout events, military pieces, advertising pieces, and even regular, old stock patches. The thing is, he brought his collection to every outdoor Scouting event where swapping was likely to go on. And his method of display was ingenious.
This man got himself an old U.S. Army cook's tent from World War II. I'm not sure if you've ever seen one of these tents, but they're huge. He then set about attaching each of his thousands of patches to the interior -- walls and ceiling both. Just one or two loose stitches to keep them in place was all he needed. Other collectors would browse his collection as they walked around the tent, and if they found one they wanted to make a deal on it was just a quick snip of the scissors and away they went. And in case you're wondering, a waterproof tarp was draped over the outside to keep out the weather.
It just goes to show that the human creativity inherent in all of us is just about limitless. If you're a collector, how do you display your stock patches?
