eBay Tuesday: USCG Station New London Patch

If you've come to the New London Patch looking for a New London patch, today is one of those rare days when we can help you out.

Today's pick for the New London item on eBay comes from makayla500, who runs the online store Pamco Military Insignia Sales. The United States Coast Guard has a surprisingly hefty collection, with 256 patches available as of Monday afternoon versus a few dozen for the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy. There are two patches available from Coast Guard Station New London.

The at Fort Trumbull has a pretty close history to the service itself. According to the Coast Guard's official site, the property where the station sits was first ceded to the federal government in 1798 and has been U.S. property ever since. The School of Commissioned Officers of the Revenue Cutter Service, later to become the Coast Guard, was located at from 1910 to 1932 and the was originally located at the fort after opening in the latter year.

The station is part of the Long Island Sound sector, and participates in a number of activities: search and rescue, boating safety, maritime law enforcement, military readiness, port security, and pollution response. The patch specifically recognizes the search and rescue capabilities, portraying either a small or medium response boat as it cruises away from Ledge Light (itself once manned by the Coast Guard).

The patches measure about four inches by four and seven-eighths inches and are going for a price of $4.85. Three have already been sold, the most recent one on Sunday. The auction ends at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday.