Centenary_medallion_front

Australian Customs Centenary Medallions - Obverse

Issued one to each member of the Australian Customs Service, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Australian Customs Service in the year 2001, after the founding of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The medallion features the Customs crest including the Queens Crown and the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Centenary_medallion_back

Australian Customs Centenary Medallions - Reverse

Each medallion is individually engraved with the officers surname and initials on the reverse of the medallion. The medallions are made from copper. The Customs Act was the first piece of legislation enacted by the Commonwealth and, after the Constitution of Australia, is the oldest legislation operating in Australia.

acs Badge Type: Customs Breast Identification Badge
Manufacturer: AJ Parkes, Brisbane
Issue Date: Early 1980's until recall, June 1999
Remarks: This was the badge issued to me when I first joined the Australian Customs Service.
acs_fnb Badge Type: Australian Customs Federal Narcotics Bureau Badge
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations:
Remarks: Very old Australian Customs badge. Very hard to find these badges today. Variations of these were manufactured for wall plaques, made in three parts.
cloth_arm_badge Badge Type: HM Customs Brassard Identification
Manufacturer: Unknown
Issue Date: Unknown
Observations: 
KC_HMC_Hat_Badge Badge Type: Kings Crown HM Customs Hat Badge
Manufacturer: Amor Badge Company, Sydney
Issue Date: One of the earliest recorded photographs of this shows the badge in use circa 1915 of Officers in a search / rummage team wearing this badge on their soft cloth caps. On joining Customs in 1967, these Kings Crown badges were only worn on the red safety hardhats worn by Senion Preventive Officers in charge of rummage teams (comments supplied Brian Bennett)
Observations: Manufactured from a 2 part die process, where the gold and blue enamel is constructed separately to the gold wreath and Kings Crown component
Remarks: Exceedingly rare to come across one of these items in good condition - I think the one in my collection is probably one of the better ones. I found this particular item in an antique medals shop.
QC_HMC_Hat_Badge Badge Type: Queens Crown HM Customs Hat Badge
Manufacturer: Amor Badge Company, Sydney
Issue Date: Supposedly post 1952
Observations: Similar to the badge above, manufactured from a 2 part die process
Remarks: Never issued to staff, a friend of mine happened across this item when the original Amor badge company went into liquidation in 1996 and were selling off their old stocks of badge components.
KC_HMC_ID_disc Badge Type: HM Customs New South Wales Kings Crown Identification Disc
Manufacturer: Unknown
Issue Date: Unknown, assumed from sometime prior to 1901, based on the use of the Coat of Arms
Observations: The obverse has the New South Wales / British Coat of Arms and a unique individual identifying number, the reverse of this disc has no markings at all. 
Remarks: The purpose of this disc is not really known that well. It has been surmised that it could have been an old style Customs identification disc worn by the inspectors on the waterfront who didn't wear uniforms, or these items could have been used to identify sets of keys used to lock bonded warehouses on the waterfront. Who knows? If you do, please let me know.
metal_badge_blue_fabric Badge Type: HM Customs Rocker badge, affixed to an epaulette holder
Manufacturer: Unknown, most likely Amor Badge company, Sydney
Issue Date: Unknown, possibly prior to 1952
Observations: This particular badge has been adapted to wear on the shoulder slides of a shirt where epaulettes would normally be worn, an unusual variation. Origianlly used as lapel badges on the double breasted black tunic. Senior ranks were manufactured with a Queens Crown in the middle of the curve.
Rocker_and_buttons Badge Type: HM Customs Rocker Badge & Black Buttons
Manufacturer: Rocker badge - Amor Badge Company, Sydney, Buttons, unknown
Issue Date: Post 1965
Observations: These items were most likely to be worn by Customs Officers of the landing watch branch, the HM Customs rocker badge would be affixed to either lapel of the officers black uniform jacket and the buttons (Large) would be on the main jacket buttons and the small buttons would be on the end of the sleeves.
cloth_hat_badge Badge Type: HM Customs Bullion Hat Badge & Puggaree
Issue Date: Unknown, possibly prior to Coronation
Observations: These items were originally manufactured for the ACS, to the best of my knowledge, in Malta, where items similar in nature have been manufactured for the Royal Navy
bullion_badge Badge Type: Customs Bullion Hat Badge
Manufacturer: Unknown
Issue Date: Introduced circa 1972
Observations: Details as per above. The above items was affixed to a white peaked cap, whereas this badge was affixed to a blue peaked cap.
Female_Brooch_Badge Badge Type: Australian Customs Hat Badge
Issue Date: Late 1970's to early 1980's
Observations: Not a very popular badge, derisively referred to as the bus driver badge or the Mary Jane badge (reference to the leaves on the badge looking much like the cannabis leaf supposedly) 
Remarks: This badge was only introduced for a short time and never entered wide circulation within the department, was quickly replaced with the next item
Old_customs_hat_badge Badge Type: Australian Customs Hat Badge
Issue Date: Early 1980's until late 1999
Observations: Issued to officers who ordered wide brimmed hats, this badge was affixed to the peak. There were two versions of this particular badge, either a tan hat or a dark grey
Remarks: Customs Hat badge
medallion_c1979_top_view Badge Type: Customs medallion 1977 (Obverse)
Manufacturer: Unknown
Issue Date: Possibly 1977
Observations: Any information would be gratefully appreciated
medallion_c1979_underneath_view Badge Type: Customs Medallion 1977 (Reverse)
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations:
Old_Coastwatch Badge Type: Australian Coastal Surveillance Organization
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations:
Remarks: Scan of badge supplied to me by Queensland collector
acs_female_breastbadge Badge Type: Australian Customs Female Breast Badge - Unnumbered
Manufacturer: Unknown
Issue Date:Unknown 
Observations: Worn exclusively by female officers - quite rare to come across one of these as there were never many of this type of badge in service
Remarks: Scan of badge supplied to me by Robert Rutt
badge_white_stripe Badge Type: Customs white stripe badge
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations: Issued to preventive officers in the early 1980s and worn on a black leather fob.
badge_white_stripe_two Badge Type: Customs Blue Stripe badge
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations: Issued to Senior Preventive Officers in the early 1980s and worn on a black leather fob.
narcotics_badge Badge Type: Customs Narcotics Bureau Badge
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: 
Observations: Identification badge issued to members of the Customs Narcotics Bureau (between 1968 and 1979) also known as the Australian Narcotics Bureau, the Commonwealth Narcotics Bureau, the Federal Narcotics Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. These badges were ordinary fob badges with the word NARCOTICS affixed in Letraset in the plain white enamle panel. The badge was removed from its fob and inserted into a cut out section on one side of a thick leather wallet. The normal Customs ID card was inserted into a stitched 'pocket' on the opposite side of the wallet. These were issued about 1974 to replace the earlier ID wallets which were of green leather with gold printing and contained only two ID cards, no badge.
retired_metal_badge Badge Type: Customs "Retired" badge
Manufacturer:
Issue Date: Commenced issue during the mid 1980s. Withdrawn from service 18 January 1999
Observations:
Plastics_Freddie  

These were identification boards iwere ssued to Investigators from the Detection Operation Group. There were made of dark blue thin, PVC and had the Customs logo printed in gold and each was numbered. Not many survived due to officers habits ofplacing them in their back pockets then sitting down.

Old_belt_badge Badge Type: Old Style Customs Belt Buckle
Manufacturer: Aros Australia
Issue Date: 
Observations:
current_issue_belt_badge Badge Type: Current Issue Belt Badge
Manufacturer: Aros Australia
Issue Date: 
Observations: