PSC Badge, what is it?

G'day everyone.

Found this in a creek near Creswick a while back and still haven't figured out what it is, or what PSC stands for.
Googled it but couldn't make a strong connection anywhere.

Measures about 30mm each side.
Had a bit of hard rotten rubber or leather under the hooks on the back.
Shows evidence of being plated, but don't think it was gold.
Evidence of copper corrosion on the front.
Anyone got an educated guess?

Front



Rear

The 3 pointed device resembles blades to me, so maybe goldfields militia or volunteer police - who knows........

Casper

casper said:

The 3 pointed device resembles blades to me, so maybe goldfields militia or volunteer police - who knows........

Casper

Click to expand...

Funny you should say that. One of the Google results I got a while back was Police Services Club, somewhere in the US., but I don't reckon that would be it.
I'd say it was a little more local than that.

Interesting thought though. They do look a bit blade like.

Cheers.

...... the device is called a triskele

Might be some kind of military badge to denote an officer who has "passed staff college" (psc).
The three blade like emblem may tie in with it as there was a tradition in some military colleges to present swords to the highest passing officers & for other achievements?

Ahh think I have found it? Looks like it might be the the badge of a civilian "fire watchers" helmet 1940's London. How it got to Creswick who knows?

From: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30092494
Unfortunately there is no photo but the description fits.
helmet High-domed steel helmet with a wide brim, painted grey, having the letters, 'PSC' in capitals within a tri-angle, around a propeller symbol

http://josephs-militaria-and-homefront-collection.co.uk/PAGE16.HTML



Edit: could have come off another type of helmet made by PSC that was in use around the goldfields?

mbasko said:

http://josephs-militaria-and-homefront-collection.co.uk/PAGE16.HTML

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/655/1390708189_zmm.jpeg

Edit: could have come off another type of helmet made by PSC that was in use around the goldfields?

Click to expand...

You've done well mr basko,,, I'm impressed.
I doubt it's off one of their helmets, as according to the links you've provided, the symbol was part of the pressing process, but nonetheless, I'd say it was definitely off some thing they made, a car part maybe.
The two claws on the back and the remnants of the rubber/leather under them may be the clue. Certainly a hell of a lot closer to finding out now.
Its possible it was used on something massed produced and imported into Australia from pommy land for sale here, rather than just a souvenir brought out by a migrant.
Interesting also the article refers to the three blade like things as a "propeller motif". I wonder what the connection there is.
I'll have a bit more of a sticky name. Thanks for your help.

Cheers, Ron.

Back again.
The picture of the badge in this link http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2013/06/01/hmn_feature15.html is a dead ringer for the badge, so I really am leaning towards a car part. Pressed Steel Co , founded in 1926 apparently made parts for nearly all the big Pommy car manufacturers, and also Hawker DeHaviland's "Tiger Moth". In 1966, they were then taken over by BMC and became "Pressed Steel Fisher".

Gotta love the internet when it comes to research. I typed in PSC badge and hit Images, and lo and behold, there's a picture of one just like mine,, hang on,,, it IS mine,,lol (from our forum)

Now if I can only narrow what part it came from.

Cheers, Ron.

RottenRon said:

mbasko said:

http://josephs-militaria-and-homefront-collection.co.uk/PAGE16.HTML

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/655/1390708189_zmm.jpeg

Edit: could have come off another type of helmet made by PSC that was in use around the goldfields?

Click to expand...

You've done well mr basko,,, I'm impressed.
I doubt it's off one of their helmets, as according to the links you've provided, the symbol was part of the pressing process, but nonetheless, I'd say it was definitely off some thing they made, a car part maybe.
The two claws on the back and the remnants of the rubber/leather under them may be the clue. Certainly a hell of a lot closer to finding out now.
Its possible it was used on something massed produced and imported into Australia from pommy land for sale here, rather than just a souvenir brought out by a migrant.
Interesting also the article refers to the three blade like things as a "propeller motif". I wonder what the connection there is.
I'll have a bit more of a sticky name. Thanks for your help.

Cheers, Ron.

Click to expand...

"..... Its possible it was used on something massed produced and imported into Australia from pommy land for sale here, rather than just a souvenir brought out by a migrant....."

of course!! for example war surplus sold in the old disposals stores that i grew up haunting - now there is a chain of them with a familiar name . I have a 60's vintage French army mess tins and 60's German Army cutlery set, a current Dutch Army back pack and how many of you have one those German Army Great coats with the flag badge on the upper sleeve. Your badge would've been attached to some leather belt or harness I reckon. My old Boy Scout belt badges have the same method of attachment as your find.

casper

casper said:

RottenRon said:

mbasko said:

http://josephs-militaria-and-homefront-collection.co.uk/PAGE16.HTML

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/655/1390708189_zmm.jpeg

Edit: could have come off another type of helmet made by PSC that was in use around the goldfields?

Click to expand...

You've done well mr basko,,, I'm impressed.
I doubt it's off one of their helmets, as according to the links you've provided, the symbol was part of the pressing process, but nonetheless, I'd say it was definitely off some thing they made, a car part maybe.
The two claws on the back and the remnants of the rubber/leather under them may be the clue. Certainly a hell of a lot closer to finding out now.
Its possible it was used on something massed produced and imported into Australia from pommy land for sale here, rather than just a souvenir brought out by a migrant.
Interesting also the article refers to the three blade like things as a "propeller motif". I wonder what the connection there is.
I'll have a bit more of a sticky name. Thanks for your help.

