IOWA STATE PATROL
January 6, 2005

Until this badge appeared on the collectors market, I had not seen a reproduction of the Iowa State Patrol badge. Normally, Iowa is a very difficult one for collectors to find. When you suddenly see them appear on the auction sites, something is probably not as it should be.

Unless you have the BADGE GUIDE, you could be easily fooled by this one, as it is very close to the “department issue” badge. However, with the book as reference, you have two bits of knowledge that could save you from buying this repro. First, this badge is made by Blackinton. The Iowa State Patrol “department issue” is not a Blackinton badge.
And, again, with the book in hand, if you look closely at the lettering, although the font is very close, there is enough of a difference to alert you to the fact that “something just isn’t quite right”, as they say. Without something to use as a pictured reference, and without the knowledge used in the Iowa State Patrol badge description in the book, this one could fool even those that consider themselves experts.

Beware of Iowa State Patrol badges with the Blackinton hallmark.

Our publication tells the secrets of telling a "department issue" badge from a fake or a reproduction. Should you encounter a badge that you have questions about, do send us a copy of the photos, front and back. This will
help us in our efforts of telling other collectors what is out on the market these days. Should you encounter a state patrol badge and have questions about it, send us a photo of the badge, back and front, and let us give you an opinion. Remember, it is your input that alerts us to the fakes and reproductions that are out there. Support this site by telling us of questionable badges. Our BADGE GUIDE will assist you in collecting only valid badges, and will advise on a bracket price for each state.

IOWA STATE PATROL
August 20, 2004

This is the first Iowa State Patrol reproduction to surface on the collectors market that I know of. It has been offered for auction on one of the collector sites. The badge was noted as made by Blackinton. Blackinton has never held the Iowa State Patrol badge contract, so this badge should be considered a reproduction and valued for materials only… probably about $40 to $45 dollars.
According to the Patrol, Iowa has only been made by Entenmann Rovin, and all other sale offerings of this design of the Iowa State Patrol badge should be considered reproductions and not “department issue”, and valued as such.