You're Badgering Me! Space Pins and Badges

 Talking about the Project SWORD badge ranks the other day reminded me of the one rank that SWORD shares with SpaceX toys ...

... Commander.

I often wondered if SpaceX meant to release further ranks?

It's not a badge I own - I don't think I had one as a kid either - but I do really like it's simplicity.

Ranked space badges were a kids' staple in the Sixties and Seventies.

I wonder if they reflected reality in NASA, USAF and the RAF?

Tudor Crisps had both a neat Astronaut and a fab Space Captain. Maybe there were more?

There were lots of individual astronauts as a result of the space race like this repurposed agent pin, the Junior Astronaut.

Some badge ranges were even more ambitious than Project SWORD's like these beautiful Lyons Maids, which included every conceivable rank possible!

Perhaps the most accomplished series, not in range but sheer variety of merchandise, was Wall's Sky Ray.

Not only did they release lovely Moon Fleet and Captain badges but they issued a whole gamut of stuff like collectors albums and a super cool space vest, which I know Bill had and has posted about here in the past.

Did you or do you have any space badges readers? 

(All images from auction sites)