Cheers, Ron.

Click to expand...

"..... Its possible it was used on something massed produced and imported into Australia from pommy land for sale here, rather than just a souvenir brought out by a migrant....."

of course!! for example war surplus sold in the old disposals stores that i grew up haunting - now there is a chain of them with a familiar name . I have a 60's vintage French army mess tins and 60's German Army cutlery set, a current Dutch Army back pack and how many of you have one those German Army Great coats with the flag badge on the upper sleeve. Your badge would've been attached to some leather belt or harness I reckon. My old Boy Scout belt badges have the same method of attachment as your find.

casper

Click to expand...

Yeah mate.
I reckon it was on a belt or strap of some kind, but the strap or belt would have been attached to something the company made. Remember, the PSC stands for Pressed Steel Company, so whatever it was, it would have been some metal object. Could have been a helmet for instance, but I doubt it, as the helmets had the logo stamped into the metal, and besides, a badge that size on a helmet strap wouldn't be too likely I suspect.
Interestingly, going by that line of thought, the object must not have been suitable to have the logo pressed in like the helmets are. So that begs the question, was the object too small, or intricate, or even too valuable to be messed up with the logo.

At least we know the parent part was manufactured by PSC

Food for thought.

Cheers, Ron.

If I had picked this up I don't think I would of thought to much about it & thrown it in junk bag. My thoughts are the SC part stood for secondary collage & it appears to me to be just a cheap school badge or tie pin.

dave14110 said:

If I had picked this up I don't think I would of thought to much about it & thrown it in junk bag. My thoughts are the SC part stood for secondary collage & it appears to me to be just a cheap school badge or tie pin.

Click to expand...

Sorry mate but if you open the link (provided in one of my previous posts) http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2013/06/01/hmn_feature15.html and looked at the at the symbol in there, you will see it's a dead ringer representation of my badge. So, it is definitely by the "Pressed Steel Company", now all that remains is to find out what it came off, like I said in my previous post. As I also stated, PSC started in 1925 and changed name in 1966, so it has a little history. Read the article in the link and you'll see it could even be off a Tiger Moth. A long shot, but PSC made parts for them too.
So the question then remains, what other "junk" have you thrown out,,,lol.
Cheers, Ron.

Not going to read every post in here cause I simple don't have the time. The area's I have searched are mostly near modern or recent schools. They certainly wouldn't have tiger moth parts in them. I said " I would of thought" those thoughts would be based on most area's I've detector. Even items in my rubbish bag I have a second look at when I get home. I have also found lots of cheap badges from schools. I did not intend to say you were wrong & don't believe I did. But if that's what you thought I apologise.

Was watching pawn stars the other day a bloke brought in a chemical gas mask for infants from ww2 and I did notice that it had the same logo on it that you have.

dave14110 said:

Not going to read every post in here cause I simple don't have the time. The area's I have searched are mostly near modern or recent schools. They certainly wouldn't have tiger moth parts in them. I said " I would of thought" those thoughts would be based on most area's I've detector. Even items in my rubbish bag I have a second look at when I get home. I have also found lots of cheap badges from schools. I did not intend to say you were wrong & don't believe I did. But if that's what you thought I apologise.

Click to expand...

Ok Dave, now I apologize as well for my knee jerk comment "So the question then remains, what other "junk" have you thrown out,,,lol."
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't being precious about my posts but just a little miffed you never seemed to make an effort to read just a few of the previous posts in this thread and open one or two of the links.
Your comment "& it appears to me to be just a cheap school badge or tie pin." was a little annoying, since I did describe and provide a picture of the "claws" on the back. They really don't remind me of a "tie pin" at all.
Even the extra research I did after mbasko provided me with his photos and military clues, led me to provide more information and link where I got it from, in my post on the 26th.
In that link, if you'd like to read it, you will see references to PSC make/press parts for many British car manufacturers, fridge makers, railway rolling stock, Tiger Moths, civilian single engine planes, and now it seems, (according to the previous post from Peko), gas masks. Remember, the claws had some residual rubber or rotten leather stuck under them.
Obviously, the planes and rolling stock are a long shot but you never know.
So that still leaves me with one question. Which of those was the donor of the badge?
How it got there, will never be answered.

Cheers, Ron.

Peko said:

Was watching pawn stars the other day a bloke brought in a chemical gas mask for infants from ww2 and I did notice that it had the same logo on it that you have.

Click to expand...

Dam, I saw that episode as well, but missed it. Thanks for bringing that to my attention Peko. I'll look out for it in the next repeat of the show.
Cheers, Ron

After reading it to me it is a piece that may have interest to some. Then some would of left it in ground as historic piece or remove it as rubbish or kept it as piece of interest.

dave14110 said:

After reading it to me it is a piece that may have interest to some. Then some would of left it in ground as historic piece or remove it as rubbish or kept it as piece of interest.

Click to expand...

Whatever floats your boat Dave. Your reply is a little too cryptic for me.

Lets keep it on topic guys.