Dieges and Clust 1916-1919
When the TH Foley company went out of business in 1915 the Boy Scouts contracted with the Dieges & Clust Company to manufacture the Eagle Badge.
Dieges & Clust 1 (above)
Identification: BSA on the chest, beak is closed. The elongated knot hanging from the scroll is double knotted. It is usually the easiest indicator of the Dieges & Clust type. The ribbon is longer than most later models. It also retained the same pendant as the TH Foley eagle although the ring at the top of the pendant (the pendant ring) goes behind the eagles head. The back of the pendant lacks detail and looks more like wrinkles than a feathered eagle. A Dieges & Clust hallmark may be found on the back of the scroll but there have been some examples found with no hallmark.
There were less than 1,700 Dieges & Clust types awarded from 1916-1920 making them among the most desirable to the collector. This type was awarded to radio and television star George 'Ozzie' Nelson.
Availability: Very rare. Highly sought after and prized.
Dieges & Clust medal in presentation box
A transitional medal......
Dieges & Clust look-a-like
At first glance this medal may be mistaken for a Dieges & Clust. The ribbon is elongated and is virtually indistinguishable from the D&C's. The knot is long but is formed into a noose instead of D&C's characteristic double knot. However the back of the pendant is now detailed. To make things more interesting the colors on the ribbon are reversed. The eagle should always face red, not blue.
This Eagle was made by the Robbins Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts which would be the next manufacturer of the Eagle Badge. The ribbon was wrongly installed by someone at the factory during assembly in the early 1920's. This particular medal holds interest to the collector because of its own personality. With its long ribbon and knot it could be viewed as a transitional piece from the D&C to the Robbins. See the Robbins Company on the following page for the next generation of Eagle Badges.